Pariyatti mentions to the studying and understanding of the Buddha’s teachings which come from his own experiences. Patipatti refers to the practicing of doctrine and Pativedha refers to the attainment of the true doctrine. Then we can simply say that Pariyatti is the result of Buddha’s Patipatti.
There are many arguments between the Pariyatti and the Patipatti happening nowadays, for example, the Pariyatti sometime refer that the Patipatti usually create and deliver their own doctrine which are not the Buddha’s teachings while the Patipatti sometime say that the Pariyatti are only the bookworm who only understand the Dharma but never taste it themselves.
Thereby, some of the Patipatti are usually afraid of the Pariyatti’s arguments and do not feel like wanting to make the controversy happens because the Patipatti sometime do not know how to express the natural phenomenon from their practice into written language.
The development of Buddhist Pariyatti and Patipatti
Generally speaking, Buddhist Pariyatti aims at training humans to liberate themselves away from suffering. This aim is formulated by the Buddha in the Four Noble Truths, suffering, cause of suffering, cessation of suffering and path to end of suffering. After expounding these to his earliest disciples – proceeding from the First and Second Truths, he affirmed that there was a path overcoming the gloomy side towards the attainment of ultimate bliss. In order to achieve this aim, Buddhist followers are advised to strictly follow only this path. The ultimate goal of Buddhist pariyatti is to destroy ignorance, the root cause of suffering. Specifically, learning and practicing in a Buddhist sense should seek to eliminate from the students’ mind a variety of wrong views, which form the theoretical basis of ignorance. These purely conceptual contents of the mind comprise the so-called "imputed ignorance", as opposed to the "innate ignorance". It is "conceptual" or "acquired" ignorance. Innate ignorance cannot be accessed until there is conceptual ignorance (or misconceptions), so first one has to eliminate the "imputed" ignorance, i.e. wrong views.
The most education processes imply that there is some kind of result to be gained from the process of learning. A student, for instance, studies a certain subject in order to master it and put it to use in his/her life, thus becoming more knowledgeable, wealthier, gaining higher status in society etc. This is what we may call the social value of education. Similarly, Buddhist followers have to learn and gain certificate issued on completion of one’s studies. It is usually assumed that by getting a diploma, one somehow becomes a more valuable person and he/she can turn this extra value to his/her advantage. Many young monks entering higher education today are conditioned by such expectations. The value system of modern education obviously implies belief in a concrete and permanent self, which can become “better" (more knowledgeable, educated etc.) and happier through education. It seem to be missed the point, but actually not.
The importance of Pariyatti and Patipatti
Buddhism does propagation of the principles of education as pariyatti, patipatti and pativetha that form basis of the various schools of Buddhist education. Pariyatti and Patipatti are considered as the foundations of education because they are steps leading to deliverance. The importance of Pariyatti and Patipatti may be explained as :
1. Pariyatti means study of the true doctrine. In the Buddhism, education begins with the study of Discipline (vinaya) and Doctrine (Dhamma) for the destruction of sufferings. Buddha ordained Annakondanna at Isipatana and said:
‘Come then, Brother, well taught is the Dhamma. Live the holy life for the utter destruction of woe’.
Destruction, discarding and eradication of woe are the goal of Pariyatti and Patipatti in Buddhism. Every disciple who wants to overcome all defilements or to get deliverance has to study the discipline and doctrine that is, a man can follow the path only if he knows the path clearly and he can know the path by study only. With this the formation of Sangha and system of monastic order started. The relationship between the teacher and his pupils within the monastery becomes the educational system because all new comers have to pass first five years under the spiritual preceptor or teacher’s care until they are properly trained in the Discipline and the Doctrine. This system is called Nissaya. In this way, the relations between preceptor and pupil are like that of a father and a son, based on confidence and love. The subject matters of study were the Buddhist legends and moral fables. The curriculum of the monks included what were termed as Suttanta, Dhamma and Vinaya, together with Suttas and Sutta-vibhanga. This system of education was established in the monasteries automatically because of relation between preceptor and pupils. The teacher means spiritual preceptor took sometime his class in the open air informally or he, sometime, stood under the tree and taught his pupils. The relations between teacher and pupil are also governed by the Vinaya. The newly ordained monks have to undergo an arduous ethical training under the supervision of some elder and able monk. Therefore, Vinaya or disciplines are the orders of Sangha that have to be preached by all.
