Sutta Study
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
Sutta Study
Sutta Pitaka (the collection of Suttas) is the oldest of all Buddhist scriptures. There are thousands of Suttas in the Sutta Pitaka, some very long, others in the middle length, and some others as short as a few lines. Being the most original and authentic, many of these Buddha’s speeches and dialogues help us discern the originality of Buddhism.
However, without proper guidance by a Buddhist educator with the knowledge of Pali and Sanskrit, the readers of English translations find many hindrances while trying to understand many of these Suttas. The purpose of this class is to help remove such hindrances encountered by the readers and to clarify the main Buddhist concepts with the help of these original texts.
Syllabus
Saturday 3:30 PM- 5:30 PM
Buddhist Epistemology (Buddhist Theory of Knowledge)
Buddhist Anthropology (Buddhist View about the Human Being and His or Her Place in Society)
- Agganna Sutta (Digha Nikaya 27)
- Vasetta Sutta (Majjima Nikaya 98)
- Tittha (Ayatana) Sutta (Angutthara Nikaya 3.61)
Buddhist Social Philosophy
- Pattakamma Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya 4.61)
- Sigalovada Sutta (Digha Nikaya 31)
- Dighajanu (Vyagghapajja) Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya 8.54)
Class Schedule
We will meet 9 Saturdays during the fall. It is important that, before you come to the class, you read and be familiar with the Sutta to be discussed on that particular day.
Class days:
Sept. 15, Sept. 29, Oct. 13, Oct. 27, Nov. 10, Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Dec. 15.
Recordings
Our Teacher
Ven. Prof. Basnagoda Rahula Thero
Venerable Basnagoda Rahula Thero is the president of Houston Buddhist Vihara. He is also a professor of English, public speaker, and Dhamma and meditation teacher. Ven. Rahula became a novice monk during his childhood at Attanagalla Royal Temple in Sri Lanka. After receiving Higher Ordination and a bachelors degree in Buddhist philosophy, he immigrated to the United States in 1990. Ven. Rahula earned his M.A. in literature from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and Ph.D. in English from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He is the author of Beautiful Living: Buddha’s Way to Prosperity, Wisdom, and Inner Peace and The Buddha’s Teachings on Prosperity: at Home, at Work, in the World.