Sutra Pali | Godinne, July 2013
Digha-nikaya : Sangiti-sutta and Dasuttara-sutta
It is the same theme as the one I proposed last year at Maredsous, for I wasn't finished by the end of the five preparation days, given the scale of the subject.
Indeed the subject is so vast that it should be cut into 5 or 10 parts !
It is about the two last chapters of the third volume of the Digha-nikaya, the collections of 34 long suttas : the Sangiti-sutta (Chapter 33, pages 901-972) and the Dasuttara-sutta (chap.34, pages 973-1022). Text used : the French version of Môhan Wijayaratna, (Éditions Lis, Paris, 2008).
Both sutras, expounded by Sariputta, are numerical indexes of Buddha's teachings (such as the 3 Poisons, the 4 Noble Truths, the 6 Paramita).
Sangiti-sutta
The Buddha, after a sermon, saw that the monks were still keen to listen, so he asked Sariputta to say something useful to the monks. At that time, a spiritual monk had just passed away.
« Nigantha Nathaputta and in his Sangha some altercations and quarrels had arisen because the doctrine and the discipline had been incorrectly explained, which had been recorded in an incorrect manner, which had been expressed by a master who was not a true Awakened one. »
Following this event, Sariputta told the monks that :
« Buddha doctrine is well explained, well communicated, it directs to the sublime end and it is expressed by a master who is a perfect Awakened One. It mus be recited (sangiti : recitation) by all of us together, without arguing. For the sublime behaviour to be sustainable and stays a long time, it must be recited for the happiness and well-being of people, with compassion for the world ».
Sariputta thus explains from the start why doctrinal points should be correctly kept in memory and it starts this "doctrinal index" with the points presented in a single unit, then two, three ... up to ten units.
At the beginning of each unit the motivation for this learning is repeated.
Unit 1 : All living beings depend on the conditions (supply).
Unit 3 (7 pages): 3 roots of the inefficient deeds, 3 roots of effective actions, 3 misconducts, 3 good conducts, 3 times, 3 sensations, 3 kinds of dukkha, 3 skills.
Unit 4 (12 pages): 4 bases of attention, 4 jhanas, 4 kinds of mental development of concentration, 4 kind of food, 4 places where consciousness is, 4 origins of thirst, 4 floods, 4 elements to be friendly, 4 noble communications.
To the unit 10.
Some points are well explained, others more obvious are enumerated.
Dasuttara-sutta
Sariputta speaks on his own initiative, and says :
« To attain Nibbana
to end fully with dukkha
in order to disentangle all nodes
I am talking about the Doctrine
That rises to the ten factors »
Hereunder the doctrinal points are presented according to their applicability and usefulness to the person who is on the way of the internal progress, and they answer 10 questions, which is typical of Sariputta'style :
- What is the one thing that helps a lot?
- What is the one thing that should be developed?
- What is the one thing that must be understood?
- What is the one thing that should be abandoned?
- What is the only thing left on the side of decline ?
- What is the only thing left on the side of specific results?
- What is the one thing to know, though not easy?
- What is the one thing to give birth to ?
- What is the one thing to understand by a specific wisdom?
- What is the only thing to be achieved by lived experience?
This goes on up to the 10 things which help a lot, and have to be developed, etc.
Given the extent of the subject (the entire teaching of the Buddha), I broached the workshop especially in relation to motivation, the importance of always keeping in mind the doctrinal points which can actually help us in our practice and especially in our daily lives. To rely on the Dharma, always linking it up with our practice of zazen in order to cope with different times of our lives, to stop conflicts and prevent any recurrence, to be compassionate vis-à-vis every sentient being.
In last year workshop, I started with the first unit and I got to the fifth, of both sutras.
We developed more the doctrinal issues of most concern to the participants.
This year, as the participants (beginners and experienced practitioners) were all new, I started over but this time I showed more the complete picture of the different themes, trying to reach the 10th unit.
In any case, we can see but a partial part over 1h30 over the 5 training days.
By choosing this theme, already the first time, even if I found it very interesting, I wasn't sure on how making it interesting and lively for others.
My goal was to shed light on some fundamental doctrinal points they questioned me about, but above all, I wanted to show them the lively character of the Pali texts, in particular how very significant words can make one feel compelled to take a further step, always deepening his understanding and his practice. These texts make wide open our eyes and heart, they question us. I have also often invited the participants to question and answer themselves or to keep the question in mind.
Participants were enthusiastic and even if the Pali language is not familiar to us, they felt closer to the language and some of them went to the camp boutique to get some books of the Buddha's ancient teaching.
I too, I remain very enthusiastic about these two chapters of the Digha-nikaya for both my own practice and as a teacher I use it as a support to talk about the Dharma and zazen in a practical and interactive way with our daily life.
Workshop directed by Emanuela Dōsan Losi