Today I had an interesting email exchange on the Vinaya Pitika with Jhananda:
Michel: I am interested in finding out who the frauds are. It seems so very difficult to figure out who the real frauds are when the Buddhist priests hide behind the monastic code of conduct, the Vinaya, which doesn't permit them to reveal their levels of attainment. The Buddha himself expressly forbade this. Is this the case?"
Jhananda: "Hello Michel, you know a fraud, when they hide behind an obvious write-in like the Vinaya, which doesn't permit them to reveal their levels of attainment. The proof is, throughout the sutta pitaka Siddhartha Gautama has numerous open and public conversations with his followers about their attainments. In fact, when you get to the Samyutta Nikia you will find suttas where Siddhartha Gautama actually asks for a show of hands for whom ever is an arahat."
Interesting comments, Jhananda. That is very damning evidence against the validity of Vinaya when you mention what is to be found on
public disclosure of attainments in the Samyutta. It's so beautifully simple to figure out. What a laugh I got when I read this. Can you refer us to the suttas in the Samyutta on this? I really look forward to reading the Samyutta in its entirety.
Where does the Vinaya Pitika originate from, or what do the credible scholars think? The Theravada crowd think it came directly from the Buddha through the recollection of Ananda at the First Council.
(I did some very light preliminary research, and I couldn't find anything really interesting. The Wikipedia doesn't give us much to go on. So I thought a good place to start would be with you.)
