scripturethem by memory, and pass on the hymns by means of oral transmission
before being written. The divinely revealed origin of the Vedas gives
them an unquestionable authenticity and authority similar to the major
monotheistic tradition of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and gives
them greater prestige over other bodies of scripture within India.
Siddhārtha Gautama (fifth century bce), who becomes the historical
Buddha (enlightened one), has an approximately forty-year teaching
career, and his discourses on various subjects are preserved orally before
being collected and retained in written form. After the death of the
Buddha, the Council of RājagÙha is established to determine the authentic
teachings, and divides the Buddha’s discourses into initially two baskets
(piæakas) called the Sutta Piæaka (Basket of Discourses) and the Vinaya
Piæaka (Basket of Monastic Discipline) and later a third collection called
the Abhidhamma (Basket of Higher Teachings). A senior monk, Kaśyapa
supervises the council, and he utilizes the memory of a monk and close
companion of the Buddha named Ānanda to recall the actual sermons.
Scholars call into question this traditional account because internal evi-
dence suggests a later date for the scriptures. Early Buddhist schools
claim that the canon is closed, but the Mahāyāna schools argue for its
openness and periodically add texts.
The early Buddhist tradition traces the origins of its scripture to the
personal experiences, insights, and teaching of a historical person.
Therefore, formative Buddhist scripture is not divinely revealed but
becomes a sacred body of literature due to its origin in the authoritative
utterances of the Buddha. Nonetheless, Buddhist scripture is not unique
because what the historical Buddha discovers is merely a rediscovery of
that of previous Buddhas. The Buddhist conception of scripture is
grounded in its understanding of language, which is identified as an
impermanent human creation. If language like everything else within the
world is impermanent, it does not possess an enduring structure or meta-
physical status. Lacking any intrinsic value, the words of scripture are
only valuable in an instrumental way, which suggests that the value of the
Buddha’s discourses have value to the extent that they accomplish some-
thing, such as helping a person achieve enlightenment.
The five examples of scriptures from Eastern and Western religious
traditions are all distinctive, but they do share something in common: the
importance of performing their scripture. In other words, they shared a
performative intention to make something happen by reciting the words
in a public forum: the oral performance of Paul’s letters in the early church,
Hindu and Buddhist reciting of mantras (sacred formulas), and also the
public performance of their scriptures by Jewish rabbis and Muslim mul-
lahs and reciters. In addition, whether scriptures are divinely inspired or