Have you read portions of the Pali canon?

[Jnana]

The Pāli Tipiṭaka (Thai edition):

[gregkavarnos]

"These five downward-leading qualities tend to the confusion and disappearance of the true Dhamma. Which five? There is the case where the monks, nuns, male lay followers, & female lay followers live without respect, without deference, for the Teacher. They live without respect, without deference, for the Dhamma... for the Sangha... for the Training... for concentration. These are the five downward-leading qualities that tend to the confusion and disappearance of the true Dhamma.

"But these five qualities tend to the stability, the non-confusion, the non-disappearance of the true Dhamma. Which five? There is the case where the monks, nuns, male lay followers, & female lay followers live with respect, with deference, for the Teacher. They live with respect, with deference, for the Dhamma... for the Sangha... for the Training... for concentration. These are the five qualities that tend to the stability, the non-confusion, the non-disappearance of the true Dhamma."

Saddhammapatirupaka Sutta: A Counterfeit of the True Dhamma

[Rakshasa]

Thanissaro Bhikkhu has all of his translations and books on Buddhism available for free in the internet in many different formats. Some of those books are over 500 pages in length, so you can imagine how much time and investment was made in writing them. This is a true embodiment of the Buddhist principle of "charity" (of dhamma/dharma) - which ironically is one of the paramita for the Bodhisattva! Even Dalai Lama's books cost about $30 from the bookstore. That makes his generosity all the more amazing.

[Huifeng]

I am just interested in how many members of our Mahayana forum have read the Pali Theravada scriptures. For myself, at the moment I don't have so much time but during vacation periods from translating I often find I turn to Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation of the Majjima Nikaya for spiritual nourishment. I find the style and presentation of the Pali Suttas beautiful,and developed a real appreciation for them during my time in Thailand.

Read the basic Pali Text Society translations of the suttas from the four main Nikayas and most of the Khuddaka, as well as the Vinaya. Once Bhikkhu Bodhi's editions came out, have read the Majjhima through several times, the Digha several times, the Samyutta all the way once, but parts many times; read his selections from the Anguttara, but haven't had the chance with his latest full version. A fair number of texts have furthered studied in some depth.

Not quite Pali Theravada, but have read a fair portion of the Chinese Agamas; including the whole of the SA from cover to cover; and again a number of key texts (the so-called "Mahasutras") have studied in some detail. And the Dharmagupta vinaya.

Need to go back through the Vinaya a few more times, though. May do the other versions, esp. the Mahasamghika.

Have spent a fair amount of time with Abhidhamma / Abhidharma texts, too. Esp. studying with Prof. Karunadasa and Ven. Prof. Dhammajoti. The Kosa is a favourite, and have read Pruden's English from de la Vallee Poussin's French translation, a couple of times.

So, yes, quite a lot. It's all Dharma, it's all good!

* Hope this doesn't come out boastful, but just in answer to this question.

~~ Huifeng

[Indrajala]

I agree that the Chinese Āgamas are good reading, too. They're being translated, too, by Bhikkhu Analayo and team.

[pueraeternus]

Embraced Buddhism as a Mahayanist, but very early decided to study the Sravakayana first to gain a foundation, so spent a lot of time studying the Pali canon and Theravada doctrine. Had read large portions of the four main nikayas, and quite a bit of Abhidhamma. Loved the Visuddhimagga and Vimuttimagga.

[pueraeternus]

and again a number of key texts (the so-called "Mahasutras") have studied in some detail.

Oh yes, you recommended these before. I wanted to get the Peter Skillings set - ordered it from Wisdom Books but they were sold out and now out of print.

[Huifeng]

and again a number of key texts (the so-called "Mahasutras") have studied in some detail.

Oh yes, you recommended these before. I wanted to get the Peter Skillings set - ordered it from Wisdom Books but they were sold out and now out of print.

Those volumes are both pretty huge, can't imagine they would be cheap.
IIRC, he was going to do a vol. III, which was just the translations, but then it never happened.
The first two vol.s are both the studies and critical editions, again IIRC.

Still, these are very, very interesting texts. Particularly in the face of the usual arguments such as "Nagarjuna got his ideas about emptiness from the Prajnaparamita", ... "his original contribution is equating emptiness with dependent origination", ... blah blah blah. Well, just read texts like the Paramartha-sunyata-paryaya, the Maha-sunyata-sutra (no, not the one as in MN122), the Hasti-????-sutra (Hand clap sutra), the Maya-jala-sutra, etc., and one will probably soon be divested of such ideas.

