Paccekabuddhas of the Pali Tradition

Pacceka: alone, by oneself

Buddha: enlightened one

The name given to one who is enlightened by and for himself…

— Pali Kanon

The purpose of this page and our free download PDF is to provide access to suttas and liturgies related to Paccekabuddhas.

Unlike the fully enlightened Buddhas and the disciples, or sāvakas, reliable information about Paccekabuddhas is limited. In many cases, the information available is based on modern interpretations and ideas, which often gives rise to a variety of misconceptions about the nature, practice and essence of the Pacckebuddhas.

According to tradition, the Buddhadhamma scriptures are organized in the following hierarchy:

1. The Pāli Canon, or the tipiṭaka, the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition

2. The Commentaries (aṭṭhakathā), or scriptures expounding on the Pāli Canon

3. The Subcommentaries (ṭīkā), or scriptures elaborating on the commentaries

4. The Sub-subcommentaries (anuṭīkā), or scriptures further clarifying the subcommentaries

In addition to these scriptures, there is a large body of Pāli language scriptures, including meditation manuals, biographies of great practitioners, historical records, texts on grammar, and medical texts. These works are attributed to important disciples of the lineage and learned authors.

We can use the innate structure and organization of the texts to help our understanding of their contents. However, regardless of reading all the suttas, commentaries, and traditional meditation manuals, if we are eager to learn and study these topics. We still need the guidance and oral explanations from an authentic teacher of the lineage. The Buddha expounded upon this important pillar in these very texts.

In the Upaḍḍha Sutta (Saṁyutta Nikāya 45.2), there is a conversation between the Buddha and his assistant Ānanda, where Ānanda says:

“Bhante, kalyāṇamitta, virtuous companions and virtuous

associates are half of the brahmācariya.”

The Buddha responds:

“Don’t say that, Ānanda! Don’t say that, Ānanda!

Kalyāṇamitta, virtuous companions and virtuous associates,

is actually the whole of the brahmācariya.”

Later, the Buddha concludes:

“And here’s another way to understand how kalyāṇamitta are

the whole of the brahmācariya. For, by relying on me as a

kalyāṇamitta, sentient beings who are liable to birth, old age,

and death, to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress

are freed from all these things. This is another way to

understand how kalyāṇamitta are the whole of the

brahmācariya.”

In this sutta, the Buddha emphasizes the importance of having a kalyānamitta or virtuous friend, stating that the one who teaches us is not just an important factor, but the entirety of the practice.

According to the Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines by Nyanatiloka Mahāthera, kalyāṇamitta ("noble or good friend") refers to a senior monk who is the mentor and friend of his pupil, "wishing for his welfare and concerned with his progress," and guiding his meditation. In particular, the meditation teacher (kammaṭṭhānācariya) is so called.

In many of their biographies, the Paccekabuddhas are depicted as former disciples of Buddhas in past lives. In some cases, a Paccekabuddha receives instructions from a Bodhisatta, another Paccekabuddha, or other beings. When considering not just one lifetime but many, it is clear that they, too, have teachers. However, the way in which they receive instructions is unconventional, sometimes communicated through symbols and signs rather than elaborate oral teachings.

In the ashokāvadāna (The Biographical Scripture of Emperor Ashoka), the Buddha recounts the story of Upagupta and refers to a past life when Upagupta was born as a monkey.

This monkey attended and made offerings to a group of 500 Paccekabuddhas. After the parinirvāṇa of these 500 Paccekabuddhas, the monkey traveled around Urumunda Mountain and then encountered 500 ascetics (ṛṣis) who were engaged in painful ascetic practices in their quest for enlightenment.

The monkey demonstrated the meditation posture of the Paccekabuddhas it had attended, and having given up their ascetic practices and taking up the meditation posture, these 500 ascetics realized the enlightenment of a Paccekabuddha. They then regarded the monkey as their teacher.

In the Mora Paritta, a well-known protective chant, the Bodhisatta is reborn as a peacock living in the Himālayas. After giving instructions to a hunter who was trying to kill him, the hunter becomes a Paccekabuddha (Legend of Paritta Protective Chants and Background Stories, composed by Somdech Phramahadhirajahn).

In many Jātakas, the Bodhisatta encounters Paccekabuddhas, accumulating merit by making offerings to them and receiving instructions as well (Jātaka Stories and Paccekabuddhas in Early Buddhism, by Naomi Appleton).

As we can see, there are many accounts and sources to look to for information on the Paccekabuddhas. The suttas presented in the following book and resources are from the pāli tipiṭaka.

A brief note on the texts included herein; the forty-one versesof the khaggavisāṇa sutta, or the Rhinoceros Sutta, are included in the paccekabuddha section of the apadāna, verses 89 to 130, making it redundant to include it as a separate text.

— Nakhon Pathom, March 2025