Hi tenphel -

Regarding the four mahāpadesa, here's an English translation of what I believe is the pertinent Pali text in the Digha Nikaya: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html#ref4 (DN 16.4.9ff, trans. Vajira & Story, from "ATI"). The related Pali can be found around here: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sltp/DN_II_utf8.html#pts.124 [PTS: D ii.124].

Here's the related Anguttara Nikaya text (AN 4.180; PTS A ii.167): http://bodhgayanews.net/tipitaka.php?title=&record=5965 ; an English translation (by Ayya Upalavanna, from "metta.lk") is here, as sutta 10: http://metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara2/4-catukkanipata/018-sacetaniyavaggo-e.html . Sutta Central info can be found here: http://www.suttacentral.net/disp_result.php?item=AN+4.180&field=acronym .

Hope this might be of use. With metta,
Larry

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "ngawangtemphel" <lotsawanet@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Dhamma Friends,
>
> I was reading about what is called the "Four great appeals to authority" (caturmahapadesa), which defines and allows Buddhavacana to be teachings spoken by:
>
> *The Buddha himself
> *A Sangha of Elders
> *A group of specialists in either the suttas, vinaya or matrkas
> * A single specialist in one of these three areas
>
> The author says that these "Four Appeals" appear in the Digha Nikaya and Anuttara Nikaya as part of the Buddha's final instructions.
>
> Is this information correct? If so, in which texts this statements by Buddha appear?
>
> Thank you very much for any clarification,
> tenphel
>