"Buddha Before Buddhism": Considering Gil Fronsdal's Title and Translation

In this video we'll take a look at the idea of finding a "Buddha Before Buddhism," an idea suggested by a recent translation of the Chapter of the Eights (Aṭṭhakavagga) by Gil Fronsdal. I'll talk a bit about his book, then we'll turn to the question of why the Chapter of the Eights is considered early, then consider a claim that the text provides a markedly different form of the dharma than the one we're familiar with. *** Recorded before our house fire. See:    • Gutted by Fire   📙 Check out my new book, A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom, with a Foreword by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi: https://books2read.com/buddhisthandbook 🧡 If you find this material useful, check out my Patreon page and get fun benefits like exclusive videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes:   / dougsseculardharma   🧡 You can also make donations through: https://paypal.me/dougsdharma ☸️ Free mini-course at the Online Dharma Institute: onlinedharma.org. 🎙Check out my podcast with Jon Aaron, Diggin' the Dharma: https://digginthedharma.com/ ✅ Videos suggested: Window on the Earliest Buddhism? The Chapter of the Eights --    • Window on the Earliest Buddhism? The Chapt...   Differences Between Early Buddhism and Theravada: an Essay By Bhante Sujato --    • Differences Between Early Buddhism and The...   What is Early Buddhism? --    • What is Early Buddhism?   ✅ Books suggested: Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Suttanipāta (the Chapter of the Eights is one chapter in this text) — https://amzn.to/34IbYJy Gil Fronsdal, The Buddha Before Buddhism — https://amzn.to/3gE2fXn Gil Fronsdal, The Dhammapada — https://amzn.to/3GNkUuI ✅ Suttas mentioned: https://suttacentral.net/snp4.11/en/s... https://suttacentral.net/mn26/en/sujato https://suttacentral.net/mn22/en/sujato ✅ The Aṭṭhakavagga online: https://suttacentral.net/snp-atthakav... ✅ Two reviews of Fronsdal's translation: By Dhivan Thomas Jones: https://thebuddhistcentre.com/western... My review: https://secularbuddhism.org/the-buddh... ✅ Other resource: KR Norman (2003). “The Aṭṭhakavagga and Early Buddhism.” In Jainism and Early Buddhism: Essays in Honour of Padmanabh S. Jaini, Part 2, Ed. Olle Qvarnström (Fremont: Asian Humanities Press). Webpage: https://www.dougsdharma.com/ Facebook:   / onlinedharmainstitute   Twitter:   / dougsdharma   ❤️ Thanks to Patreon Patrons: Anonymous (2) Scarlett Farrow Carlos Gutierrez Matthew Smith Bob Snead JC Shantha Wengappuli Karma_CAC Johan Thelander Michael Roe Jorge Seguel Christopher Apostolof GailJM Brett Merritt David Bell T Pham VCR Upayadhi Andi and Erik ATGuerrero686 Michael Scherrer Michael Seefeld khobe schofield Alex Perdomo Benji Forsyth Kaine Usher Cookie Forthecookie Blaze Way Sonny Flink Steve Marlor Joy L Lee Andrew Tom Anthony Tucker Karlee R Rob Parisien Ethan M Billy in Singapore Derek Birch Matthew G Mynttinen Theodor Bernhard Aziz Rahman Olivia Otter Carl Lennartson xiao mao Brady Schickinger Steve H. Jeff Harvey Andrew Ingrouille Jimmy Maa Kenneth Grandchamp Doug F 00:00 Intro 02:07 Gil Fronsdal’s book “The Buddha Before Buddhism” 05:15 Early Buddhism vs. Earlier Buddhism 08:31 Why think the Aṭṭhakavagga is early? 13:07 A different teaching? Burford’s view 16:24 Some issues with Burford’s view 20:15 My view of the Chapter of the Eights 21:39 Texts as historical vs. inspirational Note: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are affiliate links where I will earn a very small commission on purchases you make, at no additional cost to you. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of making these videos. Thank you!