Vedhamissakena: Perils of the Transmission of the Buddhadhamma

Comparing parallel Pāli and Sanskrit versions of the Buddha’s teachings reveal an underlying linguistic stratum which is a common source for both. Although we may never be able to ascertain the exact words of the Buddha, we know his teachings were transmitted orally by bhāṇakas (reciters) in one or...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Bryan, Levman (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Simon Fraser University, David See Chai Lam Centre for International Communication 2009
In: Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies
Year: 2009, Volume: 5, Pages: 21-35
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:Comparing parallel Pāli and Sanskrit versions of the Buddha’s teachings reveal an underlying linguistic stratum which is a common source for both. Although we may never be able to ascertain the exact words of the Buddha, we know his teachings were transmitted orally by bhāṇakas (reciters) in one or more middle-Indic dialects. As the religion spread into different regions of India the words also changed, adapted to local dialects. When the teachings were committed to writing around the first century B. C., the Pāli and Buddhist Sanskrit forms were sometimes contradictory, reflecting the redactors’ different interpretations of the oral transmission. By comparing these different forms, it is possible to isolate a proto-form which explains the ambiguities and is closer to the original transmission. This is a case in point, comparing an incident from the Pāli Mahāparinibbāna sutta and its Sanskrit parallel, the Mahāparinirvāṇa sūtra.,
ISSN:1710-825X
Contains:Enthalten in: Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies