The Suttasangaha

The Suttasangaha is an anthology of Pali texts mainly from the Sutta Pitaka; it draws
much on the Long Collection, the Middle Collection, the Samyutta Collection, the
Anguttara Collection and the Khuddaka Collection of which again it includes texts from
the Khuddakaatha, the !ti"uttaka and the Suttaniata# The other texts in the Suttasangaha
are extracted from the Maha"agga, the Cula"agga of the A$hidhamma Pitaka and the
%i$haga of the %inaya Pitaka while a few others are taken from the %imana,
&hammaada and 'uddha"amsa Commentaries#
The Suttasangaha is an indisensa$le manual of 'uddhism useful not only to
monks $ut also to laity# !t seems that it en(oyed oularity among the 'uddhists of
Ceylon as a guide to daily life, though it is now a little)known work in Myanmar#
The *ifth 'uddhist Council +AC ,-.,/ recogni0ed it as a canonical text in the
Khuddaka Collection, together with the re)Commentary Pali works such as the
Petakoadesa, the 1etti, and the Milindaanna# 2esearch on the archment records
,
says
that at the *ifth 'uddhist Council the Suttasangaha, 3, alm)lea"es long, was recited and
edited $y sixty four monks from the Taungtaw, Taungmyo, Taungmyo, Taungyin
1gasoh, Tanta)4 and Theim monasteries#
Strange enough, howe"er, it is not found in the stone inscritions which were
coied from the alm)leaf manuscrits and erected $y King Mindon in AC ,-5-, three
years $efore the *ifth 'uddhist Council, in the Kuthodaw Pagoda comound near the foot
of Mandalay 6ill# !t was not included in the Sixth 'uddhist Council, which was held -7
years later in AC ,389, either# The ossi$le reasons are threefold# *irst, the treatise was
not oular enough in the the field of monastic education# May$e, it is $ecause the Sixth
'uddhist Council was $ased on King Mindon:s stone inscritions of the Pitaka, which
ha"e $een erected in the Kuthodaw comound# ;r the mem$ers of the Council might
ha"e assumed that the texts in the Suttasangaha are (ust the extractions from the Canon
roer and thus decided to omit it#
The Suttasangaha in Sinhalese scrit was u$lished in AC ,-3< in Ceylon under
the editorshi of %araitiya Sugataala# The rinted Suttasangaha in Myanmar characters
,
;ne archment record is now in the hands of 4 Aung Mon, the chief editor of the =adanamon 'uddhist
Maga0ine#
was $rought to light in AC ,3,. $y Pyigyimandaing Press in =angon, and the editor was
Pali Teacher 4 1yunt# !n the year of Christian >ra ,38., &# ?uha and 2# P# Chaudhuri
from the &eartment of ;riental Studies of =angon 4ni"ersity re)edited and u$lished
the text in 2oman scrit in Calcutta, !ndia, for the 2oyal Asiatic Society of 'engal#
;ne old Nissaya Myanmar translation of the Suttasangaha was made in M> ,,7-
+AC ,..5/ $y the %enera$le Sonhta Sayadaw 1andamala,
@
though it has ne"er $een
rinted and is now still in alm)leaf form# Later, the Mohti Sayadaw 4 Aagara of
Mandalay and the Tha$yekan Mahadhammika Sayadaw 4 4kkamsa rendered the text in
Myanmar Nissaya translations in AC ,3@. and ,37< resecti"ely, and $oth translations
underwent rinting and u$lishing#
1.1. The term 'Sutta' in Suttasangaha, its meanings and implications
The title of the treatise BSuttasangahaB is a Pali comound word deri"ed from BSuttaB and
BSangahaB# To understand the nature and scoe of the treatise, it is felt that the meanings
of these Pali terms should $e discussed in accordance with Pali lexicons and grammars#
According to Pali &ictionaries such as 4 6oke SeinBs Padatthaman(usa Pali)Myanmar
&ictionary, the word BSuttaB has the following meaningsC
,# a thread, or string
7
@# greed +$ecause of its resem$lance to a string that ties, or attaches, one/
9
7# the 'uddhist Canon or the Ti)Pitaka
8
9# the Sutta)Pitaka
5
8# a Sutta, which means chater, di"ision, dialogue, text, discourse
.
5# the %inaya)Pitaka
-
.# the A$hidhamma)Pitaka
3
@
4 =am, the Pitakattawthamaing +6istory of 'ooks/ # ,88
7
%in#!#735, %in#!!#739# As in Suttam nama cha suttani khomam kappasikam koseyyam kampalam sanam
bhangam.
