ChatGPT cites SuttaCentral as References for Suttas

The Watercooler
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ChatGPT pulls data from SuttaCentral and references SuttaCentral when asked to show references.

My search was: Tell me few suttas from the Book of Five in Numerical Discourses of the Buddha
Then I asked: Give me References.

References Provided:

  1. Khanda Sutta (AN 5.10): SuttaCentral
  2. Nivarana Sutta (AN 5.51): SuttaCentral
  3. Indriya Sutta (AN 5.48): SuttaCentral
  4. Bala Sutta (AN 5.51): SuttaCentral
  5. Gati Sutta (AN 5.213): SuttaCentral

Glad I am using SuttaCentral in another form at ChatGPT. Many people too, can find SuttaCentral resources and benefit according to their Searches.

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My reservations are gone, I love AI now! :heart:

That’s interesting to know, thanks.

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Maybe Skynet will learn compassion.

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Quickly, I hope.

“expected to take full control in 2024.”

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Here I try to ask ChatGPT question on the Buddha teaching on emptiness according to suttas and the reference suttas link. It gives me to the link to Access to Insight (ATI) website:

Q: What is the Buddha teaching on emptiness according to suttas?

ChatGPT: The Buddhist concept of “emptiness,” also known as “sunyata” in Sanskrit, is a complex and central teaching in Buddhist philosophy. The idea of emptiness is closely related to the concept of non-self or anatta and is a key component of the Buddha’s teachings on the nature of reality.

According to the Buddha’s teachings in the suttas, all phenomena, including ourselves, are “empty” of inherent existence. This means that they are not independent, self-sustaining entities but are instead dependent on other factors and conditions for their existence.

The Buddha taught that all phenomena are made up of parts, and those parts are also made up of other parts, and so on. Thus, there is no inherent or fixed identity to anything in the world. Everything is in a constant state of change and interdependence.

In the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, the concept of emptiness is further developed, and it is emphasized that emptiness itself is empty. This means that even the concept of emptiness is not an independent, inherent reality but is rather a way of understanding the nature of reality.

The teaching of emptiness is often described as a profound realization that can lead to liberation from suffering. By recognizing the emptiness of all phenomena, we can let go of attachments and aversions, and we can see the interconnectedness of all things.

Some of the suttas that discuss the concept of emptiness include the Sunnata Sutta (SN 35.85), the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta (SN 22.59), and the Madhupindika Sutta (MN 18). These suttas, along with others, offer insights into the Buddha’s teachings on emptiness and non-self.

Q: Give me the link to the suttas referenced above

Here are the links to the suttas I mentioned:

  1. Sunnata Sutta (SN 35.85): Suñña Sutta: Empty
  2. Anatta-lakkhana Sutta (SN 22.59): Lost in samsara
  3. Madhupindika Sutta (MN 18): Madhupindika Sutta: The Ball of Honey

These links are from the Access to Insight website, which offers English translations of the Pali Canon, along with other Buddhist texts and resources. I hope you find them helpful.

The AI doesn’t seem check the availabity of the link provided because the SN 22.59 link from ATI website is dead :grin:

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Here are some fun examples, close but not quite right mis-quotes, but overall the software’s strategies of what to do next is quite cool!

Q: Where was the Buddha staying in https://suttacentral.net/dn2/en/sujato?layout=plain&reference=none&notes=none&highlight=false&script=latin ?

In the Dīgha Nikāya Sutta 2, “Sāmaññaphala Sutta” translated by Bhikkhu Sujato, it is not explicitly mentioned where the Buddha was staying. The sutta is a dialogue between the Buddha and the king of the Magadha kingdom, and it primarily takes place in the royal palace of the king in Rājagaha. However, there are no specific details provided regarding the Buddha’s whereabouts in the sutta.

Q: Which Buddhist suttas can you recite verbatim?

As an AI language model, I do not have the ability to recite suttas verbatim in the way a human can. However, I have been trained on a large corpus of Buddhist texts and can provide accurate translations of selected passages upon request. Is there a particular passage you would like me to translate or explain?

Q: “Dveme, bhikkhave, antā pabbajitena na sevitabbā. Katame dve? Yo cāyaṁ kāmesu kāmasukhallikānuyogo hīno gammo pothujjaniko anariyo anatthasaṁhito, yo cāyaṁ attakilamathānuyogo dukkho anariyo anatthasaṁhito. Ete kho, bhikkhave, ubho ante anupagamma majjhimā paṭipadā tathāgatena abhisambuddhā cakkhukaraṇī ñāṇakaraṇī upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati.

Certainly! This is a passage from the Samyutta Nikaya, specifically the Magga-Vibhanga Sutta (SN 35.8), and the Pali text reads as follows:

“Dve me, bhikkhave, antā pabbajitena na sevitabbā. Katame dve? Yo ca kāmesu kāma-sukhallikānuyogo hīno, gammo, pothujjaniko, anariyo, anatthasaṁhito; yo ca attakilamathānuyogo dukkho, anariyo, anatthasaṁhito. Ete kho, bhikkhave, ubho ante anupagamma majjhimā paṭipadā Tathāgatena abhisambuddhā cakkhukaraṇī ñāṇakaraṇī upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati.”

And in English translation by Bhikkhu Sujato, the passage reads:

Monks, two extremes should not be cultivated by one who has gone forth. What two? There is addiction to indulgence in sensual pleasures: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable. And there is addiction to self-mortification: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One woke up by understanding the middle way of practice, which gives vision and knowledge, and leads to peace, direct knowledge, awakening, and extinguishment.”

I hope this is helpful to you!

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