In this way, Buddhist Pariyatti is appreciated because it leads to Nibbāna. Thus, the three-fold path: morality, meditation and wisdom form the basis of pariyatti system of Buddhism. Nibbāna can be attained by practice in accordance with the three-fold path only.
2. Patipatti means practice, training, cultivating oneself in the path that purifies himself. The Buddha explains the function and the purpose of cultivating virtue, meditation and wisdom for the cessation of the three root causes of evil: lust, hatred and delusion. These root causes are eliminated through following, practicing or training in virtue, meditation and wisdom that are called the path. Without the path, one can not purify himself. The Buddhist monk giving up worldly pleasures endeavors to lead a life of voluntary poverty and completes celibacy to attain the higher aim. He has to practice his function within the bounds of a monk’s life to attain deliverance of mind.
In Buddhism, there are two ways to leading to life of a monk: one entails continuous meditation, this is called ‘Vipassana Dhura’ and the other is studying and teaching the Dhamma that is called ‘Gantha Dhura’. Between these two, it is obligatory on every monk to take up one of these ways in accordance with his temperament, environment and intention. Vipassana Dhura is regarded as the intense process of cleansing one’s speech, action and thought. Buddha warns against bookish learning of a monk as:
‘Though he recites the sacred texts a lot, but acts not accordingly that heedless man is like a cowherd counting other’s cattle and not obtaining the products of the cow. He shares not the fruits of the tranquil man’.
This clearly indicates that even if a person becomes expert academically after learning by heart much from the texts, but he has yet to practice of what has been heart and learnt by him by means of following the right path. He remains only a learner until he completes the whole process. The Buddha does not praise an academic intellectual development as important because it cannot rid a man from the cycle of birth-and death. Buddha has always put emphasis on the practice of eight-fold path and living up to the high ideals. As he says:
‘Though he recites only a little of the sacred texts, but acts in accordance with the teaching, abandoning lust, hate and delusion, possessed of right understanding, his mind entirely released and clinging to nothing here or hereafter, he shares the fruits of the tranquil man’.
These sayings indicate that the Buddhist way of life does not depend on mere academic and intellectual development but on practical teaching because later can lead to enlightenment. Method of grasping the highest truth is the awakening from ignorance with full knowledge and practice of virtue, concentration and wisdom. Each is a way to an end and none of them is an end in itself. These three go together supporting each other. Virtue or regulated behavior strengthens meditation and meditation in turn promotes wisdom. Wisdom helps one to get rid of the clouded view of things to see life as it really is that is to see life and all things pertaining to life as arising and passing away. Virtue, concentration and wisdom are related to each other and they can not be separated.
‘All conditioned things are impermanent; All conditioned things are dukkha, unsatisfactory; All dhamma are without a self, a soul’.
With the consideration of the five aggregates -one sees them clearly as they really are, one’s mind is uplifted at the stage of right understanding known as Insight (Vipassana) and he continues to develop his Insight-meditation, until one day, he gets insight into the true nature of himself and he attains partial experience of Nibbāna by attaining the first stage of realization. He attains the height of Nibbāna. This is the pariyatti’s process in Buddhism. According to Buddhism Nibbāna is considered as the highest goal of ethical life. With a view to enabling man to secure the supreme end of life, Buddhism draws attention to the unsatisfactory nature of mundane existence and exhorts people to seek deliverance from it. It is for the sake of attaining the highest end that ethical codes of conduct and behavior are laid down by the Buddha. Pariyatti and Patipatti is considered as in indispensable means for the consummation of the holy life because truth and value are attributes of reality. Both these elements of truth and value are joined in the concept of Nibbāna, which has been central concept in the Buddhist Pariyatti and Patipatti. Therefore, Buddhist theory of Pariyatti and Patipatti is a way to pave the path for the spiritual development of man. The aim and purpose of Pariyatti and Patipatti according to Buddhist is to bring about a perfect and integrated development of human personality.
