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**Gasfghj** · 02-14-2011, 05:29 AM

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.

Hi

Personally, I have never read the Four Great References before.

To me, the "Discourses" here does not mean all discourses. Rather, it means the salient message in the majority of discourses.

For example, the Digha Nikaya contains the famed Maha-Nidana Sutta.

Some definitions in the Maha-Nidana Sutta, such as of consciousness, nama-rupa & the exclusion of the sense bases, do not match the definitions found in the other discourses on Dependent Origination and are exclusively found only in the Maha-Nidana Sutta.

It follows, imo, the famed Maha-Nidana Sutta is an example of one of those teachings that is subject to the scrutiny of the Four Great References.

Kind regards

02-14-2011, 05:29 AM	#8
Gasfghj Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 491 Senior Member	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. Hi Personally, I have never read the Four Great References before. To me, the "Discourses" here does not mean all discourses. Rather, it means the salient message in the majority of discourses. For example, the Digha Nikaya contains the famed Maha-Nidana Sutta. Some definitions in the Maha-Nidana Sutta, such as of consciousness, nama-rupa & the exclusion of the sense bases, do not match the definitions found in the other discourses on Dependent Origination and are exclusively found only in the Maha-Nidana Sutta. It follows, imo, the famed Maha-Nidana Sutta is an example of one of those teachings that is subject to the scrutiny of the Four Great References. Kind regards
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