The Fundamental Teachings of Early Buddhism

Download or read book The Fundamental Teachings of Early Buddhism written by Mun-keat Choong and published by Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. This book was released on 2000 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a comparative examination of the main teachings contained in the Sutranga portion of the Pali Samyutta-nikaya (SN) and its counterpart in Chinese canon, a translation of a now lost Sanskrit Samyuktagama (Za-ahan-jing) (SA). The SN and SA are essentially two different versions of the same collection of discourses.This study builds on the work of Yin Shun, which demonstrates the historical importance of SN/SA in the formation of the early Buddhist canon. In particular, it is based on Yin Shun's recognition of the three-anga structure of SN/SA, and of the status of its Sutranga portion as of prime importance in the historical formation of this nikaya/agama, and as containing the most fundamental teachings of Buddha. The aim of this research is to reveal and clarify the similarities and differences between SN and SA, with regard to the principal Buddhist teachings contained in their Sutranga portion.