There are terms such as ‘parallel’ and ‘partial parallel’ used in articles and books on comparative catalogues, e. g., ‘The Four Buddhist Āgamas in Chinese’(by Anesaki Masaharu), The Comparative Catalogue of Chinese Āgamas & Pāli Nikāyas (by Akanuma Chizen), ‘Correspondence Table for Parallels to the Discourses of the Majjhima Nikāya: Toward a Revision of Akanuma’s Comparative Catalogue’(by Bhikkhu Anālayo and Rod Bucknell), etc. However, definitions and guidelines of them are not well-defined. This article explores guidelines of these terms to define if a sutta is the ‘parallel’ or ‘partial parallel’ of the other sutta in question. Then, there are some examples out of Madhyama Āgama listed to highlight the pros and cons of other sources upon the list of prarallels for the very sutta. At the end of this article a comparative catalogue of Madhyama Āgama is attached for reference.