9
A$h#A#735# As in Anayabyasanapapanatthena kummanubandhasuttakam viyati suttam. Vuttanetam
Suttakanti kho bhikhave nandirassetam adhivacananti.
8
&1#A#!!#,8.# As in Sutteti te pitake Buddhavacane otaratabbani.
5
%in#A#!#,8, A$h#A#!#@<# As in Attanam sucanato, suvuttato savanatota sudanato. Suttata suttasabha-gato
ca suttanti.
.
%in#A#!#@@, &1#A#!#@9, A$h#A#!#@.# As in attha ubhato vibhange niddesa khandaka parivara suttanipato
mangalasutta ratanasutta nalakasutta tuvatakasuttani, annampi ca suttanamakam.
-
%in#A#!#,35# As in Suttanama sakale vinaye pitake !ali.
3
A$h#A#!#8,5,3# As in "ama parinibbanato attharasavassadhikanam dvinnam vassasatanam mattake
"oggaliputtatissatthero nama bhikhu bhikhusahassama##he nisinna. Satavade panca suttasatani paravade
!n the name of BSuttasangahaB, the contextual meaning of BSuttaB is the 'uddhist
Scritures or the Canon, which is the Ti)Pitaka# ;ther meanings lack rele"ancy in the
context and scoe of the treatise#
,# *irst of all, a thread or a string is a thing used in sewing or architecture# !t is therefore
irrele"ant to this treatiseBs name# The same case is with BgreedB#
@# The %inaya)Pitaka, which includes the Blaw casesB that arose in the ;rder throughout
the 'uddhaBs lifetime, is also called BSuttaB# 'ut the contents of the treatise, including no
cases, do not suggest this meaning, and the %inaya)Pitaka for the term Sutta in the
treatiseBs name is irrele"ant#
7# Similarly, the A$hidhamma)Pitaka for the term is not rele"ant to the treatise, either, the
reason $eing that it does not include such comlicated eistemological matters#
9# Most of the treatise does include excerts from the Suttta Pitaka, $ut it also includes
excerts from the %inaya) and A$hidhamma)Pitakas# This $eing so, the meaning of the
Sutta)Pitaka is not comrehensi"e enough to co"er the whole treatise, though it can $e
taken in the context that the Suttasangaha mostly includes the suttas D there are .5 suttas
from the Sutta)Pitaka in all the -5 suttas of the treatise# 'ut if we follow the rule of
generali0ation and ignore the excetions, then the meaning the Sutta)Pitaka is also
(ustified#
8# The most suita$le meaning for the term BSuttaB in the name of the treatise is, therefore,
that of the 'uddhist scritures or the Ti)Pitaka# !ndeed, the treatise consists of excerts
from the whole Ti)Pitaka which may well $e suited to the use of laity as well as monk
teachers# !n >nglish, the term BSuttaB in the word BSuttasangahaB is rendered as BTextB $y
Somaala Aayawardhana in his 6and$ook of Pali Literature#
,<
1.2. The term 'Sangaha' in Suttasangaha, its meanings and implications
According to the A$hidhammaadiika, the term BsangahaB means BcomendiumB or
BsynosisB# !ts meanings can $e "arious, howe"er, as in the following examles#
Sangaha E sam F gaha F a
,,
,# suorting
pancati suttassassam samodhanetva dhighanikayappamanam kathavatthuppakaranam bha#essati.
,<
Somaala Aayawardhana# 6and$ook of Pali Literature# ,339# #,85
,,
Sangaha +P#/ &PTS 555; samgraha +Sk#/ S>& ,,@3; samgraha +'s#/ '6S& 89-
@# the four sangaha)"atthuni
,@
or o$(ects +characteristics/ of symathy
,7
D li$erality,
kindly seech, a life of usefulness, and sensus communis
7# collecting, gathering, accumulation $y means of condensation
,9
9# the text or word so collected
,8
8# a 'uddhist Council
,5
5# a Collection of the 'uddha:s &iscourses, such as the &igha)1ikaya etc#
,.
