Is there a "Buddhist Bible"? Key Buddhist Texts

[@DougsDharma]

🧡 If you find benefit in my videos, consider supporting the channel by joining us on Patreon and get fun extras like exclusive videos, ad-free audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🙂 📙 You can find my book here: books2read.com/buddhisthandbook

[@alchemygal3285]

BDK America does translations of the Taisho Tripitaka. It has the complete first two agamas. And a lot of other sutras and works. Also, Naichen Chen is doing a translation of, “The Great Prajna Paramita Sutra” currently finished Volume 10 of 30. He translates about two to three a year. So it’ll be done in 7-10 years if nothing goes wrong. All the relevant scripture that I am currently waiting on in the Mahayana tradition is: 1. A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden volume 7-15 2. The Saṃyukta Āgama (Connected Discourses) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 3. Ekottara Āgama (Numbered Discourses) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 4. Nirvana sutra 2, 3, 4 5. Prajna Paramita Sutra 20 volumes 6. great collection sutra-3 volumes 7. maharatnakuta sutra-4 volumes As well as all the relevant translations I’m waiting for in the Theravada traditions are: Theravada: 1. Nidesa-3 volumes 2. Patthana V3-1 volume 3. Digha commentary 1-3 4. Majjhima commentary 1-4 5. Samyutta commentary 1-3 6. Anguttara commentary 1-5 7. Patisambhidamagga commentary 1-2 8. Patthana commentary 1 9. Dhatukatha commentary 1 10. Puggalapannatti commentary 1 Edit: I just saw at 25:47 that you know BDK. Hopefully you didn’t know the great collection translation or the prajnaparamita translation underway. Lol😅

[@DougsDharma]

🙏🙏

[@fireatwill8143]

You know sometimes I look at the titles of your videos and think to myself " this probably won't interested me much", but when I start watching, they always do! Thanks Doug! 🙏

[@robertshows5100]

@@fireatwill8143 me too

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks, yes I'm not great at thinking up catchy titles! 😄

[@soumickmitra1426]

The OP is right. And I, for one, am glad that the title isn't catchy as per KZbin standards. We'd get titles like 'I wasn't ready for what happened after trying Mahayana Buddhism' or 'Don't get into Buddhism if you don't do this'. We're slowly being conditioned into clicking on videos with such hooky titles. I see Doug's video, I watch.

[@Benjaminimalise]

An interesting ecumenical document is the Common Buddhist Text which was a project of the International Council of Vesak compiled by a team of scholars and practitioners it’s available for free as a pdf online

[@noahsalazar-xi7sv]

Love your content, thank you for making these videos!

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure, and thank you!

[@smlanka4u]

Abhidharma Kosha was written by a scholar of early Buddhism, but it has taken into Mahayana tradition because he (Vasubandu) converted to Mahayana Buddhism. Thank you.

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

Vinaya is the Buddhist Bible, as it provides the context necessary for comprehending the Dhamma. Moreover, according to the four great teachings (D16), suttas must be checked against the Vinaya, regardless of their sources. In practice, Buddhism should not go without Vinaya. In other words, without Vinaya, there is no Buddhism. Most importantly, the Vinaya's records are not fabricated stories, but rather the detailed accounts of the lives of monks and nuns. As such, Vinaya contains very little mythical content and is instead filled with historical information of the Buddhist period.

[@xiaomaozen]

Amazing list! Thanks, Doug! Love and peace from Germany... 🐱🙏

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks xiao mao!

[@kartikk2300]

It is hard to find a single book which is inclusive of all buddhist teachings, principles due its voluminous size ( 50 + volumes of pali texts). But, it is true that the book name " Buddha and his Dhamma" written by Dr Ambedkar ( greatest scholar of 20th century , father of indian constitution, social reformer, bodhisatva) which has been regarded as Bible of Indian buddhists, which contained essence of all volumes in single structure. If anyone wants to go through it, is absolutely available online. Dr ambedkar also written Pali- English dictionary which consist of thousands of words being presented in clear manner. Even today, its being referred by scholars who wants to undertake translation works of pali texts. It is undoubtedly true to say Dr ambedkar's study on buddhism gives us insight of buddhism in scientific and moral consciousness...

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

After the recent election in India, I’ve downloaded some of Ambedkar’s books but not gone through them yet. My response to Doug is as below: Vinaya is the Buddhist Bible, as it provides the context necessary for comprehending the Dhamma. Moreover, according to the four great teachings (D16), suttas must be checked against the Vinaya, regardless of their sources. In practice, Buddhism should not go without Vinaya. In other words, without Vinaya, there is no Buddhism. Most importantly, the Vinaya's records are not fabricated stories, but rather the detailed accounts of the lives of monks and nuns. As such, Vinaya contains very little mythical content and is instead filled with historical information of the Buddhist period.

