An Analysis of the Relationship between the Study of the Scriptures, the Practice and Realization in Theravada Buddhist Philosophy

Abstract

In this paper, an attempt was purposely made to analyze the relationship between the study of the scriptures, the practice and the realization in Theravada Buddhist philosophy. A question is asked: Is there any relationship between three of them? In answering this question, the first group argues that three of them must have relationship because the realization needs the complete study of scriptures, the practice in accordance with the prescribed methods, and then realization could be made accordingly; it servs as the map where one needs to follow, otherwise the goal cannot be obtained as it appears in Saṅgĩti Sutta or the case of Ãnanda who asked the Buddha to deliver Dhamma in various places, the second argues that there are some relationship  especially the practice and the realization, the case of a novice named Dabbamallaputta who could attain the realization while shaving the hair by means of contemplating the mind in accordance with the principle of Pañcakakammaṭhãna only, and the third rejects such relationship by arguing that realization can be made without the following the first and the second steps just as the case of Aññãkoṇḍañña who got realization by only paying attention to Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta where the study of scriptures and the practice are not needed. In this paper, I argue that there must be the relationship of the three because 1) they act as the map leading to the goal; the practice basically means following the given map and the realization is the result gained from following the map correspondingly and 2) the right practice requires the good study of scriptures and the realization can be caused by the right practice respectively.