In TheravÄda Buddhism, pariyatti, paį¹ipatti, paį¹ivedha (PÄli; "Learning; practicing; realizing") is the educational concept consisting of three progressive stages culminating in full understanding of the Buddha's teaching. Pariyatti refers to the theoretical study of the Buddha's teaching as preserved within the suttas and commentaries of the PÄli Canon; paį¹ipatti means to put the theory into practice; and paį¹ivedha means penetrating the theory or rather experientially realizing the truth of it, that is the attainment of the four stages of awakening. Traditionally, pariyatti serves as the foundation of paį¹ipatti, and paį¹ipatti serves as the foundation of paį¹ivedha.
The PÄli Canon is the most complete Buddhist canon surviving in a classical Indian language, PÄli, which serves as the school's sacred language and lingua franca.[1] In contrast to MahÄyÄna and VajrayÄna, TheravÄda tends to be conservative in matters of the theoretical study (pariyatti) of the doctrine (Dhamma) and monastic discipline (Vinaya).[2] One element of this conservatism is the fact that TheravÄda rejects the authenticity of the Mahayana sutras (which appeared onwards).[3] [4]
According to U Ba Khin, pariyatti is the teaching of the Buddha, the arahats (fully awakened beings) and the ariyas (persons who have tasted Nibbana), who have really and in detail understood the Four Noble Truths and teach what they themselves know to be true, what they have seen to be true and real from their own experience. At times, when it is not possible to find noble people such as a Buddha, arahats or ariyas to revere and rely on, one will have to establish as one's teacher the teachings of the Buddha contained in the 84,000 sections of the scriptures. One has to practise (paį¹ipatti) these teachings which lead to paį¹ivedha, that is the path (magga) and fruition (phala) states and Nibbana.
U Ba Khin states, "When one meets with a Buddha, arahats and noble ariyas, it is truly possible to practise morality, concentration and insight and attain the paths and fruits of awakening by merely listening to and following their teachings, which are given based on firsthand personal experience and knowledge."[5]
See also: Puja (Buddhism) and Prostration (Buddhism).
In the Pali Canon, the Buddha states that any monk, nun, male lay follower, or female lay follower who practices in line with the Dhamma (dhammÄnudhammappaį¹ipanna) "honor, respect, revere, venerate, and esteem the Buddha with the highest honor."[6] [7] This kind of honour (puja) is primarily an "internal worship" for inner development (citta, bhÄvanÄ, and samÄdhi).[8] Any monk or nun or male or female lay follower who practices in line with the teaching, practicing properly, living in line with the teachingāthey honor, respect, revere, venerate, and esteem the Realized One with the highest honor.. MahÄparinibbÄna Sutta. dn. 16. Honor by practices (paį¹ipatti-pÅ«jÄ), or non-material honour, can be done by developing the practices of:
In the practice of prostration, one can find the chanting verse "Paį¹ipattiyÄ Ratanattayapaį¹Äma" chanted before each of the three prostrations:[9] [10] [11]
| First Prostration | ImÄya dhammÄnudhamma-paį¹ipattiyÄ,Buddhaį¹ pÅ«jemi. | By practicing the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma,I venerate the Buddha. | |
| Second Prostration | ImÄya dhammÄnudhamma-paį¹ipattiyÄ,Dhammaį¹ pÅ«jemi. | By practicing the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma,I venerate the Dhamma. | |
| Third Prostration | ImÄya dhammÄnudhamma-paį¹ipattiyÄ,Saį¹ ghaį¹ pÅ«jemi. | By practicing the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma,I venerate the Sangha. |
The Buddha sometimes described the practice (patipatti) of his teaching as the gradual training (Pali: anupubbasikkhÄ) because the Noble Eightfold Path involves a process of mind-body transformation that unfolds over a sometimes lengthy period.Just as the ocean has a gradual shelf, a gradual slope, a gradual inclination, with a sudden drop-off only after a long stretch, in the same way this discipline of Dhamma (dhamma-vinaya) has a gradual training (anupubbasikkhÄ), a gradual performance (anupubbakiriyÄ), a gradual progression (anupubbapatipadÄ), with a penetration to gnosis only after a long stretch.. ud. 5.5.
The emphasis on gradual training may be understood by the fact that, just as the human habits that give rise to suffering have been built up over a long period of time, those same habits similarly take a long time to undo, requiring a sustained effort achievable only with a genuine commitment to training.
