List of unresolved issues in Commentaries

[Atulañāna]

@jansen

F1. The Buddha again and again stresses that it is the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna, following rules, following the Buddha’s Teachings, which maintains the existence of the Buddha’s Teachings. Commentaries assert the other way and provide a verse from the Buddha that appears nowhere in the Root.
→ Aṅguttara’s Kimila Suttas (AN 5, 6, and 7) as well as Saṃyutta 2.5.13. Saddhammappatirūpaka Sutta stress that it is the respect towards (and Commentaries explain it as following) the rules that maintain the Buddha’s Teachings. Kimila Suttas 6 & 7 further add Concentration (explained as jhānas in the Commentaries) and Mindfulness (explained as the four Satipaṭṭhānas in the Commentaries) as the conditions for preserving the Buddha’s Teachings from disappearance. There is no mention of memorizing scriptures: “‘‘Idha, kimila, tathāgate parinibbute bhikkhū bhikkhuniyo upāsakā upāsikāyo satthari agāravā viharanti appatissā, dhamme agāravā viharanti appatissā, saṅghe agāravā viharanti appatissā, sikkhāya agāravā viharanti appatissā, samādhismiṃ agāravā viharanti appatissā, appamāde agāravā viharanti appatissā, paṭisanthāre agāravā viharanti appatissā. Ayaṃ kho, kimila, hetu ayaṃ paccayo yena tathāgate parinibbute saddhammo na ciraṭṭhitiko hotī’’ti.”
→ The Buddha explains in Saṃyutta’s 5.3.5. Aññatarabrāhmaṇa Sutta, MM 3.151, that the true Dhamma disappears when the Four Satipaṭṭhānas are not practiced: “‘‘Catunnaṃ kho, brāhmaṇa, satipaṭṭhānānaṃ abhāvitattā abahulīkatattā tathāgate parinibbute saddhammo na ciraṭṭhitiko hoti.”
→ The Commentary to this discourse says that this is related to personal Dhamma, implying that this is not related to existence or opportunity to learn Dhamma after the Buddha passes away. The Commentarial explanation is contradicting the Buddha’s Teaching, as the Buddha talks about Dhamma after His passing away, not about Dhamma in a person, which would apply during the Buddha’s life and after it as well.
→ This issue, whether the Buddha’s Teaching depends on memorizing scriptures or on practicing rules and meditation is as old as the Commentaries. It is discussed in detail in Aṅguttara Nikāya Commentary 1 10. Dutiyapamādādivaggavaṇṇanā, MM 1.71, where the “Dhamma speakers” (Dhammakathikā) and “Senior (monks) who wore rag robes” (Paṃsukūlikattherā)" debated on this topic. The Senior monks provided quotes from the Suttas as we have the first available in the Buddha’s discourse: ‘‘ime ca, subhadda, bhikkhū sammā vihareyyuṃ, asuñño loko arahantehi assāti (dī. ni. 2.214). Paṭipattimūlakaṃ, mahārāja, satthusāsanaṃ paṭipattisārakaṃ. Paṭipattiyā dharantāya tiṭṭhatī’’ti (mi. pa. 4.1.7) suttaṃ āhariṃsu." → “(If) these, Subhadda, monks dwell properly, the world will not be empty of Arahants.” (DN 16. Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, MM 2.125). “The practice is the root, great king, the Dispensation of the Teacher has the essence of practice. It (the dispensation) exists (based on) practice.” (this second quote is not available to us anymore, neither in Sutta, Vinaya, or Abhidhamma, it is however mentioned again in Milindapañhā). As for the Dhammakathikas, they replied by a quote that is nowhere to be found in the Sutta, Vinaya, or Abhidhamma. While their non-canonical quote silenced the Senior monks, it does not stand against the Buddha’s original Teaching that is available to us. The verses are:
"‘‘Yāva tiṭṭhanti suttantā, vinayo yāva dippati; Tāva dakkhanti ālokaṃ, sūriye abbhuṭṭhite yathā. ‘‘Suttantesu asantesu, pamuṭṭhe vinayamhi ca;
Tamo bhavissati loke, sūriye atthaṅgate yathā. ‘‘Suttante rakkhite sante, paṭipatti hoti rakkhitā; Paṭipattiyaṃ ṭhito dhīro, yogakkhemā na dhaṃsatī’’ti." → “Until the discourses (suttas) exist, until the discipline (vinaya) shines, until then they (followers of the Buddha?) see light, like when the Sun has risen; when the discourses are not (available), when the discipline is also forgotten, darkness happens in the world, like when the Sun set. When the discourses are protected, the discipline is protected; the wise established in the safe practice will not fall from the safe practice.”
=> The problem is first, that the Buddha did not suggest this attitude and that because the practice is going to disappear first (not the paṭipatti), as the Commentaries explain themselves, the best way is to protect Sāsana through paṭipatti, the practice: i.e., until people practice, there will be both practice and scriptures. Concentration on practice will preserve the scriptures because scriptures start to disappear (first goes Paṭṭhāna of Abhidhamma) only after the practice has disappeared.

Dear Upāsaka,

There are other suttas which appear in the Pāli which directly represent this opinion of the dhammakathika-theras on how the teaching (pariyatti) and practice (paṭipatti) is connected and how the dissapearance of the teaching results in the dissapearance of the practice.

“Mendicants, these five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. What five? It’s

(1) when mendicants don’t carefully listen to the teachings,

(2) memorize them,

(3) and remember them.

(4) They don’t carefully examine the meaning of teachings that they remember.

(5) And they don’t carefully practice in line with the meaning and the teaching they’ve understood. These five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. (translation from the sutta central - Aṅguttaranikāya – Pañcakanipāta - Catutthapaṇṇāsaka – Saddhammavagga - Paṭhamasaddhammasammosasutta)

Moreover, in the following sutta-

“Mendicants, these five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. What five?

• It’s when the mendicants don’t memorize the teaching—statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and elaborations. This is the first thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.
• Furthermore, the mendicants don’t explain the teaching in detail to others as they learned and memorized it. This is the second thing …
• Furthermore, the mendicants don’t make others recite the teaching in detail as they learned and memorized it. This is the third thing …
• Furthermore, the mendicants don’t recite the teaching in detail as they learned and memorized it. This is the fourth thing …
• Furthermore, the mendicants don’t think about and consider the teaching in their hearts, examining it with their minds as they learned and memorized it. This is the fifth thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.

These five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. (Aṅguttaranikāya – Pañcakanipāta -Catutthapaṇṇāsaka – Saddhammavagga - Dutiyasaddhammasammosasutta)

Hence, there is no contradiction in the commentaries with the root.

Also, together with the below from the Aṇguttaranikāya we can understand that the dissapearance of the dhamma takes place due to both pariyatti and paṭipatti because of many factors and it includes.

114 “Mendicants, I do not see a single thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching like negligence. Negligence leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.”

116 “Mendicants, I do not see a single thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching like laziness. Laziness leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.”

118–128 “Mendicants, I do not see a single thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching like having many wishes … lack of contentment … … irrational application of mind … lack of situational awareness … bad friends … pursuing bad habits and not good habits. Pursuing bad habits and not good habits leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.” (translation from the sutta central - Aṅguttaranikāya – Ekakanipāta - Catutthapaṇṇāsaka – Dutiyapamādādivagga)