To recognize the original words of Samma Sambuddha which the real pure Dhamma is, it says that we should apply to the “sutta” & “vinaya (discipline)… but most of the time it is so complicated to find the what this sutta & discipline is which we should apply the dharma to identify as the original… so I felt it’s better to write something about this which may helpful for all of you to identify the best for you!
Some people say that the sutta is the “Sutta” section in Pali canon & the Discipline is the “Vinaya (discipline)” section in Pali canon… and some says it is the section of “Sutta” in Abhidhammapitaka in Pali canon & discipline is the Vinaya Pitaka in Pali canon. Anyone can say anything as long as they don’t aware what the correct thing is… so it’s up to the intelligent ones to experiment about these things and find out the most suitable way.
So we don’t have to go so far to find out what this “Sutta” & “Discipline” is.
It is well explained in the Nettippakarana book which is a part of the Sutta Pitaka < Kuddhaka Nikaya
(Unfortunately seems there is no English translation for this book as I found about it through this link http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/index.html)
But you can read about this book through this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nettipakarana
In the book it says…
When someone say some sutta or some explanation of Dhamma we should take the meaning of what we listened or read and should apply them to the “sutta”, “vinaya (discipline)” & “Dhamma” to check whether they are the correct saying of Samma Sambuddha or not.
What is the “sutta” mentioned here: it is the four noble truths we should take as the sutta.
What is the “discipline (vinaya)” mentioned here: it is the discipline of desire, discipline of hatred & discipline of ignorance we should take as the discipline.
What is the “dharma” mentioned here: it is the cause & effect theory we should take as the Dhamma.
If the facts we listen or read are applicable to the four noble truths, and applicable to the discipline of defilement and applicable to the cause & effect theory we can identify them as the original pure Dhamma which explained by great Samma Sambuddha.
So my dear Dhamma friends, anyone can say anything to you… coz people like to say things as they know everything & anything about this world… that’s a normal nature of people… but we should be smart enough to identify what we listen or read whether they are right or wrong… whether they are important or not for our liberation & true happiness…
Now you know how to do it… you can try it from your level of intelligence… now you know what is “sutta”, “vinaya” & “Dhamma” which you should apply things into them to check the corrections… you don’t have to wonder and waste your time by searching which is the correct “sutta” which you should apply things for… or what is the correct “discipline” which you should apply things for… or what is the correct “Dhamma” which you should apply things for… No matter how smart you are for apply them in to the prefect way… no one able to misguide you by saying what is the “sutta, vinaya or Dhamma”…
Some people among the monk or other people may say that they achieve some levels in the Dhamma path, some may say that they are aware with the true pure Dhamma, some may say they know everything about Dhamma, some may say they understood the real Dhamma, some may say they studied the Dhamma and have some special degrees on Dhamma so they know about Dhamma, some may say they know everything about Pali canon etc…
But no matter how they introduce themselves to you… you have your own mind and intelligence level to identify what is the best for you… so it’s all up to you to identify what they say to you or what they write for you… it’s all up to you to NOT ignore them at once by insulting them and NOT accept them at once by appreciating them… what most suitable to do at once is apply them to the “sutta” which is “Four noble truths”, and to the “vinaya (discipline)” which is discipline of defilement call desire, hatred & ignorance” and to the “Dhamma” which is the “theory of Cause & Effect” and clarify them and recognize what you listen & read… if they are applicable accept them and apply it to your path to true happiness… if not important just ignore them with a discipline mind, body & words.
Wise people never bother about where it is written or who says it or comes through the generation or how long it has been practice or other worldly standards to accept or ignore the things for their betterment. Because wise people know how to use their own intelligence level to select what the best is for them and applies them without any delay…
But ignorant people are always stuck with the books, words, tradition, what come through generation, what practiced for many years, the post & positions of the people who explain Dhamma, and they bother about the letters and language about the Dhamma, they bother about all the worldly standards when it comes to the Dhamma… just because they seems don’t trust on their own wisdom… and they stuck with their own view and no near to the nirvana… or true happiness… they are burning with the desire to what they believe and what their view is… and they burning with the hatred to what comes against their views & believes… and they waste their own time with that desires & hatred because they burning with the ignorance… they don’t even know that they are burning… so how they know about cooling of those flames?
May your wisdom guide you to be quick in gaining the true happiness… may triple gem bless you for the best!!