Pariyatti, paṭipatti, paṭivedha

This article is about the educational concept in Theravāda Buddhism. For the bookstore, see Pariyatti (bookstore). For the Thai Dhammānudhammapaṭipatti treatise, see Dhammānudhammapaṭipatti (treatise).

In Theravāda Buddhism, pariyatti, paṭipatti, paṭivedha (Pāli; "Learning; practicing; realizing") is the educational concept consisting of three progressive stages culminating in full understanding of the Buddha's teaching. Pariyatti refers to the theoretical study of the Buddha's teaching as preserved within the suttas and commentaries of the Pāli Canon; paṭipatti means to put the theory into practice; and paṭivedha means penetrating the theory or rather experientially realizing the truth of it, that is the attainment of the four stages of awakening. Traditionally, pariyatti serves as the foundation of paṭipatti, and paṭipatti serves as the foundation of paṭivedha.

The Pāli Canon is the most complete Buddhist canon surviving in a classical Indian language, Pāli, which serves as the school's sacred language[1] and lingua franca.[2] In contrast to Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna, Theravāda tends to be conservative in matters of the theoretical study of the doctrine (pariyatti) and monastic discipline (vinaya).[3] One element of this conservatism is the fact that Theravāda rejects the authenticity of the Mahayana sutras (which appeared c. 1st century BCE onwards).[4][5]

Overview

According to U Ba Khin, pariyatti is the teaching of the Buddha, the arahats (fully awakened beings) and the ariyas (persons who have tasted Nibbana), who have really and in detail understood the Four Noble Truths and teach what they themselves know to be true, what they have seen to be true and real from their own experience. At times, when it is not possible to find noble people such as a Buddha, arahats or ariyas to revere and rely on, one will have to establish as one's teacher the teachings of the Buddha contained in the 84,000 sections of the scriptures. One has to practise (paṭipatti) these teachings which lead to paṭivedha, that is the path (magga) and fruition (phala) states and Nibbana.[6]

U Ba Khin states, "When one meets with a Buddha, arahats and noble ariyas, it is truly possible to practise morality, concentration and insight and attain the paths and fruits of awakening by merely listening to and following their teachings, which are given based on firsthand personal experience and knowledge."[6]

Anupubbasikkhā

The Buddha sometimes described the practice (patipatti) of his teaching as the gradual training (Pali: anupubbasikkhā) because the Noble Eightfold Path involves a process of mind-body transformation that unfolds over a sometimes lengthy period.

Just as the ocean has a gradual shelf, a gradual slope, a gradual inclination, with a sudden drop-off only after a long stretch, in the same way this discipline of Dhamma (dhamma-vinaya) has a gradual training (anupubbasikkhā), a gradual performance (anupubbakiriyā), a gradual progression (anupubbapatipadā), with a penetration to gnosis only after a long stretch.

— Udana 5.5

The emphasis on gradual training may be understood by the fact that, just as the human habits that give rise to suffering have been built up over a long period of time, those same habits similarly take a long time to undo, requiring a sustained effort achievable only with a genuine commitment to training.

References

1. Reynolds, Frank E.; Kitagawa, Joseph M.; Nakamura, Hajime; Lopez, Donald S.; Tucci, Giuseppe (2018), "Theravada", britannica.com, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Theravada (Pali: "Way of the Elders"; Sanskrit, Sthaviravada) emerged as one of the Hinayana (Sanskrit: "Lesser Vehicle") schools, traditionally numbered at 18, of early Buddhism. The Theravadins trace their lineage to the Sthaviravada school, one of the two major schools (the Mahasanghika was the other) that supposedly formed in the wake of the Council of Vaishali (now in Bihar state) held some 100 years after the Buddha's death. Employing Pāli as their sacred language, the Theravadins preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching in the Tipitaka ("Three Baskets").
2. Crosby, Kate (2013), Theravada Buddhism: Continuity, Diversity, and Identity, p. 2.
3. Gombrich, Richard (2006), Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo, Routledge; 2nd edition, p. 37.
4. Hay, Jeff (2009). "World Religions" p. 189. Greenhaven Publishing LLC.
5. Buswell, Robert E (2004). Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism (2004), p. 293.
6. "The Buddha's basic teaching and their correct practice". 11 July 2013. Retrieved 2022-07-18.

Bibliography

• Bullitt, John T. (2005). Dhamma. Retrieved 2007-11-08 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/index.html.
• Ñāṇamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) & Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed.) (2001). The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-072-X.
• Nyanatiloka (1980). Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. ISBN 955-24-0019-8. Retrieved 2007-11-10 from "BuddhaSasana" at http://www.budsas.org/ebud/bud-dict/dic_idx.htm.
• Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998). Kutthi Sutta: The Leper (Ud. 5.3). Retrieved 2007-11-12 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.5.03.than.html.
• Walshe, Maurice (1995). The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Dīgha Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-103-3.

External links

• "The Factors of the Gradual Training As Found in Various Suttas" table by Leigh Brasington