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Buddhism and Asoka
SENART has pointed out that it is strange that if the Buddhist canon was defined and closed by the time of Asoka, as stated in the southern legends, he should select for indicating the Buddha's lessons pieces so little characteristic, so short and so devoid of dogmatic importance as those which he cites appear to be, and that, too, without even alluding to the great collection of which the title alone would have been infinitely more significant and to which it would be so natural to appeal when addressing the Samgha. Several of the Buddhist scholars have also since expressed doubts about the correctness of the southern legends.Three of the seven passages mentioned by Asoka have been traced in the Suttanipāta of the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Suttapitaka. They are in verse. Of the remaining passages, two have been traced in the Anguttara Nikāya and one in the Majjhima Nikāya of the same pitaka. It is difficult to draw any inference from this but it may be said that the Suttanipāta perhaps represents the oldest collection of the Buddha's teachings and perhaps also the verse portions are older than others. It is just possible that the Vinayapitaka as it is known today, did not exist then and perhaps only a very contracted version of the Suttapițaka represented the teachings of the Buddha.
The Southern legends only hint towards an attempt at consolidating the teachings of the Buddha in the time of Asoka.
1. 2.
Senart, E., Les Inscriptiones de Piyadasi. Kosambi, op. cit., pp. 6-7.
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