DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Mahayana and Theravada? Which did Shakyamuni teach? (my opinion)

**spamkillerj** · 11-23-2011, 10:05 AM

The opening post asks us to consider what Shakyamuni is known to have taught in Theravada as recorded in the Pali Canon ( along with some other writing whose author is not so clearly identified ) compared to what may or may not have been taught by him in later Mahayana, as recorded in Sutras. Focus on what can not be known for sure many hundreds of years later seems a pointless exercise which even if could be ascertained would add nothing to the experience of the Dhamma (Dharma ). For me the value in the Pali Canon, as with the Heart Sutra et al, is not in who spoke it rather in the message.

11-23-2011, 10:05 AM	#27
spamkillerj Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 422 Senior Member	The opening post asks us to consider what Shakyamuni is known to have taught in Theravada as recorded in the Pali Canon ( along with some other writing whose author is not so clearly identified ) compared to what may or may not have been taught by him in later Mahayana, as recorded in Sutras. Focus on what can not be known for sure many hundreds of years later seems a pointless exercise which even if could be ascertained would add nothing to the experience of the Dhamma (Dharma ). For me the value in the Pali Canon, as with the Heart Sutra et al, is not in who spoke it rather in the message.
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