Studies in the Origins of Buddhism c19.46

c19.46

Of the originality of the way-figure there can hardly be any doubt.³⁴ The omission of the eightfold scheme as a titular item from the Aṭṭhaka Nip. of the AN. as well as in the Saṅgīti sutta of the DN. is certainly significant and it has not as yet been satisfactorily explained.³⁵ Perhaps the heaping in of a large number of ‘way-suttas’ in the Magga-Saṃ° may partly explain the silence of the AN.³⁶ The fact, however, that in some apparently early passages the Way is spoken of without any reference to its eightfold character is extremely suggestive.³⁷ Had Buddha himself taught the Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo, then, in view of the later fame of the idea, we might have expected that more positive proof of it would have been preserved, and that there would have been less confusion by way of other overlapping and alternative lists.³⁸ In fact it would not seem wise to attribute the formula of the eightfold Path to Buddha himself in the absence of more convincing evidence. It is probable that he spoke only of the middle way between the two extremes of sense-pleasures (Kāmasukha) and austerities (Attakilamatho), while it "crystallized" as eightfold later.³⁹