The Ratana Sutta () () is a Buddhist discourse (Pali: sutta) found in the Pali Canon's Sutta Nipata (Snp 2.1) and Khuddakapatha (Khp 7); with a parallel in the Mahavastu. In the Pali it is seventeen verses in length, and in the Sanskrit version nineteen.[See Anandajoti Ratanasutta - A Comparative Edition] The Ratana Sutta extols the characteristics of the Three Jewels (Pali for "gem" or "jewel" or "treasure") in Buddhism: the Enlightened One ( Gautama Buddha), the Teaching ( Dhamma) and the noble community of disciples ( ariya Sangha).
Background
In
Theravada Buddhism, according to post-canonical
atthakatha, the background story for the Ratana Sutta is that the town of Vesali (or Visala) was being plagued by disease, non-human beings and famine; in despair, the townspeople called upon the
Gautama Buddha for aid; he had the Ven.
Ananda go through town reciting this discourse leading to the dispersal of the town's woes.
[See, e.g., Anandajoti (2004), p. 45, "Introductory Verses" to the Ratana Sutta; and, Bodhi (2004).]
Contents
The Ratana Sutta upholds the
Three Jewels as follows:
-
the Buddha as the unequalled Realized One (verse 3: na no samam atthi Tathagata)
-
the Teaching ( dhamma) of:
-
Nirvana (verse 4: ), and
-
the unsurpassed concentration (verse 5: ) leading to Nirvana
-
the noble Community () for having:
-
attained Nirvana (verses 7: ),
-
realized the Four Noble Truths (verses 8-9: ), and
-
abandoned the first three fetters (verse 10: ) that bind us to .
[For a transcription of the Pali along with a line-by-line English translation, see, e.g., Anandajoti (2004), pp. 45-52.]
Use
In
Theravadin Buddhist countries and also in
Navayana, this discourse is often recited as part of religious, public and private ceremonies for the purpose of blessing new endeavors and dispelling inauspicious forces.
[See, e.g., Piyadassi (1999); and, Bodhi (2004).]
See also
Notes
Sources
External links
