Is the Dhammapada the earliest Buddhist text found to date?

[Benjamin]

Hello all,

I read in a book at my library today titled The Wisdom of the Early Buddhists, by Geoffrey Parrinder. In the first few pages, he mentions the Dhammapada being the earliest collection of the sayings of the Buddha found to this day. Is there any evidence to back this up? Being more of a newcomer to the specifics of the Pali Canon, I figured I'd be better off asking the more experienced members.

Likewise, I found the same thing mentioned here : http://www.austincc.edu/adechene/Dhammapada.pdf
Right at the top it is written:

The Dhammapada is the earliest collection of the sayings of the Buddha...

Just curious if these are more vague references to the Pali Canon as a whole beings the earliest texts, or if the Dhammapada is actually the earliest known writing found.

Much thanks,

Benjamin

[daverupa]

What I recollect is that the Dhammapada is among the early texts; it can be held alongside other early texts in the Khuddaka Nikaya such as the Sutta Nipata, Thera-Theri-gatha, Udana, and so forth. It is a popular candidate for being very early due to the verse structure (metre, etc.), but it's possible that roughly half of it reflects a textual stock common within the pre-Buddha Wanderer tradition; splicing Buddhist stanzas (often enough found in the sagatha-vagga of the Samyutta Nikaya) together with parts of that body of work results in the Dhammapada.

[tiltbillings]

Or, the Dhammapada is a Buddhist response to the Bhavagaid Gita which is a response to Buddhism (and Jainism), which puts the Dhammapada out there as being a later compilation. The earliest texts are generally regarded as being found in the Suttanipatta.

[Benjamin]

Thanks to both of you for mentioning the Sutta Nipatta, i'll read further into it.

Tilt, is the idea of the Dhammapada being a response to the Gita your own, or is there somewhere that I can read further into that? Very interesting.


Thank you,
Benjamin

[LonesomeYogurt]

The Atthakavagga may be one of, if not the, oldest remaining Buddhist texts as well.

http://www.nippapanca.org/articles/Atth ... obhasa.pdf

[BuddhaSoup]

The Atthakavagga may be one of, if not the, oldest remaining Buddhist texts as well.

http://www.nippapanca.org/articles/Atth ... obhasa.pdf

Lonesome Yogurt, I read some of the attached Sutta AṬṬHAKAVAGGA, and it has an almost poetic presentation, different than the "thus have I heard" suttas. Is the Atthakavagga thought to be a contemporaneous 'poetic' recitation of Buddhavacana, or is it something written by a first or second council monk trying to capture the essence of the foundational teachings?

It's beautiful stuff, by the way.

[tiltbillings]

Thanks to both of you for mentioning the Sutta Nipatta, i'll read further into it.

Tilt, is the idea of the Dhammapada being a response to the Gita your own, or is there somewhere that I can read further into that? Very interesting.

It is discussed at some length in David Kaluphana's A PATH OF RIGHEOUSNESS -- DHAMMAPADA, which is a good translation, with good notes and an extensive glossary of the Pali. It is, alas, no longer in print and not easy to find.

[LonesomeYogurt]

Lonesome Yogurt, I read some of the attached Sutta AṬṬHAKAVAGGA, and it has an almost poetic presentation, different than the "thus have I heard" suttas. Is the Atthakavagga thought to be a contemporaneous 'poetic' recitation of Buddhavacana, or is it something written by a first or second council monk trying to capture the essence of the foundational teachings?

It's beautiful stuff, by the way.

It is definitely poetry, but it is not contemporary at all. The original Pali probably survived so long without much change because of its poetic structure; it's a lot easier to add a word here or a sentence there to prose than it is to do the same to poetry. The Udana says that the Atthakavagga was spoken by a monk to the Buddha and that the Buddha approved, but probably it's just a very early work of Buddhist literature that contains perhaps a kernel of direct quotation from the Buddha himself.

[Cittasanto]

Thanks to both of you for mentioning the Sutta Nipatta, i'll read further into it.

Tilt, is the idea of the Dhammapada being a response to the Gita your own, or is there somewhere that I can read further into that? Very interesting.

I have heard this before also but only heard no reference sorry.

The Atthakavagga may be one of, if not the, oldest remaining Buddhist texts as well.

http://www.nippapanca.org/articles/Atth ... obhasa.pdf

That is the fourth part of the Sutta Nipata. chapter of eights. and is mentioned in the Suttas on occasion.