[Buddha-l] Dependent arising variants

[Jamie Hubbard]

Franz Metcalf wrote:

> I can at least claim the excuse that I'm into studying Buddhist 
> psychology and practice and that these have traditionally responded 
> (as I see it) directly to the 4NT/As and not to p-s, so I am merely 
> and respectfully continuing a tradition. Still, I strongly share Dan's 
> impression that in mostly ignoring the centrality of p-s, we are 
> indeed tacitly discounting the Buddha's (supposedly) own description 
> of what he experienced in awakening and how he managed to do it.

As far as I am aware, most pali accounts of the Buddha's awakening do 
*not* give p-s in the 12 links or other forms as "the Buddha's 
(supposedly) own description of what he experienced in awakening and how 
he managed to do it"-- I find the 12 links in Sanskrit texts like the 
Lalitavistara, Mahavastu, Buddhacarita and (perhaps) in the intro to the 
Jataka (I.76). Most pali sources that I can find give a more simple 
version of what happened in the "3rd watch," viz., he achieved knowledge 
of the end of the asavas. More often the 12 links of p-s are given in 
the 1st-3rd watches after seven days of enjoying his awakening (e.g., 
the Udana 
accounts--http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/khuddaka/udana/ud1-01.html, 
Vinaya-- Mahavagga I.1). Some texts give the Four Noble Actualities 
(e.g., SN 
56.11--http://accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/samyutta/sn-56-011-tb0.html, 
MN 36--Maha-Saccaka 
Sutta--http://accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/majjhima/mn-036x-tb0.html) 
in combo w/ knowledge of the ending of asava. BTW, most of the accounts 
also include some version of "no more becoming" (thirst for 
becoming--bhavaasava-- being one of those asavas that are destroyed), no 
more house-building, i.e., no more rebirth.

Well, I am not a scholar of these matters, but isn't it these sort of 
variances that give rise to lots of controversies and discussions, such 
as whether the 12 links were early or later, with most folks coming down 
on the side of "later"? I haven't thought about this in a while, but I 
think that this is esp. true among Japanese scholars.

I would also appreciate other references to descriptions of the Buddha's 
experience of nirvana, esp. any that give other "content" or benefits.

Cheers,

Jamie