[@Sheshnāga-x1k]

@@Lee-Van-Cle bro vinaya is not for common people but way more for Buddhist monks only sutta pitak and abhidhamma pitak can be useful for common people but again this is not book. pitak means in simple language is box that means there are more books so it is best to consider Buddha and his dhamma as Buddhist bible atleast we Indian consider it as bible

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

@@Sheshnāga-x1k Have you ever read the Vinaya and learnt the historical information from it?

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

@@Sheshnāga-x1k Vinaya is not for common people TO PRACTICE, but good for Buddhists to study for the historical context, because it records the details of life at that time. Abhidhamma was said to be the explanation of the suttas but it was of later thinking, and not exactly in line with Vinaya, therefore maybe misleading. Following is an example to illustrate the importance of context in understanding: Piṭaka literally means basket. By referring to the daily life recorded in Vinaya, you’ll notice that people didn’t use boxes.

[@Sheshnāga-x1k]

@@Lee-Van-Cle no our Buddhist monk said so

[@catherinekasmer9905]

Very helpful video. This must have taken much preparation. Thank you so much.

[@DougsDharma]

You're most welcome! 😊

[@ndril]

Excellent summary. As someone who became interested in Buddhism through Chinese fiction, it's interesting how different the perspective is; particularly that pure land texts are essentially "too distant" to be included in "the bible." In China and Japan, "Namo Amitabha" might be the single most recognized element of Buddhism, to the point where it's just part of everyone's culture, even if they don't consciously think of themselves as Buddhist. Probably comparable to western idioms like "turn the other cheek."

[@DougsDharma]

There are so many Mahāyāna texts from different schools that I couldn't include them all here. I think a complete Buddhist "Bible" would include key Pure Land texts.

[@be1tube]

I like the name "Old Testament" for the "Tripitaka". They were both composed before 1 CE, they have a complicated transmission history, and reformers wrote/"found" new related works claiming to be from the same source after a few hundred years.

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

Vinaya is the Buddhist Bible, as it provides the context necessary for comprehending the Dhamma. Moreover, according to the four great teachings (D16), suttas must be checked against the Vinaya, regardless of their sources. In practice, Buddhism should not go without Vinaya. In other words, without Vinaya, there is no Buddhism. Most importantly, the Vinaya's records are not fabricated stories, but rather the detailed accounts of the lives of monks and nuns. As such, Vinaya contains very little mythical content and is instead filled with historical information of the Buddhist period.

[@be1tube]

@@Lee-Van-Cle Isn't the Vinaya part of the Tripitaka, being one of the "baskets?" Do you mean that the other parts are not "the Bible?" That is, that the Suttavibhaṅga is fundamental but the "Water snake sutta" is not?

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

@@be1tube All of the Buddha’s teachings hold equal significance. The key question is: how can we be sure these teachings truly originate from the Buddha? The Buddha provides a method (Four Great Teaching M16) that aligns with hermeneutic principles. Words derive their meaning from context, and the Vinaya offers this context by detailing the lifestyle of that era, making it difficult to replicate. If teachings from other baskets do not align with this context, it is better to set them aside, as we already have too much to explore. I dare say, M22 Water Snake Sutta is in line with Vinaya, e.g., the way of dialogue, and is a fundamental teaching in Buddhism.

[@be1tube]

@@Lee-Van-CleI do think the Vinaya is critical for deeply understanding the Buddha's teachings. However, the narrative elements seem the most doubtful parts. The Vinaya's stories would not be difficult for a later author/speaker to create. Life didn't change as fast back then. The lifestyle in 300 BCE (150 years later) is not much different than the lifestyle in 450 BC. And, adding narrative to a collection of sayings has been seen in other religions. For example, it's likely that the Christian gospel of Mark created the narrative structure used by later canonical gospels and drew upon less-narrative sources like the lost work scholars call Q. Such additions do not need to be intentionally deceptive or malicious. They can start with a teacher explaining a possible circumstance and the student learning it as the definite circumstance. Over time names and details can get added. For example, the gospel of Mark I referred to earlier is anonymous. However, 100 years later Irenaeus reports it as being written by John Mark, the interpreter of Peter.

[@naicittavara7383]

Very informative! Keep on next topic.

[@shadypugsley5136]

I’ve been looking into pure land Buddhism and I’m excited too learn more!

[@radoskan]

Great, Doug. I love you!

[@seachd2268]

Thanks Doug great video, and are you aware of the work by Attwood, Osbourne and Nattier ? scholars working in the field of translation and texts.. especially their take on the Heart Sutra.. I would love to see you do a video about it.

