Sutta reference for that Buddha discovered the Dhamma, not invented it

Hello there! :slight_smile:

Dear D&D members, do you know sutta references for the fact that Buddha discovered Dhamma that is always there and not invented it?

Is the only reference famous “Svakkhato Bhagavata dhammo sanditthiko akaliko ehipassiko opanayiko paccattam vedittabbo vinnuhiti.” or is there more?

I have an idea that we can say he discovered it based on “akaliko” that it is timeless. But I heard Ajahn Punnadhammo saying that all Buddhas are discovering the same Dhamma and that Dhamma is always there, no matter if there are Buddhas or not. Are there canonical reference for this? :slight_smile:

Thank you! :slight_smile:

SN22.58 would be of interest.

2 Likes

https://suttacentral.net/sn12.65/en/sujato?layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin

This as well may be helpful.

2 Likes

SN 12.65

“Suppose, bhikkhus, a man wandering through a forest would see an ancient path, an ancient road travelled upon by people in the past. He would follow it and would see an ancient city, an ancient capital that had been inhabited by people in the past, with parks, groves, ponds, and ramparts, a delightful place. Then the man would inform the king or a royal minister: ‘Sire, know that while wandering through the forest I saw an ancient path, an ancient road travelled upon by people in the past. I followed it and saw an ancient city, an ancient capital that had been inhabited by people in the past, with parks, groves, ponds, and ramparts, a delightful place. Renovate that city, sire!’ Then the king or the royal minister would renovate the city, and some time later that city would become successful and prosperous, well populated, filled with people, attained to growth and expansion.
“So too, bhikkhus, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road travelled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road? It is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. I followed that path and by doing so I have directly known aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. I have directly known birth … existence … clinging … .craving … feeling … contact … the six sense bases …. name-and-form … consciousness … volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation. Having directly known them, I have explained them to the bhikkhus, the bhikkhunīs, the male lay followers, and the female lay followers. This holy life, bhikkhus, has become successful and prosperous, extended, popular, widespread, well proclaimed among devas and humans.”

3 Likes

This is amazing, thank you all! :anjal: :yellow_heart:

@rcdaley beat me to it by 1 mn :rofl:

2 Likes

Beside the one already given, a similar idea, more prosaically expressed, can be found in SN12.20 and AN3.136

5 Likes

I saw that! I was about to say JINX! :rofl:

2 Likes