Tulsa Yoga Meditation Center, 5319 S. Sheridan, Tulsa, OK 74145
  • HOME
  • TEACHERS
  • Blog
  • PRIVATE INSTRUCTION
  • YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
  • REIKI

'DID THE BUDDHA WRITE DOWN HIS TEACHINGS?' - BEST ANSWER

5/25/2018

 
The Buddha did not put his teachings into writing.  However, his lessons were accurately recorded after his death.  Here's how that happened.

During the first year after word of the Buddha’s death spread, his followers grieved heavily at the passing of their
leader. Among one group of grieving devotees, an elder monk spoke to them saying: “While the Buddha was with us, we couldn't do this and we couldn't do that. Our lives were very restricted. Now that he is away, we can do whatever we want! Why should you feel sad?" Mahakasyapa, one of the Buddha’s most senior and respected monks, overheard that comment. Alarmed that the Buddha’s teachings could become corrupted or, worse still, become completely forgotten, he he called for a gathering of the five hundred monks to recollect, from memory, Buddha's teachings. This was the First Buddhist Council.

Th
at original group established this method for reconstructing and recording the Buddha’s teachings: Ananda, the personal attendant to the Buddha and the monk closest to the Buddha, was selected become the primary source of this information. He would recite a teaching or recall a story told by the Buddha. Then, the monks present would consider whether it was in the spirit of the Buddha’s teachings, making corrections and clarifications before it was accepted. This process was intentional and labor intensive in order to assure authenticity and produced the Agama Sutra, the first recorded teachings of the Buddha. Initially the sutra was oral having been committed to memory by monks skilled in memorization and recitation. Eventually, these original teachings came to be written down and called the Agama Sutra.




Comments are closed.

    Victor M. Parachin ...is a

    Vedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. 

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.