[@max-cs9ko]

Namo buddhay from India❤❤

[@heathersmith5237]

Thank you for this interesting talk. I’ve been slowly reading On The Path, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, whose translations Doug describes as “idiosyncratic.” 🤔 Not sure what to make of that characterization - it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. Does he think Bhikkhu Bodhi’s In The Words of the Buddha would be more reliable?

[@DougsDharma]

Thanissaro's translations are fine, it's a matter of taste. For example, translating "dukkha" as "stress" just sounds a bit odd to me. I do prefer Bhikkhu Bodhi's and Bhikkhu Sujato's translations though.

[@Genpinan]

Interesting video, best from Nara!

[@DougsDharma]

Many thanks!

[@Genpinan]

@@DougsDharma you're welcome, keep them coming. Your videos are usually doing a great job.

[@gstrathmore194]

Good one!

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks!

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

Vinaya is the Buddhist Bible, as it provides the context necessary for comprehending the Dhamma. Moreover, according to the four great teachings (D16), suttas must be checked against the Vinaya, regardless of their sources. In practice, Buddhism should not go without Vinaya. In other words, without Vinaya, there is no Buddhism. Most importantly, the Vinaya's records are not fabricated stories, but rather the detailed accounts of the lives of monks and nuns. As such, Vinaya contains very little mythical content and is instead filled with historical information of the Buddhist period.

[@floptaxie68]

Interesting, but isnt the Vinaya only the monastic code? Or does it contain teachings for the lay people

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

@@floptaxie68 Vinaya is the monastic code containing a lot of context, e.g., how people lived and talked, therefore serving perfectly well as a reference frame for Buddha’s teaching. Remarkably, its content encompasses not only monastery but also provides (the only) information on how the Buddha systematically converted laypeople (e.g., Yasa’s pa & mom).

[@TylerLloyd-oi7bz]

Namo buddhay 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@spinningfire5113]

Did the first council mention the pitakas? If so, which ones did they mention?

[@willmosse3684]

Didn’t he say they mentioned the Sutta Pitaka and the one about the monastic rules (I forget its name), but not the Abbhidhamma Pitaka? I’m pretty sure that’s what he said in the video.

[@DougsDharma]

That's right, they mention the Suttas and Vinaya in the Pāli canonical description of the first council. I believe in some other traditions the Abhidharma is mentioned as well, but this is understood to be a later interpolation.

[@superdave7436]

Im enjoying 'Becoming Buddha' by John Haspel. John's life work has been to describe these early suttas and earliest intent of the Buddha

[@DougsDharma]

Cool!

[@davidhowe6905]

I've heard it suggested that the special popularity of the Dhammapada is due to a response by Buddhists to Christian missionaries being able to distribute a handy, pocket-sized book summarising their own beliefs. Of course, before printing was widely available, even the Bible could not have been distributed easily (I'm thinking of the expense - and physical bulk of e.g. the Codex Amiatinus!)

[@DougsDharma]

Interesting thought!

[@Lalalala22537]

Can you make a video on yoga in early Buddhism

[@oldstudent2587]

Alex Weyman puts the Guhyasamaja at 4th century, making it contemporary with some of the texts you describe. He does so based on another text which is relied on by commentaries translated into Chinese, the Vajramala, which he places at 5th c. It's a well-known foundational text of the Vajrayana tradition.

[@DougsDharma]

Interesting, thanks!

[@paulofaria8333]

Mr. Stephen Bachelor is making a reform he call Secular Buddhism without any religious practice, praises, sacred belives, mantras, misticism,... Can you please talk about this in future vídeo? Thank you.

[@DougsDharma]

I discuss Batchelor's views a little in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4XbfJqwbbKYjck

[@crispy247365]

Idea for video because of a question I had that even my Zen teacher wasn't sure the answer; what is the karma of a stillborn? Now this question came up do to the several women I've known that I have had this unfortunate experience and that it would have been rare in the time of the Buddha to have survived much less talked about it.

[@DougsDharma]

These are the kinds of questions that I think make the speculative notion of rebirth not particularly useful to us in our daily practice. I would leave them aside.

[@OneAndOnly-S9]

Sir, I believe that Buddha is real.But some people say that Buddha did not exist I also told them that evidence of Buddha's existence has been found, such as Buddha's relics, status etc. I want you to make a video on this😊❤.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes I’ve done several videos on these topics such as: Have We Found the Buddha's Bones? Two New York Exhibitions kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooO7gqF_Z9p3otk

[@TitusEddiePlayz]

While one can draw delineations to fit an Old Testament vs New Testament narrative, the big difference in the Old Vs New Testament vs. the Buddhist one is that in the Judeo-Christian narrative, there is the singular figure of Jesus who separated the two. We do not find it in the Buddhist texts. The later commentators were not of commensurate stature.

