RG ST 12 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Sutta Pitaka, Theravada, Punna
11/16/17
Theravada Buddhism
● Theravada, “doctrine of the elders”
● Earliest form of buddhism
● Found today in SE asia, Sri Lanka
● Pati Canon = three baskets of teachings:
○ Monastic rules
○ Disclosure
○ Higher teachings
Sutta Pitaka, “Basket of Disclosure”
● Collections of exemplary stories, including:
○ Jatakas (“birth stories of the buddha”)
○ Preta-vatthu (“tales of the hungry ghosts”)
● “Merit transfer” (pattidana, literally “giving back”)
Arhants, Theravada Saints
● Theravada forerunners of later bodhisattvas
● Assembled “saints” play bodhisattva - type role
● Live in isolation, but influence human society (sangha)
Two Wheels of Dhamma
● Monks (bhikkhus)
● Led by arhants
● Provide laity w/ spiritual guidance, occasions for almsgiving
● Goal of nibbana
● Laity (everyone else)
● Led by KIng
● Donate food, shelter, clothing, to monks
● Goal of merit (punna)
Theravada “merit-making” and “merit transfer”
● Merit (punna) of generous acts can be accumulated, transferred (pattidana)
● Doctrine formulated 1rst-3rd c CE
● Best means for aiding unfortunate dead
Parallel traditions
● Hindu shraddha, Chinese death rites, catholic suffrages
● Dead in intermediate place/state
● Dead helpless, rely on living
● Living offer alms to intermediary, who transfers benefits to dead
Suffrages and Merit-making
● Medieval catholicism
○ Suffrages currency for transactions between living and souls in purgatory
○ Assembled “family” of church as “reverse bank”
Document Summary
Found today in se asia, sri lanka. Pati canon = three baskets of teachings: Assembled saints play bodhisattva - type role. Live in isolation, but influence human society (sangha) Provide laity w/ spiritual guidance, occasions for almsgiving. Merit (punna) of generous acts can be accumulated, transferred (pattidana) Hindu shraddha , chinese death rites, catholic suffrages. Living offer alms to intermediary, who transfers benefits to dead. Suffrages currency for transactions between living and souls in purgatory. Assembled family of church as reverse bank . Punna currency for transactions between living and invisible petas. In theravada, merit transferred to petas , hungry ghosts . Petas rescued from peta world through transferred merit. 6 pie wedges represent the 6 worlds of rebirth. Hungry ghosts have really small necks and big bellies. For people who are stingy and dont follow rules of other worlds. No food there and no crops, nothing to cover ur body.
