E-Book Overview
As more and more westerners study and practice Buddhism, reliable modern translations of the Buddhas teachings are increasingly in demand. One of the main sources for knowledge of the Buddhadharma is the four Pali Nikayas or «collections» of his sayings. Written in Pali, an ancient Indian language closely related to Sanskrit, the Nikayas are among the oldest Buddhist texts and consist of more than one and a half million words. This new translation offers a selection of the Buddhas most important sayings, reflecting the full variety of material contained in the Nikayas: the central themes of the Buddhas teaching (his biography, philosophical discourse, instruction on morality, meditation, and the spiritual life) and the range of literary style (myth, dialogue, narrative, short sayings, verse). This edition is the most critically up-to-date and For anyone seeking a more direct encounter with the Buddhas words and teaching, this new translation will prove to be essential reading, rewarding scholars and practitioners alike.
E-Book Content
oxford world’s classics SAYINGS OF THE BUDDHA The Suttas, or ‘well-spoken’ utterances, collected in the Pali Nikāyas are among the oldest works of Buddhist literature. Dating from perhaps the fourth or third century bce, they present the teachings of the Buddha as remembered and passed down by the first generations of his disciples and in them we come as close to the words of the Buddha as we can get. Within the Nikāyas we find the Buddha addressing Buddhist monks and laity, kings, ordinary householders, members of different religious groups, and gods; we find the story of the Buddha’s own quest for knowledge, advice on ethical conduct, philosophical discourse, instruction in meditation, tales of the distant past; we find short sayings as well as extended narratives. The selection of sayings of the Buddha contained in the present volume co