The Pariyatti and Patipatti of Thai Sanghas
Buddhism may essentially be regarded as a process of learning and discipline. The teachings of the Vinaya texts are of fundamental importance in understanding Buddhism. As is well known, the Buddha himself is regarded as the Teacher of Gods and men which is one of attributes of the Buddha appearing in the early Buddhist texts. Pariyatti is called in Pali 'sikkha' which is classified into threefold Training
1) Training in higher morality (adhisilasikkha)
2) Training in higher mentality (adhicittasikkha) and
3) Training in higher wisdom (adhipanfiasikkha).
The Pali term ‘bhavana’ used by the Pali texts is in this context, quite appropriate. Bhavana can be used to refer to
1) Kayabhavana - which in the sphere of educational philosophy means physical which refers to the bodily growth through education,
2) Silabhavana which in the educational field refers to the development of the social sense, the sense of discipline which is so important to the development of society,
3) Cittabhavana : cultivation of mind in its emotional aspects in educational field, which includes the cultivation of the following virtues : compassion, tolerance, mindfulness, clear comprehension, concentration, peace and other virtues. Mental equilibrium is essential in order to attain an emotional balance and face crucial issues in life.
4) Pannabhavana: cultivation of wisdom or intellectual development in the sphere of education, here his importance of intellectual training or cultivation of wisdom by which a man can know and understand the realities of the world and of human existence. One can be involved in worldly affairs and yet understand the ultimate significance of the universe and of life. This is the philosophy of human life based on 'simple living and high thinking'. To know what they really are is but the art of living in this world because of suffering which envelopes it and which hinders a true understanding of the problems of life and the world.
As a matter of fact the main purpose of Buddha in proclaiming his teachings was to develop the mind of human beings in the true spirit of learning. Although the Buddha has strong power of speech to convince people to change their way of life, adapt new values and seek for new goals. Yet the Buddha upholds and praises only one type of marvel 'The Miracle of Teaching or Instruction' which can bring about this change. Many rival religious teachers employ tactics of magical and miraculous deeds to convert very well the concept of learning, the method of instruction and the duty of teachers and students. Thus the Buddha in refuting religious superstition was far ahead of his times.
Every newly ordained bhikkhus who is of not more than 5 years standing has to stay with his own spiritual teacher of preceptor called Upajjhaya, or a regular instructor, Acariya in the monastery. All newcomers of the Sangha, of course, are educated in the teachings of the Buddha in general and in the fundamental precepts (adhibrahmacariya sikkha) and in the practice of or training in specialized or minor precepts (abhisamacarasikkha). So also in Buddhism, there are two kinds of the Buddha's disciples namely
1) Sekha, one who has reached one of stage of holiness, except the last and has yet to undergo a higher training, and
2) Asekha, one who does not require any training so as to attain the final goal of Buddhism in each step is the aim of education realized.
The Buddha, therefore, organizes Sangha as an educational institute in which the monastery is the center of education and discipline. Thus the monastery in Buddhism is not merely a residence of bhikkhus (monks), but also plays the significant role as the centre of meditation as well as of culture and education etc. ever since. The Buddha is very far sighted and realizes very much the importance of education, because the role of learning based on the right view (sammaditthi) is the process of cultivation and development of human behaviour. The criterion of the personality of the best man is the achievement of knowledge and good behaviour. Of course, it consists in the ability of learning to perpetuate and help in the spread of the Buddha's teachings throughout the world. Buddhism was once the national religion of India in the time of Asoka, and also spread beyond its birth place in countries like Thailand, Laos and Cambodia etc. because of these noble educational aims and objectives.
The duty of the monks according to Buddhist tradition can be divided into 2 categories
1) Ganthadhura -the burden of studying Scriptures
2) Vipassanathura -the burden of contemplation.
The former was meant for the town-dwelling monks and is independent of the latter for which is meant for the forest dwelling monks. Such a division of spiritual labour made the administration of the Sangha easier. Even in the city, in some big monasteries the building provided for 2 divisions of monks -
1) those studying the Scriptures and
2) those practising meditation at the same time.