.# synosis
,-
-# the comendium
,3
, an a$ridged commentary that summarises the commentaries to the
Canon
Since the GSuttasangaha: is a collection of excerts from the 'uddhist texts, the
third meaning is o$"iously intended in its name#
1.3. Authorship
The conclusion section of the Suttasangaha (ust gi"es the fact that the treatise is an
anthology of excerts of the fi"e 1ikayas, lea"ing no mention of its author and date#
@<
Se"eral works on Pali literature, such as ?eiger
@,
and 1orman
@@
, ha"e also missed them,
therefore#
'ut the Pitakatawthamaing +AC ,-.3/ comiled $y the royal li$rarian 4 =am
@7
in
King Mindon:s time ascri$e the work to an anonymous $hikkhu writer of Anuradha,
Ceylon# 'ode:s Pali Literature of 'urma +,3<3/ also follows the Pitakawtawthamaing#
6elmer Smith:s >ilegomena to his Critical Pali &ictionary +"ol ,/
@9
ascri$es the
authorshi of the Suttasangaha to one Thera Ariya"amsa# ?uha and Chauduri +,38./
@8
,@
$atuhi paccayehi sangaho amisasangaho, dhammena sangaho dhammasangaho. A1#A#!!#5<
,7
&1#!!!#,37 +$attari sangahavatthuni danam veyyava##am atthacariya samanattata/ See also A#A#%!!#,--
H '6S& 89-
,9
%in#A#!!!#77, +%ttha ca nigamanagaranampi gameneva sangaho veditabbo/
,8
&1#T#!!!#3< +Sabbasangahapadehi katanti sabbassa sasanattassa sanganhanapadehi eka##ham katam/
,5
%in#A#!#@9 +!arinibbute tathagate "ahakassapappamukhehi dhammasangahakatterehi/
,.
%in#A#!#@, +&atham nikayavasena pancavidham. Sabbameo cetam dhiganikayo/
,-
1et#A#8 +amtam suttatthayo#anavasena vippakinnassapakaranassa sangayanam singiti/
,3
&1#T#!#,88 +'padapannattiadayo hi poranatthakathato mutta sangahakareneva acariyena vutta/
@<
Mss# +1o# ,,-@/ 1ational Li$rary
@,
I# ?eiger# Pali Literature and Language# #@5
@@
K# 2# 1orman# Pali Literature# Ies$aden, ,3-7# #,.9
@7
4 =am# P#3@
@9
6elmer Smith# >ilegomena to Critical Pali &ictionary# %ol#!# ,39-# #9.
@8
2# P# Chauduri H &# P# ?uha +eds#/ Suttasangaha# Calcutta# ,38.
also mention that the author may well ha"e $een the Thera Ariya"amsa of the Maha"ira
Monastery in Anuradha, Ceylon# 'ut the Sinhalese scholar Somaala Aayawardhana
@5
re(ected this assumtion due to the facts that it cannot ro"ide (ustification and that the
treatise itself does not mention its author#
1.4. Two Literar Luminaries ! the same name o" Aria#amsa
Ariya"amsa !
@.
aeared in late twelfth century AC# 6e was a discile of the Thera
Mahakala and teacher of the Thera 4ttara(i"a, who later went to Ceylon and $rought the
Thera Agga"amsa:s Saddhaniti to light among the Sinhalese scholars of the Maha"ihara
Monastery, Ceylon, in AC ,,58, when the Parakkama$ahu was ruling# ;ne no"ice
known as Chaada accomanied him and recei"ed ordination and education at that
monastery# 6e later made his name as the Thera Saddhamma(otiala in the history of the
'uddha:s &isensation# 6e took $ack four Sinhalese $hikkhus with him and founded the
Sinhalese School, which gained a firm stronghold in the soil of 'agan#
@-

Thus, Ariya"amsa was o$"iously linked to the Maha"ihara monastery through his
disciles at least# 'ut we lack strong e"idence of his authorshi on the treatise#
Ariya"amsa !! was a famous writer in the fifteenth century AC# 6e was also a
follower of Chaada:s Sinhalese School, and was from 'agan# 6e later went to Sagaing
to learn grammar from the =e)ngon Sayadaw# Then, he learnt the
A$hidhammattha"i$ha"ani and wrote its commentary known as the Manisaraman(usa#
6e sent most of his life in Sagaing though he later settled in A"a for roogating the
&hamma# >"en King 1araati $ecame one of his audiences# 6is works
@3
included the
Manisaraman(usa, the Manidia, the ?antha$harana, the Mahanissaya and the
Aataka"isodhana# 6e cannot $e the author of the Suttasangaha mainly $ecause of his time
and lace of $irth#
Although the a"aila$le historical e"idences do not claim that the author of the
Suttasangaha was the Thera Ariya"amsa, we can $e Juite sure that it was comiled $y
one $hikkhu from the Maha"ihara monastery of Anuradha, Ceylon# *or the treatise
includes not only excerts from the Canon $ut also those from three Commentaries#
@5
Somaala Aayawardhana# 6and$ook of Pali Literature# #,-9
@.
