Saṃyutta Nikāya

History

Dating

Bhante Sujato argues that the remarkable congruence of the various recensions suggests that the Saṃyutta Nikāya/Saṃyukta Āgama was the only collection to be finalized in terms of both structure and content in the pre-sectarian period. Yet, whereas the Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Ekottarika Āgama share the same structure of proceeding from Ones to Elevens, the Saṃyutta Nikāya and the Saṃyukta Āgama exhibit considerable structural differences, not only in the form of different sequences of saṃyuttas but also in the form of some saṃyuttas being found only in one of the two collections. Comparative study also brings to light significant differences in content between the Saṃyutta Nikāya and the Saṃyukta Āgama. In fact, the proposed earliness of the relies on the three-aṅga theory, which has met with substantial criticism. Different canonical accounts of the first saṅgīti indeed agree on reporting that the Saṃyutta Nikāya or Saṃyukta Āgama came into existence at the same time as the other Nikāyas or Āgamas, namely as part of a division of the orally transmitted teachings undertaken soon after the Buddha's funeral.

Correspondence with the Saṃyukta Āgama

The Saṃyutta Nikāya corresponds to the Saṃyukta Āgama found in the Sutra Piṭakas of various early Buddhists schools, fragments of which survive in Sanskrit and in Tibetan translation. A complete Chinese translation from the Mūlasarvāstivādin recension appears in the Chinese Buddhist canon, where it is known as the Zá Āhánjīng (雜阿含經); meaning "the mixed āgama". A comparison of the Mūlasarvāstivādin, alledgedly Kāśyapīya, and Theravādin texts reveals a considerable consistency of content, although each recension contains suttas/sutras not found in the others. The Collation and Annotation of Saṃyuktāgama (《<雜阿含經>校釋, Chinese version) makes further comparison.