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"Start Anywhere.
Start Here!"
-- Michael, The King of New York
"Here Goes! The King of New York" [Lost Manuscript]
Beginners! It is highly recommended that you read this introduction to practice which is modeled on the course taught by Ananda to beginners at the time of the Buddha:
../../ThePaliLine/ThePaliLine.htm#TheGradualCourse
While there are now several interesting ways for beginners to introduce themselves to Pali Buddhism on BuddhaDust. I continue to believe this is the best and most magical of all ways to begin for the following reason: It has the very interesting property of always being complete, almost no matter how little into it one progresses.
A good logical way to begin is to begin with the Buddha's own first Sutta: Dhamma-Cakkappa-Vattana Sutta (a "Resources" page). The argument for this approach is persuasively made by Ajahn Sujato in an audio discussion concerning the origin and authenticity of the suttas. The Buddhist Society of Western Austrialia The Hidden Structure of the Buddhist Scriptures This is a fascinating and important listen for anyone interested in getting down to the original teachings of the Buddha! Ajahn Sujato's well argued thesis (based on comparing sutta with sutta) is that the original teachings of the Buddha are found in the Samyutta Nikaya, with some spill-over into the Digha, Majjhima and Anguttara Nikayas. He suggests that the Samyutta originally began with the Dhamma-Cakkappa-Vattana Sutta and that this Nikaya, and therefore the original layout of the whole of the Dhamma was organized according to the scheme of the Four Truths.
Another way is in the form of making a study of The Compilation, The Sangiti Sutta, Sutta #33 of the Digha Nikaya.
This presents a very comprehensive list of all the important doctrines of the system arranged in accordance with the number of subjects it contains. A good way to approach this would be to start from the beginning and work through to the end one set per day (or whatever such-like schedule is possible). This is not a method that is very gentle on the beginner (although I have made explanatory notes throughout which I hope will help). There is no build-up, and some of the segments with only a few concepts (in other words, at the beginning) are also very advanced ideas. This is a good place to round out your understanding, and if a beginner wants to start here, I would recommend taking it very slowly, and following all the links around.
I began my study of Pali Buddhism by reading Warren's: Buddhism In Translations.
Organized around the "Tripple-Gem" (The Buddha, his work -- the dhamma, and the life of the disciple -- the sangha), it provides a beginning selection from a number of the different Pali resources.
A method which I hope some will follow, as it is the design of this website, is to begin with The Pali Line and then follow the links around and round until an ... um ... well-rounded ... picture of the whole ayatana (sphere of study) is able to be held in the mind.
Another method is to begin with and follow major themes, some of the most important of which I have put into "Resources" groups and have placed on the Home Page.
Begin with one major concept, and flesh out the details by following links and doing further research; done conscientiously it will lead to a comprehensive picture of the system.
Still another way is to begin with what many consider to be the beginning of the Buddhist collection of suttas: The Digha Nikaya.
The complete first volume of the Rhys Davids translation is now available on BuddhaDust, and a number of translations from others (including my own version of the first sutta from this collection, The BrahmaGala Sutta, are also available.
One could, if BuddhaDust were a book, open it almost anywhere and begin and expect to be presented with enough information to master the system within one or two or a small number of suttas.
The thing to remember when first confronting the huge volume of information now available to Buddhists is that this was originally a spoken tradition taught to groups of interested individuals encountered by the Buddha or by one of his disciples as they wandered from place to place: in other words although we may have a very large number of suttas, each individual sutta (or small series of suttas) was delivered with the expectation that by itself it would be sufficient for the salvation of the hearers.
The difficulty comes in when considering the very beginning level of the listener. The suttas were most often delivered in response to questions. Questions provide the information needed to determine the level of the questioner and the response can (and was) tailored to that level.
Here I must assume that every reader is beginning with no understanding whatsoever. These "beginnings" therefore suggest various courses that are suitable for those who are starting "from scratch"
...on the other hand, our education (at least in the USA today -- November 30, 2002) is so slack concerning our own welfare, that it would likely be a good idea for even those who think they are already far along the trail to give The Pali Line a shot, just to see if they havn't skip't over, say...training in ...generosity, ethical culture, self-discipline...etc...in favor of ... say meditation practice.
The advantage to one who begins with The Pali Line is that should the course be interrupted for some reason (and there is always some reason in the beginning), then what has been learned to that point will prove valuable in whatever direction one has decided to go.
Beginning with meditation practice one is like a kite in an...um...high wind... without a string under the control of some intelligent being at the other end.
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Thursday, November 06, 2003 4:27 AM
