I was just mentioning the points of the two main type of views in Theravada today and I can understand how one could take either view, not really taking sides in that post.Dan74 wrote: So when David (and others) say "Why waste time with material that is probably not Buddhavacana and are most likely later additions" there is a huge assumption being made that only what is recorded in the Pali suttas is conducive to awakening.
But now that you mention that, in retro's post, the quote from the Buddha states to look to the Nikayas and Vinaya "only" in pretty specific terms:
"In such a case, bhikkhus, the declaration of such a bhikkhu is neither to be received with approval nor with scorn. Without approval and without scorn, but carefully studying the sentences word by word, one should trace them in the Discourses and verify them by the Discipline. If they are neither traceable in the Discourses nor verifiable by the Discipline, one must conclude thus: 'Certainly, this is not the Blessed One's utterance; this has been misunderstood by that bhikkhu — or by that community, or by those elders, or by that elder.' In that way, bhikkhus, you should reject it.