An Introduction to the Sutras and Dharma Instruments
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A. Formation of the Buddhist Sutras
  Does anybody know what a “sutra” is or how the Dharma was transmitted from generation to generation? Do you know how many kinds of Dharma instruments are there in Buddhism and what are they? Now, we will take you on a journey to the world of Buddhism, where you can learn about the development of the Buddhist sutras as well as the functions of the most often used Dharma instruments.

  More than 2,500 years ago, the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha, taught the Dharma for forty-nine years. However, none of his words were recorded in writing at that time. Then, how were his teachings collected and compiled into written “sutras” that are available to us today? Let us return to the time of the Buddha for some answers!

When the Buddha teaches the Dharma, his disciples listen attentively./
Frontispiece of the Qisha Tripitaka/
Shaanxi Provincial Library Collection, Shaanxi Province, China

1)Oral Tradition
  
After the Parinirvana of the Buddha, all the disciples were very sad except for Subhadda who said, “Now that the Buddha has passed away, we are free to do whatever we want, for we no longer need to follow his rules and disciplines!”
   When the Honorable Mahakasyapa heard Subhadda's comment, he was troubled by it and decided to convene a council to collect and compile all of the Buddha's teachings, so they could be properly understood and transmitted from generation to generation.
   Five hundred arhats (enlightened monks) were chosen by Mahakasyapa for the first Buddhist council in the Cave of the Seven Leaves (Saptaparna Guha) at the foot of Mount Vibhara, near Rajagrha in Bihar, India. The Honorable Upali, who was renowned for his knowledge of the Vinaya, recited the regulations, while the Honorable Ananda, who was known for his excellent memory, recited all the Buddha's discourses.
Mahakasyapa and Ananda who frequently attended to the Buddha and were by his side/
Cave No. 45, Mogao Caves, Dunhuang/
Gansu Province, China
“Thus Have I Heard” are words that begin every Buddhist sutra to show that the discourse was indeed spoken by the Buddha himself.

  In order to prove that his recitations were indeed the words of the Buddha as he had heard them, the Honorable Ananda began each of his accounts of the Buddha's discourses with the words “Thus have I heard.” Hence, the phrase at the beginning of all the Buddhist sutras signifies the teachings were uttered by the Buddha himself. This first assembly of the 500 arhats has come to be known as the “First Buddhist Council” in the history of Buddhism.
  Although the Buddha's teachings had been collected and compiled during the First Buddhist Council, they were transmitted orally from place to place, generation to generation. However, as the Dharma spread through time and by means of local dialects, there arose different interpretations of the Buddha's teachings, which led to the subsequent convocations of the second, third, and fourth Buddhist councils. Still, there were no written records of the Buddha's words.
  As different languages were being used to orally transmit the teachings to different regions, misunderstandings and differences of opinions were common occurrences. In order to remedy this situation, the need to put the Dharma in writing became apparent. However, it was not until 400 years after the Buddha's Parinirvana when Buddhist sutras were finally recorded in writing.

The Place of the Third Buddhist Council/Pataliputra, India

After the Parinirvana of the Buddha, the disciples were so sad that some of them even fell to the ground as they shed tears of sorrow./
The Parinirvana of the Buddha/
Taxila Archeological Museum Collection, Pakistan