<p>Is this a dodgy quote (despite coming from the exalted MN 22) because birth stories appear to be later additions? </p>

<p>This said, I did try to compile 'birth stories' and only found around a dozen in the Buddhavaca suttas, such as AN 3.15; MN 50; MN 81; MN 123; MN 143; etc; which seem to be in the style of later works, such as the Jataka Tales, Buddhavamsa &amp; Apadana.  </p>

<p>The <em>lokuttara</em> dhamma in SN 22.79 says all memories of the past are mere aggregates &amp; not-self. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-26T21:47:34.833Z
2017-07-26T21:52:52.140Z
2017-07-26T21:52:52.140Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<blockquote>
  <p>Monks, there is the case where some worthless men study the Dhamma:
  dialogues, narratives of mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses,
  spontaneous exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing events,
  question &amp; answer sessions [the earliest classifications of the Buddha's teachings]. <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.022.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN22</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>It's probably a hazy endeavour, but has anyone attempted to reconstruct such a classification from either the suttas or agamas? </p>

<history>
Any reconstructions of earliest mentioned classification of canon?
# Any reconstructions of earliest mentioned classification of canon?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-07-26)

> Monks, there is the case where some worthless men study the Dhamma:
> dialogues, narratives of mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses,
> spontaneous exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing events,
> question & answer sessions [the earliest classifications of the Buddha's teachings]. [MN22](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.022.than.html)

It's probably a hazy endeavour, but has anyone attempted to reconstruct such a classification from either the suttas or agamas?

**Tags:** history


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-07-26. Score: 1

Is this a dodgy quote (despite coming from the exalted MN 22) because birth stories appear to be later additions?

This said, I did try to compile 'birth stories' and only found around a dozen in the Buddhavaca suttas, such as AN 3.15; MN 50; MN 81; MN 123; MN 143; etc; which seem to be in the style of later works, such as the Jataka Tales, Buddhavamsa & Apadana.

The *lokuttara* dhamma in SN 22.79 says all memories of the past are mere aggregates & not-self.


---

