PRETEXT

Pretext

This book is a comprehensive treatise and does not need to be read cover to cover. Most readers will be more interested in the practical aspects of Buddhist meditation than in referencing systems, terminology, or textual clarification. For this reason, the table of contents is deliberately extensive, allowing the reader to navigate directly to topics of interest. For electronic versions, the search function is particularly useful.

Buddhism emerged within the context of the Vedic paradigm of ancient India some 2,300 years ago. In later chapters, I argue that Buddhism was also influenced, in part, by the arrival of Christianity. This requires engagement with three distinct religious frameworks: the Pāli Canon, the Vedic tradition, and the Biblical tradition.

Because of this, referencing is essential.

Referencing the Pāli Canon

Referencing within the Pāli Canon is not always straightforward. Different publishers use different systems, and titles may appear in Pāli, Sanskrit, or English.

In general, references follow this format:

The Saṃyutta Nikāya presents a greater challenge due to its structure. It contains literally thousands of short discourses arranged in multiple layers.

Let us take the example reference SN56:11. In its full formal structure, this reads as:

Part V, The Mahāvagga, Chapter XII, sub-chapter 56, Saccasaṃyutta (Connected Discourses on the Truths), II Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma, 11 (1) Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma.

This is clearly unwieldy. Fortunately, it can be simplified.

The reference is reduced to SN56:11 because only two numbers are needed to locate the discourse precisely:

• 56 identifies the sub-chapter (Saccasaṃyutta).
• 11 identifies the individual discourse within that sub-chapter.

This works because the Saṃyutta Nikāya is numbered in a regular way. The sub-chapters are numbered 1 to 56, regardless of what Part (vaggas), chapter, or subchapter they appear in. Once the sub-chapter number is known, the Vagga and chapter titles are no longer needed.

Similarly, the individual discourses within a (sub)chapter are numbered. Although they may be grouped under more headings, these groupings do not affect the numbering. Once the discourse number is known, any additional labeling becomes unnecessary.

Using Online Sources

I recommend making use of free online Nikāya resources. However, the reader should be aware that these are not without their own difficulties.

The same discourse may appear under different names depending on the publisher or translator. For example, one and the same sutta might be listed as:

• Pāli — Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
• Sanskrit — Dharmachakrapravartana
• English — Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma

In addition to this, some publishers combine words, while others separate them:

• Dhammacakkappavattana
• Dhamma cakkappavattana

The above examples are all the same teaching. This can make a search frustrating as a discourse may not appear under the title you expect, even though it is there. The solution is simply to try alternative spellings, languages, or partial titles until the text appears.

Once the reader becomes familiar with this variation, it becomes much easier to navigate. But at the beginning, it can be surprisingly testing.

Saṃyutta Structure

The structure of the Saṃyutta Nikāya can appear unnecessarily complex at first glance. The example below breaks it down using SN56:11, showing clearly how the full reference collapses into a simple two-number system once understood.

Referencing Other Traditions

Because this book draws on multiple traditions, clarity of citation is essential. The table below sets out the standard referencing formats for the Pāli Canon, the Vedas, and the Bible. Unlike the Saṃyutta Nikāya, these follow more regular and immediately recognisable patterns.

General Notes

The Aṅguttara Nikāya arranges teachings numerically.

The Khuddaka Nikāya contains a wide range of texts, some of which are widely regarded as later additions.

All citations from the Pāli Canon are from Wisdom Publications unless otherwise stated.

Where references are shortened, a number in brackets refers back to the previous citation. For example:

Text in square brackets with an asterisk — [text*] — indicates my own addition within a quotation.

Buddhist Hybridised Text

The prefix Mahā means noble or great, and often precedes proper nouns, such as MahāMoggallāna, or MahāKassapa. This tells us the character was considered a venerable. I have minimised its use in text I have composed.

The use of some plural and singular Pāli words found in the Pāli Canon are inconsistent between translators. The word suttaṃ is singular and means discourse. The plural is sutta. And yet, an individual discourse is sometimes entitled sutta. In some Pāli Text Society Publications, translators have used suttanta. Similarly, the word jhānaṃ, which is a lower-level meditation, has the plural of jhāna, and yet I cannot ever recall seeing the singular form being used outside of a Pāli dictionary. For the text I have composed I use suttaṃ (sing.), sutta (pl.), jhānaṃ (sing.), jhāna (pl.). I have reproduced the citations exactly as they were published.

In common with other writers, I have preferred to use anglicised plurals by simply adding an ‘s’. For example, bhikkhu (masc. sing.) becomes bhikkhus and bhikkhuni (fem. sing.) becomes bhikkhunis. Otherwise, these plural forms are bhikkhavo (masc. pl.) and bhikkhuni (fem. pl.).

Pāli Pronunciation Guide

Tahoma type font has had to be used for some Pāli words, as the Times New Roman font lacks some diacritical markings.

Because the attention can snag annoyingly on too many unusual spellings, even the casual reader might consider learning to pronounce some Pāli words. The pronunciation of bhikkhu, jhānaṃ, suttaṃ and nimittaṃ are worth memorising. Other than this, most readers will not be particularly interested in the following pronunciation guide.

Double consonants are pronounced separately, for example, dd as in bad dialogue, bb as in dab brush. The fact is, this is difficult and so one tends to elide the consonants and to stress the syllable that precedes or follows. For example, bhikkhu is pronounced b-hik-hu.

Vowels

The vowels o and e are always stressed, otherwise the stress falls on ā, ī or ū.

Consonants

List of Abbreviations