Coming up: How Early Buddhism was Preserved

by | May 28, 2024 | Buddhism.net Blog

Friends,

The Buddha passed without appointing a successor.  Instead, he told the monks, “After my passing, the Dharma and the discipline (Dhamma-vinaya) I taught you shall be your teacher.”  It took three remarkable individuals to preserve Dhamma-vinaya for all of us to this day.  The three are: Mahā Kassapa, who had the amazing foresight  to recognize that if the teachings were not consolidated soon, they would be lost to future generations; Ānanda, who remembered all the Buddha’s discourses by heart; and Upāli, who started out as a humble barber but grew into a renowned expert on the monastic rules.

In Topic#15, we will learn the fascinating stories of these remarkable individuals, and how they heroically preserved Dhamma-vinaya.  We will also learn about what was preserved, and why we modern people can have a lot of confidence in them.  That starts today.

Meng, for the Buddhism.net team

Chade-Meng Tan

Meng is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, movie producer and philanthropist. His work has been nominated eight times for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Read Meng's story)

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