The Khuddakapāṭha (

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

for "short passages"; abbreviated as "Khp") is a

Theravada ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...

Buddhist scripture, the first collection of discourses (''

suttas Buddhist texts are religious texts that belong to, or are associated with, Buddhism and Schools of Buddhism, its traditions. There is no single textual collection for all of Buddhism. Instead, there are three main Buddhist Canons: the Pāli C ...

'') in the

Khuddaka Nikāya The ''Khuddaka Nikāya'' () is the last of the five Nikāyas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka, the sacred scriptures of Theravada Buddhism. This nikaya consists of fifte ...

of the

Pali Canon The Pāḷi Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant Early Buddhist texts, early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from t ...

. It may have originated as a handbook for novice monks composed from excerpts of canonical texts.

History

The ''Khuddakapāṭha'' was excluded from the lists of canonical texts collected by the Theravada Digha- and Majjhima- bhanakas as well as the Chinese translation of

Buddhaghosa Buddhaghosa was a 5th-century Sinhalese Theravādin Buddhist commentator, translator, and philosopher. He worked in the great monastery (''mahāvihāra'') at Anurādhapura, Sri Lanka and saw himself as being part of the Vibhajyavāda schoo ...

's commentaries. This suggest that the ''Khuddakapāṭha'' had not attained canonical status until relatively late in the process of fixing the Theravada canon, and may be one of the last texts added to the Canon itself. All but one of the discourses it collects are found elsewhere in the

- the Nidhi Kanda is not extant in the current Pali Canon but does include text hp 8.9quoted in the

Abhidhamma Pitaka The Theravada Abhidhamma tradition, also known as the Abhidhamma Method, refers to a scholastic systematization of the Theravada, Theravāda school's understanding of the highest Buddhist teachings (Abhidharma, Abhidhamma). These teachings are t ...

's Kathavatthu v 351,18-21) It may have originated as a handbook for

novices A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

composed from excerpts from the canon, and was accepted as canonical because it consisted of texts that were already part of the Canon. The ''Khuddakapāṭha'' is not widely used or studied in modern Theravada countries, but several of its texts are included in a common

Paritta Paritta (Pali), generally translated as "protection" or "safeguard," refers to the specific Buddhist verses and discourses recited in order to ward off misfortune or danger, as well as to the practice of reciting the verses and discourses. T ...

collection (the ''Maha Pirit Potha''), suggesting that this collection originated with the ''Khuddakapāṭha'' or a precursor text.

The collection is composed of the following nine discourses: # "Going for Refuge" (''Saranattayam'') # " Ten Precepts" (''Dasasikkhapadam'') # "Thirty-two Parts f the Body (''Dvattimsakaro'')Cf.

Patikulamanasikara Paṭik(k)ūlamanasikāra is a Pāli term that is generally translated as "reflections on repulsiveness". It refers to a traditional Buddhist meditation whereby thirty-one parts of the body are contemplated in a variety of ways. In addition to ...

for an enumeration and traditional contextualization of the canonical identification of thirty-one or thirty-two body parts. # "

Novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

's Questions" (''Kumarapanha'') # "Discourse on Blessings" (''

Mangala Sutta Mangala (, IAST: ) is the personification, as well as the name for the planet Mars, in Hindu literature. Also known as Lohita (), he is the deity of anger, aggression, as well as war. According to Vaishnavism, he is the son of Bhumi, the eart ...

'') # "Discourse on Treasures" ('' Ratana Sutta'') # " ungry ShadesOutside the Wall Chapter" (''Tirokutta Sutta'') # "Reserve Fund Chapter" (''Nidhikanda Sutta'') # "Discourse on Lovingkindess" (''

Metta Sutta The Mettā Sutta is the name used for two Buddhist discourses (Pali: '' sutta'') found in the Pali Canon. The one, more often chanted by Theravadin monks, is also referred to as ''Karaṇīyamettā Sutta'' after the opening word, ''Karaṇīyam' ...

'')

Translations

* Tr R. C. Childers, in ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society'', 1869 * Tr F. L. Woodward, in ''Some Sayings of the Buddha'', 1925 * "The text of the minor sayings", in ''Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon'', volume I, tr C. A. F. Rhys Davids, 1931, Pali Text Society

Bristol * "The minor readings", in 1 volume with "The illustrator of ultimate meaning", its commentary, tr Nanamoli, 1960, Pali Text Society, Bristol

Notes

Sources

*CSCD Tipitaka Version 2.0. A compiled CD-ROM with the Sixth Sangha Council's Tipitaka collection.

External links

"Khuddakapatha: The Short Passages"
index of suttas from this collection on www.accesstoinsight.org.

Khuddaka Nikaya {{Buddhist-text-stub

History

Contents

Translations

Notes

Sources

External links