MA 2007-08 Theravada Buddhism Class Notes

CLASS 1: EARLY BUDDHISM

The teaching presented by the Buddha is known as Early Buddhism. During 45 years,
the Buddha preached different teachings for different kind of listeners. The Buddha had
a min purpose, a main aim for these teachings; only teaching center that aim that target.
In the Ariyaparicesana Sutta (Mijjhima Nikaya), the Buddha mentioned two doctrines
discovered by Him in His enlightenment:
1- Dependent Origination
2- The doctrine of Nibbana.
He arranged these teachings in order to reach the desired end.
Paticcasamuppada is the first truth realized by Him in His enlightenment. It explains the
real nature of the things in the world. In other words the real nature of the world.
The nature of the world is that everything in this world arises because of the causes and
conditions.
The nature of the things is arose because of the causes and conditions.
Yam kim ci samudaya dhammam
Sabbam tam nirodha dhammam.
That ever is the nature of arising
Had the nature of vanishing.
There is anything in this world that not arises from causes and conditions.
The nature of arising and vanishing is called aniccam = changing.
Because of changing, things are unpleasant, suffering = dukkha.
Its something is suffering cannot be a soul. Soul by definition is permanent
happiness, as is presented the soul theory by the thinkers of the Upanishad.
The man has an entity which is permanent, everlasting, cannot be destroyed (eternal).
The characteristic of the soul is sat-cit-ananda. Sat (exist) cit (conscious) ananda
(bliss).
Every being has a soul which is permanent and his nature is sat-cit-ananda. This is
philosophical soul theory regarding being.
Apart of this there is a soul view related to everybody, every human being has a view of
soul. We have some idea about of ego or I, a kind of soul. The concept of ego is like a
soul.
In relation with dependent origination there are two important things:
1- everything arises because of the causes
2- the characteristics of the things are impermanence, suffering and nonsubstantiality.
Suffering= First Noble Truth (because the things are impermanent cause suffering).
Craving= Second Noble Truth ( the cause of suffering).
The things in the world are suffering, the suffering has a cause.
DUKKHA =
1st Noble Truth
(suffering)
DUKKHA SAMUDAYA= 2nd Noble Truth (cause of suffering)
NIRODHA=
3rd Noble Truth (cessation of suffering= Nibbana)
MAGGA=
4th Noble Truth ( the path leading to the cessation of suffering)

MA 2007-08 Theravada Buddhism Class Notes

During His life He spent 45 years presenting this 4 Noble Truth in different ways, and
other teachings related with these. Anything leading to the cessation.
Anything not leading to the cessation, the Buddha did not speak about.
He wanted to teach these truths about the world to the people who were ignorant in
relation with these truths. And He reveled them to the people.
In the Angutara Nikaya the Buddha pointed out:
Buddhas appears to the world
Because of three things,
Birth, decay and death.
In Buddhas teachings there is not wordless talk, senseless talk. His purpose is teaching
about liberation from suffering.
The psychological nature of the being is according to Buddhism:
Sukhakama hi
Satta dukkhapatikkula
Sukhakama= pleasure of happiness
Hi= certain
Satta= beings
Dukkhapatikkula= disgust suffering.
He taught the way to have the permanent happiness.
Paca kamasukha= happiness from the 5 sense or 5 sensory pleasures: rupa (forma),
sound, smell, tastes, touch. The sensory pleasures are not permanent.
In Early Buddhism the cessation of suffering or liberation is the same.
If everything is impermanent, how we can have permanent happiness?
Because the things arise from causes and conditions there is suffering.
Even if it is happiness in there, it is not permanent.
For permanent happiness we need to go to Nibbana, non-conditioned, non-birth, decay
and death.
Nibbana is not a place.
Ayamantima jati
Natthidani panubbhava
This is the last birth
now here is not new birth.
The beings birth in this world because of craving. Destroy craving there is not more
rebirth.
Nibbana is called the endless sleep (non dreaming sleep).
Buddha puts an example from liberation in the Ratana Sutta:
Nibbhanti dhiva
Yathayam padipo
Wise men get extinguished
Just like this lamp.

MA 2007-08 Theravada Buddhism Class Notes

Meanwhile we have defilements we get birth, because of craving and ignorance.