It would be right to say that before the onset of modern education, all education was along traditionalist lines and provided only in the monasteries. All those interested in study had to be ordained as monks even if only for a period of a few years. Thus to be ordained is to be educated. This is called 'Buad-rien' (Buad = ordination and rien = education).
The principle of 'Buad-Rein' (ordination cum education) was in fact enunciated during King Boromtrailokanath's reign. The monasteries multiplied many fold and the whole country became educationally and spiritually conscious. Some of these were royal monasteries, some private and some others public. The aim was to worship the Triple Gem of Buddhism -the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha by a keen study of the Tipitakas and its application in the sphere of education among the entire population of the country.
At present, Thai sangha established two kinds of Buddhist educational systems, Dhamma learning and Pāli learning. It is widely acknowledged that Pāli is the form of the earliest Buddhist ‘scriptures’ – retained by Theravāda Buddhists. Buddhism can only be accurately understood if one has the thorough ability to maneuver through the intricate texts. Knowing Pāli is an advantageous educational-key to unlocking important ethical situations demonstrated in the Tipitaka. Pāli protects Theravāda Buddhism from damage to its pristine purity, and is officially recognized as the only language of the Theravāda School by the order of Sangha -throughout its peaceful march of more than 2500 years. Both Pāli and Theravāda Buddhism are inseparably interlinked with each other. It can be said that if today Pāli vanishes from this earth, tomorrow there will be certainly the end of Theravāda Buddhism.
For the promulgation of Buddha’s teaching, the study of Pāli should not be reserved only for Buddhist monks, but it should be also for lay people because their participation in learning Pāli will be one of effective ways of keeping Buddha’s teachings lasting longer. There is no need to say that the purpose of learning Pāli is to fully and exactly understand the genuine words of the Lord Buddha in Five Nikāyas.
Patipatti of Thai Sangha has gradually grown from time to time. There are so many forest monasteries abundant in every parts of Thailand. They are centers of all walks of life to seek a liberation. In the tradition of the Paryatti and Patipatti that flourished in Thailand, these three trainings form the core of a practitioner's discipline. The path proceeds from insight into the view to meditative practice to proper conduct. That is to say: one first trains in conceptual understanding, subsequently deepened through the experience of meditative stability and insight, and then moves into action on a more enlightened, wiser basis.
This formulation of the importance of training in right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samādhi is in the classic commentarial literature such as Buddhaghosa's Path of Purification often subsumed under the heading of a complete three-fold training (trishiksa) in proper conduct (sīla), meditative engagement (samādhi), and knowledge or wisdom (paññā).
As my own opinion, I myself can say that both Pariyatti and Pattipatti can totally go along together. After achieving the result of practicing, the practitioner will instantly gain the knowledge by their own self. But without the basic of the doctrine, the practitioner will not be able to end up their own practice also.
Conclusion:
In Buddhism holy-life consists of three stages i.e. sīla, samādhi and paññā. Each of them serves as a sufficient condition for the other; sīla is the basic foundation of ethical life and it prepares a congenial atmosphere for samādhi rather it is conducive to samādhi and samādhi forms a background for paññā which means samādhi is conducive to paññā. With the proper fulfillment of these gradual stages, the Buddhist holy-life is complete. However, though all the three stages are complementary to each other yet each of them has its limitation; sīla provides training to the body and speech, samādhi provides mental training and paññā unfolds the nature of reality whereby the nature of the Dhamma, is clearly understood. In this way each stage has a definite function and a definite field of operation, though with congenial inter relation.
It should be affirmed again, that pariyatti and patipatti of Thai sangha accompany the way or the path that the Lord Buddha leading. Eventually, both Pariyatti and Patipatti are finally needed each other, as like two of weight holding the balance of the doctrine. And also in the end of result they will realize by themselves like the Dharma quote which says Paccatta veditabbo vinyuhi’ which briefly means that directly experienceable by the wise.
Pariyatti and Patipatti are harmful in separation and beneficial in union.
