The "EBT" approach?

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dpcalder
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The "EBT" approach?

Post by dpcalder »

I've heard about this and understand there is something called the "Early Buddhist Texts" that make up only a small part of the Pali Canon. Which suttas are these? Is there a sect of Theravada Buddhists who only regard these as canonical or reliable?
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Ceisiwr
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Re: The "EBT" approach?

Post by Ceisiwr »

dpcalder wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:35 pm I've heard about this and understand there is something called the "Early Buddhist Texts" that make up only a small part of the Pali Canon. Which suttas are these? Is there a sect of Theravada Buddhists who only regard these as canonical or reliable?
The EBT approach is taken up by both Theravadins and Mahayanists. In fact it was a Mahayanist, Yin Shun, who was one of the first to apply the method.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Ceisiwr
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Re: The "EBT" approach?

Post by Ceisiwr »

dpcalder wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:35 pm I've heard about this and understand there is something called the "Early Buddhist Texts" that make up only a small part of the Pali Canon. Which suttas are these? Is there a sect of Theravada Buddhists who only regard these as canonical or reliable?
In terms of Theravada and focusing on the EBT I would say Ajahn Brahm and his monastery are the most well known. It involves accepting both the suttas and their parallels, from now defunct schools. In basic terms, if a sutta and sutra are identical then an argument can be made that it’s pre-sectarian and closer to what or how the Buddha taught.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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DNS
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Re: The "EBT" approach?

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dpcalder wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:35 pm I've heard about this and understand there is something called the "Early Buddhist Texts" that make up only a small part of the Pali Canon. Which suttas are these? Is there a sect of Theravada Buddhists who only regard these as canonical or reliable?
See this short article I wrote and also two links (at the bottom) to some articles and books by Bhante Sujato:

https://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?ti ... hist_Texts
TRobinson465
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Re: The "EBT" approach?

Post by TRobinson465 »

dpcalder wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:35 pm I've heard about this and understand there is something called the "Early Buddhist Texts" that make up only a small part of the Pali Canon. Which suttas are these? Is there a sect of Theravada Buddhists who only regard these as canonical or reliable?
There's no official sect where that is the case. It's a mostly modern phenomenon with sporadic teachers from various official sects taking up the method.
"Do not have blind faith, but also no blind criticism" - the 14th Dalai Lama

"The Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by brahmins, devas, Maras, Brahmas or anyone in the cosmos." -Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
justindesilva
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Re: The "EBT" approach?

Post by justindesilva »

TRobinson465 wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 6:56 pm
dpcalder wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:35 pm I've heard about this and understand there is something called the "Early Buddhist Texts" that make up only a small part of the Pali Canon. Which suttas are these? Is there a sect of Theravada Buddhists who only regard these as canonical or reliable?
There's no official sect where that is the case. It's a mostly modern phenomenon with sporadic teachers from various official sects taking up the method.
I have heard that there are a very old document called Gandaran buddhist text and seen in British , studied by certain scholars . These had been found somewhere in Pakistan and taken to british library . The language is said to be a hybrid of sanskrit
These are said to be 3 to 1 BCE.
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Ceisiwr
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Re: The "EBT" approach?

Post by Ceisiwr »

justindesilva wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 3:11 pm
TRobinson465 wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 6:56 pm
dpcalder wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:35 pm I've heard about this and understand there is something called the "Early Buddhist Texts" that make up only a small part of the Pali Canon. Which suttas are these? Is there a sect of Theravada Buddhists who only regard these as canonical or reliable?
There's no official sect where that is the case. It's a mostly modern phenomenon with sporadic teachers from various official sects taking up the method.
I have heard that there are a very old document called Gandaran buddhist text and seen in British , studied by certain scholars . These had been found somewhere in Pakistan and taken to british library . The language is said to be a hybrid of sanskrit
These are said to be 3 to 1 BCE.
Yes. They are quite interesting texts. Some of them are sutta parallels. Others are bits of unknown Abhidharma works, and others are Mahāyāna. For example one of the texts is a version of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, which makes that one of the earliest physical sutras we have. If you want to read about them and some of their extracts you can find them in this book: The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara: An Introduction with Selected Translations
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Eko Care
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Re: The "EBT" approach?

Post by Eko Care »

What is the Origin of EBT Protestantism?

Something that I read on another forum.
LanguageIdiot wrote:What is early? The first 300 years? The first 800 years? And by what principle do you draw the line? Advocates of early Buddhism seem to define "early" by "things they personally agree with". So early Buddhists flip open a Pali canon, handpick those sections that they find philosophically profound, and call them "authentic".
BigOblivion wrote:I know that some accuse people interested in early buddhism of being prey to a kind "protestant sensibility".
Hot4Scooter wrote:EBT-based Reconstructionism is one of the most recent new movements in Buddhism. It hinges on many innovative ideas, mostly not based on teachings found in any canonical texts or the teachings of previous masters. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm personally generally sceptical of innovations, especially if they don't seem to come from realized (preferably monastic) practitioners who underwent rigorous training under authentic teachers. In any case, as with all Buddhist practice, the proof is in the results. If there are people attaining liberation through practicing EBT-based Reconstructionism, I rejoice in that.
bodhiquest wrote:I don't think anyone can improve on u/Hot4Scooter's reply, but one clarification we could add is that in order to reconstruct something from 2500 years ago based on the dead letter of text and partial archeological evidence and call it an accurate picture of how Buddhism was in the early days, you need to make a lot of assumptions and choices. And you have no way of telling whether you're making right choices, or whether you're making choices that seem right, but are nonsense. I don't think anybody would put much confidence in applying this specific reconstruction process in a criminal investigation, for example.

There's also something slightly schizophrenic about the project in the sense that there's no consistency with regards to how early we're supposed to go and in which field. Should an early Vinaya be reconstructed as well? Why not?
it's weird as well, rejecting Mahayana texts and Abhidhamma / Abhidharma texts, it feels to me like a lot of western atheists who want to turn Buddhism into some kind of dumb psychologized materialism, just chauvinistically overwriting everything else. i guess it'd be important to make the distinction between someone who studies primarily the Agamas or Nikayas, and then someone who adheres to this totally new and bizarre innovation.
Sanku2018 wrote:Isn’t Theravada Early Buddhist Tradition as long as you ignore the Sri Lankan/ Thai traditional customs.

It’s base text is the Pali Canon…
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