When the defilements finished there is not more rebirth.
There is nothing in the teaching of the Buddha which is not regarding with the nature
and cessation of the world.
He has only one purpose, to reveal the nature of the world and to show the path to go
beyond its nature.
The teaching of the Buddha is contained in the suttas. Actually all the teachings can be
divided into two sections: Dhamma (Doctrine) and Vinaya (Discipline).
At the beginning there was not such division. The Vinaya was presented by the Buddha
for the purpose of monastic organization. At the beginning there was not such
organization for the monks, who followed the Buddhas teachings.
According to Mahavagga the first Vinaya rule was promulgated by the Buddha after 20
years of His mission. During the first 20 years there was not Vinaya rules for the monks.
During that time there was not any misbehavior among the monks. Therefore, there was
any occasion for promulgating Vinaya rules.
The purpose of Vinaya is regulating the Buddhist monastic organization.
Dhamma contains only the nature of the world and the path leading to cessation of
suffering. Thus there are two main aspects of Early Buddhism namely:
1- The teaching related to the nature of the men and the universe, and
2- The teaching with regard to the path leading to liberation.
The Buddha directed theses teachings in many ways.
The people who listened to the Buddha were not in the same category. They were high
intellectual people and also normal ordinary ones. There were rich people and pours too.
According to there capacity of grasping the Dhamma, the Buddha has to use different
methods. The disciples of the Buddha were mainly in two divisions:
1- The monastic division
2- The householder division.
The method uses to describe the doctrine to the monastic is different from the method
used to describe the doctrine to the householder division.
People came to the Buddha with different purposes. Therefore, to meet there demands
the Buddha had to direct His teachings in different aspects. Therefore, among the
teachings we can find the teachings which are directly related to the doctrinal aspects,
ethical aspects, psychological aspects, sociological aspects, economical aspects,
cosmological aspects and political aspects.
All these teachings were presenting by the Buddha quite against existent doctrinal
philosophical, ethical, religious, sociological, political and economical and culture
background. Therefore in the discourses of the Buddha we can find not only His own
teachings but also the criticism of the new contemporary views in regard to the
mentioned aspects.
The Buddha audience was: bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, upasakas, upasikas.
Monastic section: included the monks and nuns who gave up their households
activities and dedicated there full life for the religious aim; that is Nibbana.
But the householders have to practice the way of life according to Buddhists teachings,
while they were engaging in households activities.
Therefore the demands of the two sections were different from each other.
The Buddhist way of life is based on the good conduct or the morality or ethics. The
mainly household disciples were confined only to those ethical aspects of the Buddhist
path. Therefore the Buddha had to encourage the householders on the ethical site.

MA 2007-08 Theravada Buddhism Class Notes

All the household activities ad requirements according with His teachings should be
directed to achieve the cessation of suffering.
The household requirements and the householders are consistent on different aspects
namely, behavior in the society, the way how to achieve what was a sound economical
condition, the way how to maintain good relations with other members of the society.
How to maintain a good political situation in the state. All theses aspects are included in
the teachings which are specially directed to the householders disciples.
In Early Buddhism are different kinds of teachings, many aspects of the daily life of the
society. Buddha wanted that the doctrine could be practice in daily life and society.
The purpose of the Buddha was to build up a supported base in the society where His
doctrine can be practice. How to make a good life.
In presenting His teachings he didnt use any writing or preparing speech. He had to
answer according to the question. When something is not suitable to lead to liberation
He didnt answer. Every teaching had the characteristic to lead to the cessation of
suffering. The realization of the truth is difficult. Therefore he taught to develop a
gradual path.
The Buddhist way of liberation has three parts:
1- Ethical path
2- Mind culture
3- Wisdom for the disciples of high faculties.
The teachings of the 45 years of ministry were not record. After His parinibbana the
main disciples attempted to collect all the teachings, three months after His death.
500 arahants gathered together in one place and recited the teachings in order to protect
them. This gathering is called Buddhist council or sangayana or sangiti. The first was
held in Rajagaha, capital of Magadha, where the Buddha lived long time.
The council was cared by Ven. MahaKassapa and all the discourses learnt from the
Buddha were presented by Ven. Ananda, the Buddhas counselor. All the Vinaya
teachings were presented by Ven. Upali.
In this first council the monks divided the teachings into Dhamma and Vinaya, and
recited them by the 500 arahants all together. And they ascribed the session of Dhamma
and Vinaya to some leading arahants in order to protect them.
So by transmitting from teacher to pupil the complete Dhamma-Vinaya was protected in
oral tradition at to the time the canon got its printing form. It is recorded that the canon
was written in the Ola leaves (palm leaves) in the 1st century A.D.
The writing of the canon was taken place in Sri Lanka at Matale. After writing the
canon, it was stagnated without allowing anyone to add something in it.