Ajahn Brahmali og Bhante Sujato har skrevet boken «The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts» – som handler om hva som er undervisning fra Buddha, og hva som er kommet til senere, og hvorfor dette skillet er viktig. Boken kan lastes ned gratis her.

Ajahn Brahmali ble invitert til Norge for å undervise på norsk om kjernen av denne boken. Under følger podcast-episoder, og noter som ble brukt − noen noter på norsk, men de fleste på engelsk.

Spill av episodene i denne nettleseren, eller bruk en podcast app:

• T.W. Rhys Davids (1843–1922)
• Founder Pali Text Society
• Edited and translated Pali texts, compiled dictionary, published popular books

• Ledi Sayadaw (1846–1923)
• Wrote in Pali and Burmese
• Advocated breath meditation and vipassana
• Published many books and studies
• Introduced lay meditation

• King Mongkut (1804–1868) reformed Sangha, emphasized Vinaya and study of Pali texts
• Ajahn Mun (1870–1949) founded modern forest meditation tradition

• Anagarika Dharmapala (1864–1933)
• “Protestant” reform of Sinhalese Buddhism
• Revived Indian Buddhism
• Closely connected with Theosophical Society
• Buddhist interfaith

• Taishō Tripiṭaka (1920s): edited in Japan by students of Max Mueller, used Western critical apparatus, influenced by Pali texts
• Master Yin Shun (1906–2005) deeply researched early Buddhism, had great influence in modern Taiwanese Buddhism, including the advent of “engaged Buddhism”. Master Cheng Yen of Tzu Chi was one of his students.

Disse er alle sene former for buddhisme:

• Vajrayāna
• Mahāyāna
• Theravāda

Hvorfor søke den tidlige buddhismen?

• Hva alle buddhister har til felles, og derfor kan samles rundt
• Det Buddha lærte fra seg er det viktigste i buddhismen
• Ingen dyrkelse av guruer og derfor mindre misbruk

Hva har vi av tekster?

• Pali Tipitaka
• Early Buddhist texts in Chinese translation
• Some texts in Tibetan, Sanskrit, other
• Little archeology before Ashoka (c. 150 years after the Buddha)

Hvordan vet vi hva som er tidlig?

• Testimony of tradition
• Concordance of suttas
• Evolution of doctrine
• Political, social, technological conditions
• Candragupta & Aśoka

Det var “18” tidlige (pre-Mahāyāna) skoler. Disse vokste frem gradvis etter Ashoka (c. 100–200 BCE). De viktigste er:

• Theravāda (Mahāvihāravāsin)
• Sarvāstivāda (Most suttas, vinaya, abhidhamma)
• Mūlasarvāstivāda (Vinaya in Chinese, Tibetan, Sanskrit)
• Dharmaguptaka (Vinaya, Dīrgha Āgama, 1 abhidhamma)
• Mahāsaṅghika (Vinaya, some suttas)
• Mahīśāsaka (Vinaya)

Spredning av buddhismen i India:

Hva er tidlige tekster?

• Most doctrinal passages attributed to the Buddha in the Suttas.
• Some of the framing narratives and teachings by disciples in the Suttas
• The pāṭimokkha & some other Vinaya material.
• Some verses (Dhammapada, etc.)
• Occasional passages and quotes in later literature.
• Chinese texts, known as Āgamas and Vinaya, belonging to different school.
• A few Tibetan texts in the Kangyur. Only a small number.
• Some test in Sanskrit and Prakrits.
• De lange tekstene (Dīgha Nikāya)
• De mellomlange tekstene (Majjhima Nikāya)
• De tematiske tekstene (Saṁyutta Nikāya)
• De numeriske tekstene (Aṅguttara Nikāya)
• Den lille samlingen (Khuddaka Nikāya)
• De monastiske lovtekster (Vinaya Piṭaka)

Hva er ikke tidlige tekster?

