The eighth book of the Aṅguttara Nikāya, the Collection of the Numbered Discourses of the Buddha, collects 627 suttas or discourses whose theme focuses on groups of eight topics, although not always. This book contains a remarkable accumulation of important suttas, some of them unique, which makes it essential, in contrast to the bland lack of interest of the previous books in this Numerical Collection. Even so, it is not understood that at the end of the book there are suttas that repeat previous ones with negligible differences. This book contains a famous completely false sutta: AN 8.51 with Gotami. It contains the sad story of an orphaned Buddha breastfed by his aunt who is used by its misogynist author to place limits on women. In the plot appears, of course, the servant Ānanda manipulating the Buddha so that he accepts the ordination of women. It has all the components of the false suttas. For example, an overrated Ānanda appears, a story that contradicts all the suttas that speak of the bodhisatta's renunciation, when the mother and father send him off with teary eyes. Or in this same collection, in AN 8.70 Earthquakes, where the Mara reminds the Buddha while demanding that he be extinguished: Lord, you once made this statement: "Evil one, I will not be completely extinguished until I have female bhikkhuni disciples who are competent, educated, safe, wise…». The order of bhikkhunis is one of the four missions that the Buddha had from the beginning. And the misogyny thing, as we already know, is another constant in the false suttas. The danger of the robbery of the rulers reappears here up to three times: AN 84, AN85 and AN76. The section on featured suttas is truly extensive: AN 8.11, the Buddha is an abortionist. AN 8.42, contains an exhaustive list of the 16 countries that were in India at the time. AN 8.10 and AN 8.20 recount expulsions of bhikkhus by crook. AN 8.13 and AN 8.14, in which the Buddha exhibits an outstanding knowledge of horse taming, which helps to establish his Sākka Scythian origin. The Scythians, lovers of horses, were the pioneers in their dressage. AN 8.19 a beautiful description of Nibbāna. AN 8.21 describes Ugga, an amazing layman. AN 8.29 describes missed opportunities for practice and AN 8.63 which is a comprehensive but brief compilation of the practice. In summary, this time the arduous and exhaustive work of research and reconstruction in comparative linguistics has a prize, an important one.
The Book of Eights - Aṅguttara Nikāya
Aṅguttara Nikāya