Professor Lin Chongan: Q&A on the Āgama

1. Question: What are the Āgama Sūtras, and how many collections do they comprise? Answer: The term "Āgama" (also rendered by the alternate Chinese transliteration 阿笈摩, Āqímó) is the foundational body of teachings transmitted by Śākyamuni Buddha. At the First Council held the year after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa, four collections were compiled: the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, the Madhyamāgama Sūtra, the Dīrghāgama Sūtra, and the Ekottara Āgama Sūtra. These four collections organize teachings around concrete "topics" (Sanskrit: vastu) such as the aggregates, sense bases, and dependent origination, so they are known as the "sūtras of topics". They were passed down orally from teacher to disciple across generations, which is the origin of their name "Āgama" — a term meaning "that which has been handed down". The Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra’s Saṃgraha Section states:

"These four [collections] have been transmitted from teachers to disciples up to the present day; for this reason, they are called 'Āgama', and are known as 'sūtras of topics'."

There is also the Khuddaka Nikāya (the "Minor Collection" or "Smaller Section"), compiled at the Second Council a century after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa as a fifth collection of verses and related materials. This collection is preserved in the Pali Canon, the scriptural canon of Theravāda Buddhism.

2. Question: How should one study the Āgama Sūtras? Answer: First, "sharpen your tools": gather study materials and reference works for the Āgama, then consult the mātṛkā (Sanskrit for "root matrix", the structural framework used to clarify and systematize sūtra meaning) and traditional commentaries to deepen your grasp of the teachings.

3. Question: What core resources and reference works are available for studying the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra?

4. Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, translated by the Indian monk Guṇabhadra in the Liu Song dynasty. It is available in the Taishō Tripiṭaka, Fo Guang Shan, and Insight Education editions. The Insight Education edition appears in the "Dharma Teaching Series" as: A1 Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra: Aggregates Chapter; A2 Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra: Sense Bases Chapter; A3 Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra: Dependent Origination Chapter; A4 Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra: Path Chapter; A5 Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra: Disciples / Tathāgata Chapter; A6 Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra: Eight Assemblies Chapter.

5. Treatise on the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, compiled by Lü Cheng, proofread by Qiu Bo (1938).

6. Compendium of Treatises on the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, compiled by the Venerable Yinshun (1983).

7. The Pali Canon, published in Pali, English, Japanese, and Chinese editions.

8. Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, translated into Chinese by the Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang. It is available in the Taishō Tripiṭaka, Jinling, and Insight Education editions. The Insight Education edition is part of the "Dharma Teaching Series": B1 Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Saṃgraha Section: Aggregates Chapter with Structural Analysis; B2 Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Saṃgraha Section: Sense Bases Chapter with Structural Analysis; B3 Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Saṃgraha Section: Dependent Origination Chapter with Structural Analysis; B4 Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Saṃgraha Section: Path Chapter with Structural Analysis.

9. Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra in Tibetan.

10. Compilation of Notes and Commentary on the Structural Analysis of the Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, compiled by Han Qingjing (1959).

11. Dictionary of Dharma Characteristics, compiled by Zhu Feihuang (1939).

12. Question: What is the mātṛkā of the Āgama Sūtras? Answer: "Mātṛkā" is commonly translated as "root matrix" (from the Sanskrit for "mother" or "origin"), a framework used to discern and clarify sūtra meaning so that it is unambiguous. The Saṃgraha Section of the Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra serves as the root matrix for the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra. It states:

"Based on these four kinds of sūtras taught above, we set forth the 'sūtra mātṛkā', intended to discern the meaning of what the Tathāgata taught: the noble sūtras referred to, praised, and extolled by the Tathāgata and the sages of old. Just as the meaning of words is unclear without a 'root matrix', so too the meaning of sūtras not encompassed by a root matrix is obscure and indistinct. The reverse is true for sūtras included in a root matrix: their meaning is clear. For this reason, it is called 'mātṛkā'."

5. Question: Which Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra passages are analyzed in the Saṃgraha Section? Answer: There are seventeen saṃyuktas (connected discourse sections) arranged in sequence: 1. Aggregates saṃyukta; 2. Sense bases saṃyukta; 3. Dependent origination saṃyukta; 4. Nutriments saṃyukta; 5. Four noble truths saṃyukta; 6. Elements saṃyukta; 7. Feelings saṃyukta; 8. Mindfulness foundations saṃyukta; 9. Right effort saṃyukta; 10. Spiritual powers saṃyukta; 11. Sense faculties (indriyas) saṃyukta; 12. Powers (balas) saṃyukta; 13. Awakening factors saṃyukta; 14. Path factors saṃyukta; 15. Mindfulness of breathing saṃyukta; 16. Training saṃyukta; 17. Purities of realization saṃyukta. These seventeen saṃyuktas are also sorted into four broader divisions: the division of the five aggregates of grasping, the sense bases division, the causal factors division, and the path division. They can also be grouped into four chapters: the Aggregates Chapter, the Sense Bases Chapter, the Dependent Origination Chapter, and the Path Chapter. The first three chapters cover what is to be known, while the final chapter covers the means to know it.

