The Connected Discourses of the Buddha

This volume offers a complete translation of the Sam?yutta Nika¯ya, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, the third of the four great collections in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon. The Sam?yutta Nika¯ya consists of 56 chapters, each governed by a unifying theme that binds together the Buddha's suttas or discourses. The chapters are organised into five major parts. The first, 'The Book with Verses', is a compilation of suttas composed largely in verse. This book ranks as one of the most inspiring compilations in the Buddhist canon, showing the Buddha in his full grandeur as the peerless 'teacher of gods and humans'. The other four books deal in depth with the philosophical principles and meditative structures of early Buddhism. They combine into orderly chapters all the important short discourses of the Buddha on such major topics as dependent origination, the five aggregates, the six sense bases, the seven factors of enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths. Among the four large Nikayas belonging to the Pali Canon, the Sam?yutta Nika¯ya serves as the repository for the many shorter suttas of the Buddha where he discloses his radical insights into the nature of reality and his unique path to spiritual emancipation. This collection, it seems, was directed mainly at those disciples who were capable of grasping the deepest dimensions of wisdom and of clarifying them for others, and also provided guidance to meditators intent on consummating their efforts with the direct realisation of the ultimate truth. The present work begins with an insightful general introduction to the Sam?yutta Nika¯ya as a whole. Each of the five parts is also provided with its own introduction, intended to guide the listener through this vast, ocean-like collection of suttas. Distinguished by its lucidity and technical precision, this new translation makes this ancient collection of the Buddha's discourses accessible and comprehensible to the thoughtful listener of today. Like its two predecessors in this series, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is sure to merit a place of honour in the library of every serious student of Buddhism. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk originally from New York City. Ordained in Sri Lanka in 1972, he has been for many years the president and editor of the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy. His previous publications include several other important translations from the Pali Canon, including a revised and annotated version of Bhikkhu Ñanamoli's translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha.