Pali Canon Flashcards
What are the three Pitakas in the Pali canon?
Vinaya Pitaka
Sutta Pitaka
Abhidharma Pitaka
Vinaya - What is the Patimokkha?
227 rules for monks and 311 for nuns.
These appear with prescribed sanctions, designed to help guide monks back onto the right path. For example, if a monk asks for sexual favours from a woman, or get someone else to build him a hut, he must appear at a meeting of the Sangha, and undergo a probationary period.
Vinaya - What are the four defeats / parajikas?
- Committing a murder or encouraging someone else to commit suicide
- Having sex
- Serious theft
- Falsely claiming to have supernatural powers (making false claims about spiritual progress e.g. enlightenment)
Vinaya - What are the four extra Parajikas for Bhikkunis?
- Sexual touching of any kind.
- consenting to man’s lustful approach.
- withholding knowledge of another who has fallen into defeat.
- failing to reform three times after being suspended
What is the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta?
The Buddhas first sermon in which he outlines The Middle Way or Magga, and explains about Dukkha
What is the Dhammapada?
A collection of verses which summarise the main teachings of the Buddha on Karma and the path to enlightenment
What are the Jataka Tales?
Stories of the Buddhas past lives which he saw when he was enlightened, which demonstrates the effects of Karma
What are the questions of King Melinda?
A dialogue in which a Buddhist monk Nagasena uses the analogy of a chariot to explain Anatta
Buddhists are encouraged not to accept the Scriptures on faith. Instead, they should engage with and test the teachings for themselves. How do they do this?
- Testing against their experience of life.
- testing against logical reasoning
- Testing through meditation
Most Lay Buddhists would not have read, or studied many scriptures. Instead, who do they rely on to explain the teachings?
They rely on monks to explain the teachings in an accessible way
For monastic Buddhists, how do they study the scriptures?
Only the most scholarly study the scriptures fully.
However, the Scriptures form the basis for monastic life and are followed strictly, and read aloud regularly
How do Theravada Buddhists view the Pali canon?
Pali is the language which Theravada Buddhists believe the buddha spoke. Therefore they believe these scriptures contain the original teachings of the Buddha.
What are the three baskets and what do they mean?
The Sutta Pitaka - the Suttas (discourses or sermons) of the Buddha
The vinaya - the code of conduct for monastic sangha
The abhidhamma - A commentary on the other teachings
What does that Sutta Pitaka contain? (6)
This is the collection of sermons by the Buddha and some of his early followers.
It contains:
- stories of the life of the Buddha.
- the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta which explains the middle way
- the Dhammapada which explains many teachings such as karma, and Nirodha
- The questions of King Melinda which explains the concept of Anatta
- The buddhas guidance on meditation and mindfulness
- the Jitaka Tales which are the Buddhas past lives
What does the Vinaya Pitaka contain?
This is the code of conduct for the monastic sangha.
- it includes the four parajikas / defeats
- It includes 227 rules for monks and 331 rules for nuns.
- It also explains the stories which prompted the Buddha to make each rule. For example, the rules for caring for the sick were made after the community neglected the cat for a sick monk.
- These rules maintain harmony in the monastic Sangha, and help monks to focus on a mindful lifestyle, free from distractions of the lay life
