The Samyutta Nikaya as the earliest of the EBTs

Discussion
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According to Yin Shun’s The Formation of Early Buddhist Texts, the connection between SN/SA and the other three Nikayas/Agamas in historical context are:

  • SN/SA has three-anga structure (sutra, geya, vyakarana angas), whose structure had its origin in the first council.

  • These three angas formed in sequence. The sutra-anga was the earliest of the three.

  • MN/MA was expanded mainly from vyakarana (弟子所說) of SN/SA.

  • DN/DA was expanded mainly from geya (祇夜) of SN/SA.

  • AN/EA was edited mainly for the promotion of Buddhist teachings for the general public.

  • Saṃyukta-āgama/Saṃyutta-nikāya was not at first being termed as nikāya or āgama, but generally named the ‘Connected Discourses’ 相應教 Saṃyukta-kathā.

  • Calling the Saṃyukta/Saṃyutta as āgama/nikāya ‘collection’ was until when the other three nikāyas/āgamas (MN/MA, DN/DA, AN/EA) were gradually developed and expanded from it (相應教 Saṃyukta-kathā)

  • MN/MA, DN/DA, and AN/EA originated at the second council.

  • However, the extant four principal Nikayas/Agamas are sectarian texts. One can seek an understanding of early Budhist teachings by studying them comparatively.

The following is a quotation, in Chapter 10, Section 4, from the book The Formation of Early Buddhist Texts by Yin Shun:

第四節 結說

經上來的比對研究，「四阿含」（「四部」）的成立，可得到幾點明確的認識。1.佛法的結集，起初是「修多羅」，次為「祇夜」、「記說」——「弟子所說」、「如來所說」。這三部分，為組成「雜阿含」（起初應泛稱「相應教」）的組成部分。「弟子所說」與「如來所說」，是附編於「蘊」、「處」、「因緣」、「菩提分法」——四類以下的。這是第一結集階段。

在「雜阿含」三部分的集成過程中，集成以後，都可能因經文的傳出而編入，文句也逐漸長起來了。佛教界稟承佛法的宗本——「修多羅」，經 「弟子所說」的學風，而展開法義的分別、抉擇、闡發、論定，形成了好多經典。結集者結集起來，就是 「中阿含」；這是以僧伽、比丘為重的，對內的。

將分別抉擇的成果，對外道、婆羅門，而表揚佛是正等覺者，法是善說者，適應天、魔、梵——世俗的宗教意識，與「祇夜」精神相呼應的，集為「長阿含」。

「雜」、「中」、「長」，依文句的長短而得名。

以（弟子所說）「如來所說」為主，以增一法而進行類集，《如是語》與《本事經》的形成，成為「九分教」之一，還在「中」、「長」——二部成立以前。但為了便於誦持，著重於一般信眾的教化，廢去「傳說」及「重頌」的形式，而進行擴大的「增壹阿含」的編集，應該比「長阿含」更遲一些。

以「雜阿含」為本而次第形成四部阿含，《瑜伽師地論》的傳說，不失為正確的說明！近代的研究者，過分重視巴利文（Pāli）；依巴利文聖典，不能發見四部阿含集成的真相。

即使以「雜阿含」的原形為最古，而不能理解為三部分（「修多羅」、「祇夜」、「記說」）的合成；不知三部分的特性，與三部阿含形成的關係，也就不能理解依「雜阿含」而次第形成四部的過程。

  • Cf. pp. 7-11 in Choong Mun-keat’s The Fundamental Teachings of Early Buddhism.

  • See also “Ācāriya Buddhaghosa and Master Yinshun 印順 on the Three-aṅga Structure of Early Buddhist Texts”, pp. 883-932.

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