First written Sutra
Zillion dollar question; when was the first Buddhist Canon presumably written down? I know there was a Council of the sort, then 2-3 traditions taking shape. So, mostly we have the Pali Canon ( Tipitaka) plus other exant Canons in Classical Chinese and other languages with some passages preserved in the ( presumably) original Pali. Historically some say Buddha Gautam did not speak Pali, a somewhat artificial language, but various languages from Sanskrit to Magadhi. Besides, his words were written down for the first time centuries after his preaching. That would make Buddhism different from other Religions like Christianity ( ancient but fragmentary gospel papyrs from first century CE are extant), Islam (in Sanaa very old copies of the Koran were found) or Sikhism ( very old copies of Adi Granth belonging to the last human Gurus). Yet, these Religions are all more recent than Buddhism and in the first 2 cases developed in dry climates where papyrs and papers can be preserved far longer. Also Buddhism is no "Religion of the Book" in the sense : I read some Pali Canon passages by myself, decide what I like, practice for one week before lunch and get Nibbana before gasoline prices go up another time. Spiritual guidance would be always advised , except one is interested more like a scholar or out of healthy curiosity. Anyway the question remains; can Gautam Buddha's "original" words still be found somewhere?
P.S. I remember a Tibetan Lama , presented like a scholar, remaining a bit confused by a similar question by a lady somewhere in Northern Italy or Southern France. Maybe because the Lama had a bad translator or maybe because in Tibetan Buddhism they do not care too much , they have also " treasure sutra" being revealed here and there....
