Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/99

 v] Early Buddhist L£terature 83 insight into the doctrines than directly to generate a craving for following the path of meditation for the extinction of sorrow. The Abhidhamma known as the Kat/ulvatthu differs from the other Abhidhammas in this, that it attempts to reduce the views of the heterodox schools to absurdity. The discussions proceed in the form of questions and answers, and the answers of the opponents are often shown to be based on contradictory assumptions. The suttas contain five groups of collections called the Nikayas. These are (I) Digha Nikiiya, called so on account of the length of the suttas contained in it; (2) lVlaJihillla Nik{lya (middling Nikaya), called so on account of the middling extent of the suttas contained in it; (3) 5a1!l}!utta Nikiiya (Nikayas relating to special meeting), called sarpyutta on account of their being delivered owing to the meetings (sa1!LYoga) of special persons which were the occasions for them; (4) Ajzguttara Nikiiya, so called be- cause in each succeeding book of this work the topics of discussion increase by one l ; (5) Khuddaka Nikiiya containing Khuddaka pa!ha, Dha1Jl11lapada, UdiiJla,lti'vuttaka, 5utta Nipata, VimiiJla- vatthu, Petavatthu, Theragatha, Therigiitha, Jiitaka, Niddesa, Pa{isambhidamagga, Apada1la, Buddha va '!ZSa, Caryapztaka. The Abhidhammas are Palthal/a, Dhammasa1igaU:, Dhiitlt- kathii, PuggalapaiHiatti, VibhaJiga, Yal1laka and Kathiivatthu. There exists also a large commentary literature on diverse parts of the above works known as atthakatha. The work known as JJlilillda Paiiha (questions of King Milinda), of uncertain date, is of considerable philosophical value. The doctrines and views incorporated in the above literature is generally now known as Sthaviravada or Theravada. On the origin of the name Theravada (the doctrine of the elders) Dipa- VaillSa says that since the Theras (elders) met (at the first council) and collected the doctrines it was known as the Thera Vada 2. It does not appear that Buddhism as it appears in this Pali litera- ture developed much since the time ofBuddhaghoa (400 A.D.), the writer of Visuddhi11lagga (a compendium of theravada doctrines) and the commentator of Dighanikiiya, Dhallllllasaliga?zi, etc. Hindu philosophy in later times seems to have been influenced by the later offshoots of the different schools of Buddhism, but it does not appear that Pali Buddhism had any share in it. I 1 See Buddhagho!iia's Atthastilini, p. 25. 2 OIJenberg's Dipavat!lsa, p. 3 1.