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CLASS 5:
Early Buddhism doctrines in regard how they are explained in Theravda Buddhism .
They are not any others doctrines in Theravda except than the Buddhas teachings.
The dependent origination or Pat iccasamuppda doctrine:
When we carefully examine the Early Buddhist teachings this is the best of all. Because
it is the truth of the world, it is the nature of the world. All the Buddhist teachings were
focus on the pat iccasamuppda and there was no other purpose of the Buddha for His
teachings on the Dhamma, other than to explain the nature of the world in order to lead
into the spiritual freedom from suffering. The Buddhas main interest was to lead the
human beings into the cessation of suffering. It is the fundamental requirement for any
one who is interested in emancipation that he must understand the nature of the world or
the nature of himself. The doctrine of pat iccasamuppda provides that explanation. The
one who want to get the liberation he must know the nature of the world. If not nirvana
cannot be attained. The nature of the man and the nature of the world are the same.
There is not difference between them in regard to its nature. The Buddha pointed out
that the entire world is included in the man.
Imasmin ca pana vyma mattake
Kalebare sasaimhi samanabe
Kokanca paapemi lokasamudayan
Ca lobanirodhan ca lokanirodha
Gamini pat ipadam ca.
I proclaim that in this patent body
That has perception and the mind,
There is the world, the emergence of the world,
The cessation of the world and
The path leading to the cessation of the world.
That means the world, the emergence; the cessation and the Path are included in the
body which is 6 feet long. And we have the perception and the mind.
Kalabare= complete body
Vyma mattake= 6 feet
Sasaamhi= with perception
Samanabbe= with mind
Lokanca= this world
Paapemi= I proclaim
Lokasamudaya= origin of the world.
In the 5 aggregates, Form (rpa) includes all the forms.
In our experience of the world there is nothing that comes from other thing than forms.
The whole world can be included in the form of the 5 aggregates of the person.
The nature of the world or the man is explained in terms of the dependent origination.
There are two things which Buddha realized in His enlightenment:
1- The doctrine of Pat iccasamippda
2- The doctrine of emancipation from suffering (nibbna)
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The Buddha Himself pointed out that He understood this two at the moment of
enlightenment. This is expressed in the Ariyapariyesana sutta (Noble Quest). Before His
enlightenment He made a Noble Quest during 6 years. This sutta is the detailed
explanation of it. He attempted to find out the way to freedom of suffering. He
renounced the world after having realized that the world is full of suffering.
Therefore His Quest was in at the freedom of suffering. With His enlightenment He
realized this 2 truth; the real nature of the world and the freedom from suffering.
Siddharta left His house when He has seen four things: an old man, a sick man and a
dead man nature of the world. And the ascetic freedom of suffering.
During all His life he explained two doctrines to the world: Pat iccasamuppda and
Nibbna.
Pa i ccamuppda:difficult to see and understand. When you understand really it, you
become an arahant. In the contemporary society of the Buddha there were two
prominent theories with regard to the nature of the man. One is the Externalist view and
the other is Nihilism. According to Eternalism the man has a soul. This personal soul is
a part of a cosmic one or universal soul. The soul is permanent. This personal soul is
evolved out of the universal one. The liberation of the man according to them is
dependent on the fact that the man has to understand non-duality or identity of the
cosmic soul and the personal soul.
Karmas are a kind of particles (physical) that cover the soul. By destroying the karmas
the soul is liberated and it goes to the source again.
Nihilism: according to this the person has not any permanent entity. He does not come
form any where and he does not go to any where. Man mainly is an outcome of 4
elements of the world. The combination of theses 4 gives rise to a person. This
combination has a life spam; it exists for a certain period of time until its power is over.
After death this 4 elements dissolved in there former form of elements. Nothing
remains. Buddha said that these two views were wrong. He rejected them as wrong
views of the nature of the world. He said that these two views are extremes. And preach
the Dhamma in the middle way or middle position. Pat iccasamuppda is nothing than
the middle way of explaining the nature of the man.
Buddha rejected two views and then He explained. He used to denote Eternalism as
Atthivda and Nihilism as Natthivda. Which means, view of existent and view of nonexistent. Then He explained rejecting theses two:
Samudayam khopana yatthbhtam
Sammappaya passato natthiti
Sdit t hi nahoti.
Those who see the emergence as it is
With true knowledge, there could not
Be the view of nihilism.
Nirodham khopana yatthbhtam
Sammappaya passato atthiti
Sdit t hi hoti.
Those who see the vanishing as it is
There could not be the view of existence.
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A gives raise to B