Khuddakapāṭha


The Khuddakapāṭha is a Theravada Buddhist scripture, the first collection of discourses in the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Pali Canon. 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'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 Pali Canon- the Nidhi Kanda is not extant in the current Pali Canon but does include text quoted in the Abhidhamma Pitaka's Kathavatthu .) It may have originated as a handbook for novices 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 collection, suggesting that this collection originated with the Khuddakapāṭha or a precursor text.

Contents

The collection is composed of the following nine discourses:
  1. "Going for Refuge"
  2. "Ten Precepts"
  3. "Thirty-two Parts "
  4. "Novice's Questions"
  5. "Discourse on Blessings"
  6. "Discourse on Treasures"
  7. " Outside the Wall Chapter"
  8. "Reserve Fund Chapter"
  9. "Discourse on Lovingkindess"

Translations