[@DougsDharma]

Agreed, there are significant differences. Though I might argue the figure who separated the two in the West was more Paul than Jesus.

[@sonamtshering194]

The Mahayana Sutras are more well known compared to the other Buddhist texts. Ultimately whichever text that helps a follower with their practice of the Dharma regardless of its Buddhist lineage is alright since the idea of a central text doesn't exist in Buddhism unlike the Abrahamic religions

[@DougsDharma]

🙏

[@aarongarcia6640]

Are you a member of a sanga currently?

[@DougsDharma]

I have a couple of local sanghas I attend.

[@aarongarcia6640]

@@DougsDharma do you ever give talks in person at your temple?

[@maciejrzepczyk6562]

Fun historical fact from a myself, a Christian: Originally, all the gospels were standalone scroles, and then there was the Jewish Torah (Old Testament). But there was no "Bible" as we know it. The Old-and-New testament Bible was created as a reaction against Marcions first original New Testament (only), which was a reaction against the Old Testament.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes the development of the Bible is fascinating historically.

[@bodhisattvaFM]

Mahayanists wouldn't rely on a Buddhist old testament for doctrine so much as characterization of the historical Buddha and assembly. To that end, I'm finding the books of poetry fascinating and well worthy of focus. The nuns in particular and their descriptions of the typically awful relationships that sent them to the assembly are a whole new world of OG Buddhism. I've noticed some of the translations can be overly conservative almost to the point of censorship. It'd be nice to see the nuns truest meaning preserved in amber. There's a lot of good work to be done on early Buddhist poetry. Also, I wonder how the Bhagavad Gita would be received in such a volume?

[@dylantindall5573]

Thankyou. I never considered Buddhism as an evolving scholasticism borne of the spread of literacy. Literacy increasing mobility. Hence, variance of belief and practice. huh

[@hdrake1000]

The main question I have to Doug or anyone who reads this, What books did the early disciples of Buddha read? They had to be Hindu books seeing how his disciples were Brahman's.

[@DougsDharma]

Society in the Buddha's day seems to have been illiterate; there is no mention of books or writing in the suttas; they were orally transmitted and memorized, as were the Vedas for example. But Vedic Brahmanism was far from the only option in the Buddha's day, there were many other belief systems around. (Hinduism is a later development out of Brahmanism).

[@uwehirayama9544]

namu namu

[@无所住]

❤❤❤

[@kitkat6959]

For me its "In the Buddhas Words"

[@Sheshnāga-x1k]

Ess dhammo sanantano 🙏🙏🙏

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@lobsangsherap2559]

People from Abrahamic backgrounds might be more attuned to the idea like Buddhist bible . No one in the East including any scholars had found it necessary to have such bible nor did they even botched such an idea.. Buddhism is not a straight forward concept , there are many branches of thoughts depending on how effective they are to any particular group or person. Add , the context is key to Buddha’s teaching. And therefore, it would be nearly impossible to create such a hand book.

[@Sheshnāga-x1k]

We Indian have "Buddha and his dhamma " as bible and I have two of them I think there is necessity of Buddhist bible because Buddhism having wide spread knowledge no one can learn this full knowledge except monks that's why dr ambedkar made Buddhist bible

[@DougsDharma]

Ah yes I did a video awhile back on Dr. Ambedkar's book: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p52rkKSfmqiaeaM

[@Sheshnāga-x1k]

Sir you should read buddha or Karl Marx by dr ambedkar

[@saralamuni]

Read all of these books but don't focus on the words, instead reflect on the common meaning between them, do this until all apparent discrepancies fall away, because in reality there are none, and then you will truly know the Dharma. Don't just rely on one book, on one basket, on another's interpretation or even on one group of related books.

[@bobvillanueva712]

"EVERY WISH FULFILLED" E.T. .........................................................

[@michaelthompson7217]

the authenticity or authorship of texts is not of importance. the teaching is living and breathing. monks may have written or not written stories, changed them, as the teachings grew with the times. the buddha is our original teacher.

[@aaronyork3995]

The route word of tradition means: to betray!!! Caution is deeply expressed here! What is betrayed in “tradition “?? Ask this again and again

[@animefurry3508]

Note one: before I say my thing, know that AI is actually really dumb and not capable of unique coherent new thought, but regardless. I want an Buddhist trained AI and a Christian trained AI to talk and see what they "think" of each other lol!

[@aaronyork3995]

Breath brother You seem pressured bro in this teaching. Not necessary. Just point. Nothing more

[@fktygglbtchbtch1384]

yes, it's call fortune cookies