The History of Buddhist Thought c28.s2.6

c28.s2.6

Buddhaghosa defines the *angas* more than once,² but it is evident that in the case of several of the items all he knows about them is a number of *suttas* which happen to bear the name of the *anga*. *Sutta* is said to include the Vinaya, certain *suttas* in verse, and “other utterance of the Tathāgata named *sutta*”. *Geyya* is *sutta* which contains *gāthās*, especially the first *vagga* of the Saṃyutta-nikāya. *Veyyākaraṇa* is the whole Abhidhamma-piṭaka and other utterances not among the other eight *angas*.³ *Gāthā*, “verses,” are the *Dhammapada*, *Thera-* and *Therī-gāthā* and those verses in the *Suttanipāta* not called *suttas*. *Udāna*, *itivuttaka*, and *jātaka* are the works so named. *Abbhutadhamma* consists of the *suttas* that describe “wonderful events”. *Vedalla* is described by giving a list of six *suttas*, two of which have the title *vedalla*. They are said to be in the form of question and answer and to give joy and satisfaction.¹