• Abhidhamma (c. 200+ years after the Buddha)
• Jātakas (c. 100–400)
• Other late books of the Khuddaka, e.g. Peta-, Vimānavatthu, Cariyapiṭaka, Buddhavaṁsa, etc.
• Most of the Vinaya (c. 100–200)
• Mahāyāna (c. 400–1000)
• Some additions to the Āgamas, including certain verses, legendary elaborations, proto-Abhidhamma
• Lives of the Buddha

Hva er den tidlige buddhismens innhold?

• Dhamma er en form for psykologi
• Egne erfaringer og innsikt
• Dhamma er naturalistisk
• Dhamma er universelt gyldig
• Buddha var et menneske
• Samtaler er viktige
• Det er lov å tvile
• Meningen med livet

Many paths with same or different destination?

Dhp. 273: “Just this is the path, there is no other, for the purification of insight. You should practice this path; This is the confounding of Māra.”

DN 16: “In whatever teaching and training the noble eightfold path is found, there the noble ones are found.”

“Before my enlightenment, while I was still only an unenlightened Bodhisatta …”

“Before my awakening, when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening …”

There is no trace of teachings on the bodhisattva path in the oldest texts. Se the book «The Genesis of the Bodhisattva Ideal» by Analayo.

“Just this is the path, there is no other, For the purification of insight.”

The Buddha never teaches anything apart from the N8P.

“Mendicants, not understanding and not penetrating four noble truths, both you and I have wandered and transmigrated for such a very long time.” (DN 16)

The Buddha did not reach Awakening by practising a path. The idea of a Bodhisattva path is a historical development.

Conditioned nature of Noble Eight Fold Path (N8P): Right view > Right intention > Right speech > Right action > Right livelihood > Right effort > Right mindfulness > Right stillness.

The N8P starts with right view, which is needed to understand why this path should be followed. It is a forerunner and guide for the rest of the path.

• Right view is not required
• Morality is less important
• Right mindfulness is sufficient
• Right stillness is not required

Right view is not required: “The doctrine of rebirth is meaningful in Buddhism only insofar as it provides a basis for the continuity of ethical consequences. Although rebirth and karma are often linked together, it is karma that is of primary importance; rebirth is secondary.”

Morality is less important: “What is the starting point of skilful qualities? Well purified ethics and correct view. When your ethics are well purified and your view is correct, you should develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation in three ways, depending on and grounded on ethics.” (SN 47.3)

Morality is less important: “Monks, an unethical person, who lacks ethics, has destroyed a/the vital condition for right stillness. When there is no right stillness, one who lacks right stillness has destroyed a/the vital condition for true knowledge and vision.” (AN 5.24)

Right stillness is not required: “Suppose there was a large tree standing with heartwood. It’s not possible to cut out the heartwood without having cut through the bark and the softwood. In the same way, there is a path and a practice for giving up the five lower fetters. It’s not possible to know or see or give up the five lower fetters without relying on that path and that practice. And what, Ānanda, is the path and the practice for giving up the five lower fetters? The four jhānas … ” (MN 64)

“If anyone were to refer to a spiritual life as well-proclaimed and complete in all aspects, with nothing lacking and nothing superfluous, it is this spiritual life they would be describing.” (DN 29)

“The most important discourse ever given by the Buddha on mental development (meditation) is called the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.” − Walpola Rāhula

“[The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta] is by all Buddhists rightly considered the most important part of the whole Sutta-Piṭaka and the quintessence of the whole meditation practice.” − Bhikkhu Nyanatiloka

“In many a home, the satipaṭṭhāna book is reverently wrapped in a clean cloth, and from time to time, in the evening, it is read to members of the family. Often this discourse is recited at the bedside of a dying Buddhist, so that in the last hour of his life, his heart may be set on, consoled, and gladdened by the Master’s great message of liberation.” − Bhikkhu Nyanaponika

“And what are those things I have taught from my direct knowledge?
They are: the four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Having carefully memorized them, you should cultivate, develop, and make much of them so that this spiritual practice may last for a long time. That will be for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans.” – DN 16