>nclycloaedia of 'uddhism# #3@, ?lass Palace Chronicle# #,97
@-
4 Myint Swe +London/# 6istory of Sinhalese 'uddhism and Pali Literature# #--
@3
&ictionary of Pali Proer 1ames, 'ode:s Pali Literature of 'urma# #9,, Sasana"amsa# #9,, etc#
The Thera 'uddhaghosa arri"ed in Ceylon in AC 9@, to study the Sinhalese
commentaries from the theras of the Maha"ihara monastery# At that time, the Maha"ihara
School had $een studying the 'uddhist scritures only in their indigenous language,
Sinhalese, $ut these scritures had $een attested $y the three 'uddhist Councils#
'uddhaghosa, on arri"ing in Ceylon, was asked to make commentaries in Pali to easily
understand the Canon# As far as these commentaries are concerned, the contents of the
Suttasangaha come from the &hammaada Commentary $y 'uddhaghosa +AC 8th
Century/, the 'uddha"amsa Commentary $y 'uddhadatta +AC 8th Century/ and the
%imana"atthu Commentary $y &hammaala# All the authors of commentaries were
followers of the Maha"ihara School# Thus, we feel inclined to ascri$e the authorshi of
the Suttasangaha to a follower of the Maha"ihara School, $ecause in this Suttasangaha, a
reacher:s manual of 'uddhism, we find that the author ut together suita$le discourses
from the Canon roer and its commentaries used $y this school#
1.$. The %aha#ihara %onaster
The Maha"ihara Monastery used to $e a ma(or centre of learning in Ceylon during the
reign of King &e"anamiyatissa# !t was the first residence of the missionary $hikkhu
such as the Thera Mahida and was the leading 'uddhist school o"er @<< years until King
%attagamani:s days# Ihen sectarianism was introduced in the 'uddhist Teaching and
different 'uddhist sects arose, the school remained a stronghold# The Chinese tra"eler
*ahien recorded in a$out 9<< AC that there were nearly 7<<< monk students in that
school# A& ,,5<s saw the $rightest days of the 'uddhist Teaching and Pali literature#
Since 'uddhaghosa:s time, Myanmar monks had come to the Maha"ihara monastery for
their further studies in 'uddhist literature so they could later roagate Thera"ada
'uddhism in their own country#
1.&. 'uessing the (ate o" the Suttasangaha
The treatises on the history of Pali literature
7<
say that the Suttasangaha was included in
the Khuddaka 1ikaya +the Small Collection/ in Myanma 'uddhism# Actually, the
original list of $ooks included in that collection has $een gi"en $y the Thera
7<
?eiger #@5
'uddhaghosa in his introduction to the Samantaasadika# The list includes fifteen works,
namely,
,# The Khuddakaatha
@# The &hammaada
7# The 4dana
9# The !ti"uttaka
8# The Suttaniata
5# The %imana"atthu
.# The Peta"atthu
-# The Theragatha
3# The Therigatha
,<# The Aataka
,,# The 1iddesa
,@# The Patisam$hida
,7# The Aadana
,9# The 'uddha"amsa, and
,8# The Cariyaitaka#
The *ifth 'uddhist Council under the aegis of King Mindon added to the list more
four works which are the 1etti, the Petakoadesa, the Milindaanna and the
Suttasangaha# This resulted in the fact that the total num$er of works in the collection
$ecomes nineteen from fifteen# The Sixth 'uddhist Council, which was held in ,389,
howe"er, acceted only the 1etti, the Petakoadesa and the Milidaanna, $ut it omitted
the Suttasangaha on the list#
Though the *ifth Council included it in the Khuddaka 1ikaya, the Suttasangaha
was a later work on 'uddhism, most ro$a$ly aearing long after the commentaries# *or
some of its contents are found to ha"e extracted from the %imana"atthu Commentary, the
&hammaada Commentary and the 'uddha"amsa Commentary# 2oughly seaking, these
commentaries date $ack to the late tenth century AC#
;n the other hand, it has $een found that reference was made to this Suttasangaha
in the 4asaka(analankara, a small work in Pali $y the Thera Anada of southern !ndia# !f
it is true, as $elie"ed $y most scholars, that the 4asaka(analankara was made
somewhere $etween AC ,,8< and ,@<<, then the Suttasangaha must ha"e $een written
long $efore# At least, it must ha"e $een written $efore AC ,,<<#