Buddhism 101

Lesson 2: Schools of Buddhism and Further Developments

A Brief Survey of Buddhist Scripture

  The primary scriptural texts within the religion of Buddhism are called sutras (or sometimes suttas), meaning etymologically “thread”. This word is not unique to Buddhism alone, but instead enjoys Hindu usage as well. The oldest of the sutras were written in Pali, which is an ancient Indian language. Nearly every sutra is attributed to the historical Buddha, even though in some cases there are scholars who are skeptical over this claim. Not every sutra is accepted within all the schools of Buddhism, and many later schools, especially within the forms of Mahayana, focus only on specific works.

Initially, the words of the Buddha were memorized and transmitted orally, but as happens often they were eventually recorded to prevent their corruption or the outright loss of the works altogether. Often sutras will begin with the words “Thus have I heard”.

The Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth Sutra is one of the most important in the Buddhist tradition, for it is the record of the Buddha’s first sermon. This takes place in a place called Deer Park, near Benares, and this is when the Buddha first preaches the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths. He speaks to five religious adepts that he practiced austerities with before leaving to attain his enlightenment under the bodhi tree.

The Dhammapada is a collection of short, one or two sentence aphorisms, arranged by topic, that address different core issues, such as “evil” or “happiness”. This text is similar to the works of collected wisdom, such as the “Analects of Confucius“, or perhaps the Taoist work the Tao de Jing. These adages offer a treasure trove of both spiritual and practical wisdom.

The Fire Sutra is a work that utilizes repetition to explain the inadequacy of the five senses and the mind, and explains their role in the cycle of dependant arising. Theses six senses are described as “burning”, as are what they sense – the ear is burning, as are sounds and sound impressions, for instance. The text then continues to describe how an enlightened being reacts to the senses and sensory input.

The Heart Sutra is a Mahayana text, devoted to prajna-paramita, or the “Perfection of Wisdom”. This text is often quite confusing, as it declares all to be empty and non-existent. It is not a text for lay Buddhists, but rather a work of Buddhist philosophy.

The Diamond Sutra is a similar work.

The Lotus Sutra is highly regarded in some Mahayana Buddhist schools, and seen as supreme over all other sutras. It is reportedly one of the last discourses given by the Buddha, and is thus the culmination of his teachings. It is a very strong proponent of the bodhisattva doctrine, proposing it as the foremost of all doctrines. Yet it is not regarded by all as a legitimate sutra, though to some groups, such as the Nichiren Buddhists, it is a central aspect of doctrine.

Please note that this is simply a brief survey of Buddhist literature – it is by no means comprehensive. Most Buddhist sutras are available for study in English.

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