How aware are you of the smaller divisions of suttas (vaggas, etc)

The Watercooler
1
  • Never aware of them.
  • Aware that they exist, but don’t really think about them
  • Couldn’t live without them. That’s how I find suttas.

0 voters

Also, please discuss…

Among the Sri Lankan monks I know, there is a strong awareness of these sub divisions. For example they may remember that a sutta is in the Rāja Vagga of the MN and find it that way. This is mostly because the Sinhala editions (and Thai/Burmese?) don’t have sequential numbering.

I’m asking because I’m trying to figure out if they are important to add in to what would otherwise just be a long list of sutta titles on a web page. I think everything except the Khp and Dhp have them.

For example, you can see here that the Sacca Saṁyutta is just a list of 60+ sutta titles. suttafriends.org/sn56-sacca-samyutta-discourses-on-the-four-noble-truths/

I’m inclined to leave them out as they add (for what I assume are most people) unnecessary complexity.

2 Likes
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I’d like an option, “They sometimes come in handy.”

But the main point is exactly as indicated in your initial post. Traditional references always indicate the vagga and other structural elements. It is, in fact, exactly for this reason that we added the full hierarchy to SuttaCentral. Modern references, on the other hand, typically indicate just the sutta number. So it really depends on your audience.

5 Likes
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Indeed, Bhante. Especially in the MN and sometimes DN. They are also a good reminder that even in the DN, MN and AN, suttas are often grouped by topic.

Seems like people can live without them, though. I’m inclined not to include them.

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