From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Tripitaka
Why in the News?
Prime Minister was presented with ‘The World Tipitaka: Sajjhaya Phonetic Edition’ by his Thai counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, in a diplomatic exchange.
About Tripitaka
- The Tripitaka, also known as the Pali Canon or Tipitaka, is the primary scripture of Theravada Buddhism, containing the teachings attributed to Buddha.
- It was initially preserved through oral tradition and recited by Buddhist monks after the Buddha’s death.
- It was first written down in the 1st century BCE during the reign of King Vattagamani of Sri Lanka, ensuring its preservation for future generations.
- It is central to Theravada Buddhism, which is practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.
- It is also regarded as an authoritative collection of the Buddha’s words, influencing the practices of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists.
- Its teachings cover practical aspects of morality (sila), meditation (samadhi), and wisdom (prajna), guiding followers towards nirvana (enlightenment).
- It is composed of 3 major sections, each known as a “basket” (Pitaka), containing rules, discourses, and doctrinal analyses:
| Focus | Key Components | Key Teachings | |
Vinaya Pitaka |
Governs the rules and regulations for the monastic community (Sangha), focusing on the conduct of monks and nuns. | • Suttavibhanga: The primary text detailing the rules for monks and nuns, including disciplinary measures.
• Khandhaka: A collection of regulations governing the monastic community’s daily life, organizational structure, and interactions. • Parivara: A summary and analysis of the rules and their interpretations. • Discusses issues related to ordination, monastic vows, and the ethical conduct of monks and nuns. |
• Establishes a structured framework for maintaining the monastic order.
• Focus on ethical behavior, discipline, and the proper conduct necessary for spiritual growth. • Importance of the community and the harmonious living of monks and nuns. |
Sutta Pitaka |
Contains the discourses delivered by the Buddha, covering various topics like morality, meditation, and wisdom. | • Digha Nikaya: The long discourses of the Buddha, including topics on ethics, meditation, and cosmology.
• Majjhima Nikaya: Middle-length discourses, often addressing common people and their concerns, focusing on practical aspects of the Buddha’s teachings. • Samyutta Nikaya: Connected discourses grouped by topics like impermanence, suffering, and dependent origination. • Anguttara Nikaya: A collection of numerical discourses, categorized by numbers (e.g., 3, 4, 5), addressing practical guidelines for daily living. • Khuddaka Nikaya: A minor collection of texts, including the Dhammapada, Jataka tales (stories of the Buddha’s past lives), Therigatha, and others. |
• Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path as central teachings for achieving liberation from suffering.
• Instructions on ethical living, mental cultivation, and the development of wisdom. • Stories of the Buddha’s past lives, which serve to teach moral lessons and virtues. • Provides practical teachings for both monastics and laypeople on how to live a life conducive to enlightenment. |
Abhidhamma Pitaka |
A detailed systematic analysis of the Buddha’s teachings, providing a philosophical and psychological examination of Buddhist concepts. | • Dhammasangani: A classification of mental and physical phenomena, offering an in-depth analysis of mental states and experience.
• Vibhanga: Provides a detailed analysis of various doctrines, including virtues, meditation practices, and psychological states. • Puggalapannatti: Describes different types of persons and their spiritual progress, from ordinary beings to enlightened ones. • Kathavatthu: A collection of doctrinal debates that addresses differences between early Buddhist schools, offering clarification on certain teachings. • Yamaka: A set of questions and answers that explores complex doctrinal points in pairs of opposites. • Patthana: Describes conditional relations between phenomena, offering a complex framework for understanding dependent origination. |
• Mind and consciousness: Detailed study of the nature of the mind, its states, and interactions with the physical world.
• Causality and the law of dependent origination (paticca-samuppada), explaining how phenomena arise and cease based on conditions. • Analytical psychology: Explores the workings of the human mind, including perception, cognition, and emotion. • Explores the relationship between mental and physical processes and provides an advanced understanding of reality and experience. • Essential for understanding advanced Buddhist philosophy and psychology. |
| [UPSC 2024] Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk, who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on:
(a) Prajnaparamita Sutra (b) Visuddhimagga (c) Sarvastivada Vinaya (d) Lalitavistra |
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