6. Question: How is the content of the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra organized? Answer: Multiple sources — including the "nine topics" outlined in volume 3 of the Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, its "sūtras" section in volume 25, the "sūtras" section in volume 8 of the Ārya-saṃdhi-nirmocana-śāstra (Exposition of the Holy Teaching), and the Tibetan edition of the Saṃgraha Section — all confirm the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra’s content is arranged in this order: 1. The five aggregates (skandhas); 2. The six sense bases (āyatanas); 3. Dependent origination; 4. Nutriments; 5. The four noble truths; 6. Elements and feelings; 7. Discourses spoken by the Buddha’s śrāvaka disciples; 8. Discourses spoken by the Buddha (Tathāgata); 9. The path division (encompassing: mindfulness foundations, right efforts, spiritual powers, roots, powers, awakening factors, path factors, mindfulness of breathing, training, and purities of realization); 10. The eight assemblies.

7. Question: What sets the true Dharma taught by the Blessed One apart from other doctrinal systems? Answer: The true Dharma taught by the Blessed One has three distinguishing features: (1) it points to genuine, complete liberation; (2) it provides clear, practical methods for attaining liberation; (3) every person can verify and realize it directly for themselves.

8. Question: Where in the Āgama Sūtras are meditation or practice methods discussed? Answer: Systematic teachings on meditation and practice in the Āgama Sūtras are found in the Path Chapter of the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, which covers ten sections: a. mindfulness foundations; b. right effort; c. spiritual powers; d. sense faculties (indriyas); e. powers (balas); f. awakening factors; g. path factors; h. mindfulness of breathing; i. training; j. purities of realization. Longer practice-focused sūtras are scattered throughout the Madhyamāgama Sūtra and Dīrghāgama Sūtra. For example, the "Practice Connected Discourses Chapter" of the Madhyamāgama Sūtra includes 16 sūtras that lay out the sequential stages of practice.

9. Question: Do the Āgama Sūtras discuss the Bodhisattva path or methods for attaining full buddhahood? Answer: In the Madhyamāgama Sūtra and Dīrghāgama Sūtra, Śākyamuni Buddha recounts his own past-life practice journeys, which constitute the genuine Bodhisattva path and the path to full buddhahood. For instance, when he was a wheel-turning sage king, he taught the Dharma to the people; when he was a teacher of non-Buddhist ascetics, he instructed his disciples in the practice of the four divine abodes (brahmavihāras). All of these acts form part of accumulating the merit provisions needed for the Bodhisattva path. For a more detailed discussion, see the "Dharma Teaching Series" volume S4, The Bodhisattva Path in Early Buddhist Scriptures.

10. Question: What are the differences between the Saṃyuktāgama, Madhyamāgama, Dīrghāgama, and Ekottara Āgama Sūtras? Answer: Their doctrinal content is identical; only the form of their expression differs. The Saṃgraha Section states:

A. Whether the speaker is the Tathāgata or one of the Tathāgata’s disciples, they are the "speaker" — as seen in sections of discourses spoken by disciples or by the Buddha himself. What is to be known, or what is to be realized, is the "spoken content" — as seen in sections on the five aggregates of grasping, the six sense bases, the dependent origination saṃyuktas, and the path division. When the assembly includes bhikṣus, gods, māras, or other beings, this is the "context for speaking" — as seen in the collection chapters. All of this, with the speaker, spoken content, and context for speaking outlined broadly, and all connected discourses on these topics interspersed and compiled together, is therefore called the "Saṃyuktāgama" (literally "mixed Āgama").

B. These same connected discourses are also taught by reference to other topics in a middle, moderate format; for this reason, it is called the "Madhyamāgama" (literally "middle Āgama").

C. These same connected discourses are taught in greater length and detail by reference to other topics; for this reason, it is called the "Dīrghāgama" (literally "long Āgama").

D. These same connected discourses are taught according to the principle of gradual numerical increase (one, two, three, and so on); for this reason, it is called the "Ekottara Āgama" (literally "increasing-by-one Āgama").

11. Question: If we interpret the sūtras solely by reference to other sūtras, without using treatises or root matrices, would that not be more direct? Answer: Of course, if the Buddha has already explained the meaning of a passage, we follow His teaching. But if He did not provide an explanation, we need to consult treatises or root matrices. For example, what does the phrase "this life is ended" mean? The Mahāvibhāṣā Śāstra offers multiple explanations for the meanings of many such passages, which can serve as a helpful reference. What’s more, reading the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra alongside the Saṃgraha Section also uncovers many deeper layers of meaning. For reference, see the "Dharma Teaching Series" entries: B1 Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Saṃgraha Section: Aggregates Chapter with Structural Analysis; B2 Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Saṃgraha Section: Sense Bases Chapter with Structural Analysis; B3 Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Saṃgraha Section: Dependent Origination Chapter with Structural Analysis; B4 Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Saṃgraha Section: Path Chapter with Structural Analysis. If we do not consult exegetical commentaries for terms the Buddha left unexplained, and instead rely only on our own guesses, we end up building a cart behind closed doors: inventing meaning with no grounding in the tradition.