Buổi 1: Khai Giảng Lớp Tiếng Anh Phật Học Theravada Sơ Cấp – Thầy Đình Vũ Giảng Dạy

Ref: Six Buddhist Councils

The first Buddhist synod was held at Mount Vebhāra near Rājagaha after the demise of the Buddha. It was

headed by Ven. Mahākassapa and supported by King Ajātasattu. It lasted for 7 months.

The second Buddhist synod was held in Vesāli in 443 B.C. due to unlawful modifications in the rules of the Order by Vajian Bhikkhus. It was headed by Ven. Yasa and supported by King Kalasoka. It lasted for 8 months.

The third Buddhist synod was held in Pātalipūtra in 308 B.C. due to the corrupt lives of heretical views followed by 60.000 ascetics. It was headed by Ven. Moggaliputta and supported by Great Emperor Asoka. It lasted for 9 months. After this synod, the King sent 9 missions to 9 different places to propagate the sāsana.

The fourth Buddhist synod was held at Malaya district in Sri Lanka in 94 B.C due to the declination of the power of mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom of the Bhikkhus, which was headed by Ven. Mahā Dhammarakhita and supported by King Vaṭṭagāmani. It lasted for one year. After this synod, the entire words of the Buddha’s teachings were inscribed on palm leaves.

The fifth Buddhist synod was held in Mandalay in Myanmar in November 1871. It was headed by Ven. Jāgarābhivaṃsa and supported by King Mindon. At the end of this synod, the whole Tipiṭaka was inscribed on 729 marble slabs in the precincts of Lokamārajina Pagoda at the foot of the Mandalay Hill. It took seven years, six months, and fourteen days to finish this work. Then, Pāḷi texts were translated into the Myanmar language.

The sixth Buddhist synod was held at Mahāpāsana Cave in Kaba-Aye, Yangon, Myanmar, in May 1954. It was headed by Ven. Revata and supported by the Government of the Union of Myanmar. It was attended by delegates from five Theravāda Buddhist countries. At this synod, the Pāḷi texts, commentaries, and sub- commentaries were examined.

Ola (palm) trees

Sri Lankan monks inscribe Buddhist scripture on ola (palm) leaves

Tipiṭaka on 729 Marble slabs (Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay, Myanmar)

Pāḷi Pronunciation

The Pāḷi alphabet runs as follows. It is important to learn the alphabet as it is the order followed by dictionaries.

a ā i ī u ū e o k kh g gh ṅ
c ch j jh ñ
ṭ ṭh ḍ ḍh ṇ

t th d dh n
p ph b bh m
y r l (ḷ) (ḷh) v s h

N.B. Aspirated consonants — such as ‘kh’ — are treated as one consonant and not two. Rakkhita, Dhamma

The vowels are:

a ā i ī u ū e o

Some examples of how vowels should be pronounced are:

• ‘a’ is pronounced like the u in ‘hut’ or the a in ‘around’. Buddha
• ‘ā’ is pronounced like the a in father or the ar in march. Samādhi
• ‘i’ is pronounced like the i in bin or sin. Sati
• ‘ī’ is pronounced like the ee in feed or the ea in mean. Sīla, bhikkhunī
• ‘u’ is pronounced like the u in put or the oo in foot. Bhikkhu
• ‘ū’ is pronounced like the oo in pool or stool. Bhikkhū
• ‘e’ is pronounced like the a in make or lake. Bhante
• ‘o’ is pronounced like the o in go or tone. Thero

a is like “u” in but
ā is like “a” in art
i is like “i” in pin
ī is like “ee” in see
u is like “u” in put
ū is like “u” in rule
e is like “e” in ten

o is like “o” in hot
k is like “k” in key
g is like “g” in get
ṅ is like “ng” in ring
c is like “ch” in rich
j is like “j” in jug

ñ is like “gn” in signor

ṭ is like “t” in not
ḍ is like “d” in hid
ṇ is like “n” in hint
p is like “p” in lip
b is like “b” in rib
m is like “m” in him
y is like “y” in yard

r is like “r” in rat
l is like “l” in sell
v is like “v” in vile
s is like “s” in sit
h is like “h” in hut
ḷ is like “l” in felt
ṃ is like “ng” in sing

Example:

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa

Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi, Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Dutiyampi, Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Dutiyampi, Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi, Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Tatiyampi, Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Tatiyampi, Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Evaṃ me sutaṃ:
Ekaṃ samayaṃ Bhagavā Sāvatthiyaṃ viharati Jetavane Anāthapiṇḍikassa Ārāme.

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