Problems and Prospects of the Chinese 'Saṃyuktāgama': Its Structure and Content

Abstract

In 2000 I published a book entitled 'The Fundamental Teachings of Early Buddhism', in which I highlighted Yin Shun's findings on the three-aṅga structure (sūtra/sutta, geya/geyya, vyākaraṇa/veyyākaraṇa) of the Chinese 'Saṃyuktāgama' (Taishō 99) and its Pali counterpart, 'Saṃyutta-nikāya'. Since then I have always expected that someone, particularly from the West, will give some responses and comments regarding these findings by Yin Shun, but now I am still waiting for such responses and comments. In this paper, I will point out some related issues in studies regarding the structure and content of the Chinese 'Saṃyuktāgama', including its Pali counterpart, 'Saṃyutta-nikāya'.