/rantoff/

~~ Huifeng

[pueraeternus]

Those volumes are both pretty huge, can't imagine they would be cheap.
IIRC, he was going to do a vol. III, which was just the translations, but then it never happened.
The first two vol.s are both the studies and critical editions, again IIRC.

Still, these are very, very interesting texts. Particularly in the face of the usual arguments such as "Nagarjuna got his ideas about emptiness from the Prajnaparamita", ... "his original contribution is equating emptiness with dependent origination", ... blah blah blah. Well, just read texts like the Paramartha-sunyata-paryaya, the Maha-sunyata-sutra (no, not the one as in MN122), the Hasti-????-sutra (Hand clap sutra), the Maya-jala-sutra, etc., and one will probably soon be divested of such ideas.

/rantoff/

~~ Huifeng

Awesome - need to get my paws on 'em.

Just emailed Wisdom Books to inquire if they have new prints on this. They are listed for £76.25 on their website, so hopefully after shipping costs to the US it won't blow too big of a hole in my pocket!

[dyanaprajna2011]

I love the Pali Canon. I read portions from it all the time. I'm particularly partial to Thanissaro Bhikkhu's translations at Access to Insight. And I still read from the Dhammapada almost daily (although I'm not too fond of my paper version, translated by Max Muller. He tends to use too much Christian terminology in translating Buddhist ideas, such as giving the translation of 'church' for sangha).

[kirtu]

I love the Pali suttas.

I recently also got Gedun Choepel's translation of the Dhammapada into Tibetan and it is wonderful. I don't remember if he actually translated the Dhammapada from Pali though.



Kirt

[Son of Buddha]

read the vast majority of the 5 Nikayas,it was actually the Pali canon teachings of Enlightenment being Unconditioned,unarisen and seperate from Samsara that inspired me to search more into Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha teachings.

[icylake]

i'm addicting to Pali canons and Aghama now..in South Korea, two contemporary Korean version traslation of whole pali canons were published last year. One by a famous theravadha scholar, the other by Jogye order. nowadays in Korea, many people seemed to be fed up with the Zen(Seon), Huayan dominating mainstream Korean buddhism. i found pali canon was really beautiful, heart warming, heart felt, it made me feel buddha more humane, and at the same time i was suprized to how much main stream mahayana and pali canon are closely realated.

[dyanaprajna2011]

i'm addicting to Pali canons and Aghama now..in South Korea, two contemporary Korean version traslation of whole pali canons were published last year. One by a famous theravadha scholar, the other by Jogye order. nowadays in Korea, many people seemed to be fed up with the Zen(Seon), Huayan dominating mainstream Korean buddhism. i found pali canon was really beautiful, heart warming, heart felt, it made me feel buddha more humane, and at the same time i was suprized to how much main stream mahayana and pali canon are closely realated.

Alot of people on both sides of the coin don't always realize how close Theravada and Mahayana actually are.

[tobes]

A heartening thread!

How great is the debt to Bhikkhu Bodhi?

I picked up some mp3's of his teachings on the M.N. in Sri Lanka a few years ago....have been chipping away bloody slowly, alongside text.

At the moment I have access to a wonderful Buddhist library, and the Nikayas have been getting a good run. Still feel like I've barely scratched the surface though....

One thing I really, really want to get hold of are Burmese engagements/interpretations/teachings of the Abhidhamma.

[Luke]

I have read quite a few exerpts on the Access to Insight website, but there's still much more I should read.

Praises to all the hard-working Buddhist monks, nuns, and lay people who translated the Pali texts over the years!

[Ramon1920]

Of course. Though to be fair I haven't read most of them, but heard the commentaries on them. Mostly Majjhima Nikaya.

[LastLegend]

No sir, I have not read much of anything. My learning comes from listening to teaching from Vietnamese monks more than anything else.

[MaitriYNOD]

I have not studied the Pali Scriptures intensively, but from what little exposure I've had I have gained nothing but benefit. I think the methods of contemplation within the Suttas, particularly the Satipatthana, to be incredibly profound and work very well in tandem with Lojong teachings.