“When your morality (sīla) is well purified and your view is correct, you should develop the four applications of mindfulness in three ways, depending on and grounded on morality (sīla).” − SN 47.3

Morality is very broad:

• Positive and negative morality (sīla)
• Sense restraint (indriya saṃvara)
• Clear awareness (sati-sampajañña)

Correct view:

• Seeing the limits of the material world (anicca)
• Understanding how people are conditioned (anattā)

“Satipaṭṭhāna is vipassanā. Vipassanā is satipaṭṭhāna.” − Goenka

Satipaṭṭhāna (= sammāsati) > sammāsamādhi

There is no link between satipaṭṭhāna and vipassanā in the suttas. They are never used together.

Satipaṭṭhāna is the practice. Samatha and vipassanā are the result.

“When they feel a material pleasant feeling (sāmisa sukha), they know: ‘I feel a material pleasant feeling.’ When they feel a spiritual pleasant feeling (nirāmisa sukha), they know: ‘I feel a spiritual pleasant feeling.’” − MN 10

“They know expansive mind as ‘expansive mind’ (mahaggata citta) …
They know mind that is supreme as ‘mind that is supreme’ (anuttara citta) …
They know stilled mind as ‘stilled mind’ (samāhita citta) …
They know freed mind as ‘freed mind’ (vimutta citta) …” − MN 10

“When they have the awakening factor of energy … rapture (pīti) … tranquillity (passaddhi) … stillness (samādhi) … equanimity (upekhā) in them, they understand: ‘I have the awakening factor of energy … rapture … tranquillity … stillness … equanimity in me.’” − MN 10

The claim is that the jhānas are a late addition to the suttas. This does not make sense:

• The jhānas are everywhere
• The jhānas are a core aspect of the 37 aids to Awakening
• They are integrated into the sutta exposition.

Sammāsamādhi and insight go together:

“As you live diligently like this, have you achieved any superhuman distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones, a meditation at ease?” “Yes … first jhāna … second jhāna … third jhāna … fourth jhāna.” − MN 31

Jhāna is included in satipaṭṭhāna. If you wish to fulfil satipaṭṭhāna you need jhāna.

“When they feel a spiritual (nirāmisa) pleasant feeling, they know: ‘I feel a spiritual pleasant feeling.’ … “They know mind in samādhi as ‘mind in samādhi,’ and mind not in samādhi as ‘mind not in samādhi.’ They know freed mind as ‘freed mind,’ and unfreed mind as ‘unfreed mind.’”

There is no absorption for one without wisdom.
There is no wisdom for one without absorption.
But one with both absorption and wisdom
Is truly close to extinguishment.
(Dhp. 372)

If you have right mindfulness, you get right samādhi.
If you have right samādhi, you get right knowledge.
If you have right knowledge, you get right liberation. [= awakening]

In this way, depending on the right course, there is success, not failure.
(AN 10.103)

Develop unification of mind (samādhi). If your mind gets unified you will understand things as they really are. And what will you understand as they really are? You will understand what suffering is, what its origin is, what its cessation is, and what the path leading to its cessation is. [= stream entry] − SN 56.1

Without right unification of mind (sammā samādhi), if you lack right unification of mind, you lack the necessary condition for knowing and seeing things as they really are. [= stream entry] − AN 10.3

“It’s possible that wanderers of other religions might say: ‘The Sakyan ascetics indulge in pleasure in these four ways (= jhāna).’ They should be told, ‘Exactly so!’ It’s right to say this. It is not an untruthful misrepresentation. … You should say to them: ‘Four benefits may be expected by those who indulge in pleasure in these four ways (= jhāna). What four? Stream entry, once-returning, non-returning, and enlightenment.” − DN 29

Sammāvimutti in practice: Good ethics > No regrets > Joy > Rapture > Tranquillity > Bliss > Stillness > Knowing and seeing according to reality > Aversion (nibbidā) > Dispassion (virāga) > Knowledge and vision of liberation − AN 11.1