There are a profusion of books proclaiming Buddhist knowledge. Interest in Buddhism has become increasingly popular with highlighted media attention to the personable Dalai Lama.
Buddhism is more than monks in saffron robes, prayer beads and chanting. Buddhism is a way of life that adheres to the four noble truths as laid down by Siddhartha more than 2000 years ago. It covers understanding the way of the mind, discovering that the self is the cause of all suffering and realising that the only way to stop suffering is by seeing clearly the nature of being and stopping the wheel of samsara. Reading about these themes in essential texts for new beginners to Buddhism helps expand awareness into the whys and hows of how this philosophy functions.
Two Main Schools of Buddhism
As with all philosophies and religions, there has been a history of disagreement about how different parts of the sacred writings are to be understood and carried out. This broke the Buddhist community into two main schools: Theravada and Mahayana.
The Difference Between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism
Theravada, mostly followed in Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka recognises the Pali Canon as its scriptures. Theravada’s scriptures were in Pali. Theravada practitioners revere the Buddha as the one figure to meditate upon.
Mahayana, mostly followed in Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China, also recognises the Pali teachings as its scriptures, but also adds their own sutras, which include the Lotus Sutra and the Diamond Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is considered a ‘higher’ learning and only for practitioners of advanced understanding. Mahayana’s scriptures were in Sanskrit.
Mahayana upholds belief in the Bodhisattva code. That is, a practitioner vows to forgo enlightenment until all sentient beings are released from suffering. Mahayana practitioners admit to different paths of reaching enlightenment and revere other Buddha’s (awakened ones) and Bodhisattvas.
Important Buddhist Texts - The Tripitaka
Although there are countless translations, commentaries and compositions about the Buddha’s teaching, there is one undisputed essential text central to all Buddhists. That is the Tripitaka.
The Tripitaka translates as the ‘three baskets’. Originally, the teachings of Gautama Buddha were passed on orally from master to student. By the 3rd century BC, the teachings were written down onto long leaves. They were then woven together and kept in a basket. The three baskets refer to the three classifications to the early writings.
- Vinaya Pitaka (disciplinary rules)
- Sutta Pitaka (discourses)
- Abhidhamma Pitaka (abstract philosophical treatises)
Buddhist Theory in The Vinaya Pitaka, Sutra Pitaka and Adhidhamma Pitaka
Vinaya Pitaka is the first part of the Tripitaka and refers to a collection of texts explaining rules and disciplines for monks and nuns within the Buddhist community. The Buddha gives reasons and tells stories concerning the formation of the guidelines given for communal life. Another significant text is the Sutra Pitaka. This is a collection of discourses attributed to the Buddha and his closest disciples. The Sutras are further divided into five collections
- Digha Nikaya (the "long collection")
- Maijhima Nikaya (the "middle-length collection")
- Samyutta Nikaya (the "grouped collection")
- Anguttara Nikaya (the "further-factored collection”)
- Khuddaka Nikaya (the "collection of little texts")
Their importance can not be overrated, as they are considered as the word of Buddha.
The Adhidhamma Pitaka is another collection of teachings of the Buddha concerned with investigation the nature and relationship of the mind and experience/phenomena/matter. This Pitaka is not considered integral by all Buddhist schools of thought.
Online Buddhist Texts
The best source for reading Buddhist texts online is at Internet Sacred Texts Archive. Here one can find works attributed to words of the Buddha, works on his life and teaching and commentaries about Buddhism in general.
As with Taoism, the best way to understand Buddhism is by practice. Practitioners of Buddhism learn the most by their daily adherence to the four noble truths. Immersing one's self in the words of the Buddha is one of the easiest ways to stay mindful to the rising of the waves of the ego. With daily practice, one finds relief in the great history of Buddhist students and teachers that have also dedicated their time in this life time to following in the footsteps of the great seeker of truth, The Buddha.
Further Reading About Buddhism
- The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche (Harper Collins, 2002)
- Introduction to Buddhism by Dr.Phramaha Chanya Khongchinda (Wat Umong, 1994)
- The Law of Karma by Phra Rajsuddhinanamongkol (Horatanachai, 2002)
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