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The Numbered Discourses: A Translation of the A?guttara Nikaya
The Numbered Discourses (A?guttara Nikaya) is the last and longest of the four primary divisions of the Sutta Pi?aka, (Baskets of Discourses) that make up the main original teachings of the Buddha. The word a?guttara literally means 'up by one factor', i.e. 'incremental'. It refers to the fact that the discourses are arranged by numbered sets, with the numbers increasing by one. It is divided into 11 Books (nipata), each arranged in varying number of Chapters (vaggas), which themselves contain numerous suttas (often grouped in thematic clusters). There are some 8,122 discourses in all. The underlying organising principle is, thus, quite straightforward: each Book presents a particular number or set of items providing a route to easy assimilation and memorisation. 'The Book of the Twos', for example, is used for pairs, which may be partners, hands, eyes, man and wife, opponents; good versus evil, light versus dark, pain versus pleasure; even skill in entering meditation and skill in leaving it. It represents the dualities of the world. It must be said, however, that the apparent simplicity of the overall structure is not always reflected in a straightforward presentation of the content. This can, at times, seem arbitrary, and is certainly repetitious. But The Numbered Discourses is one of the most accessible of the Nikayas for its focus is often on practical matters of everyday relevance. Guidelines of ethics and character predominate. If the Sa?yutta Nikaya gathers the chief teachings on doctrines, the A?guttara Nikaya gathers the teachings on persons: the concerns of the lay community are a major concern. For this reason the A?guttara provides an excellent entry point to the Pali Canon, especially for those with a limited amount of time. It only takes a few minutes to digest a sutta that will contain within itself a complete and useful teaching. The Sa?yutta is like a school curriculum: everything you need to know on a topic, all in one place. But the A?guttara is like a school day. Though The Numbered Discourses covers a vast ground, social and practical matters predominate: issues of family, friendship and harmony within secular and spiritual communities. The Buddha advises on common practicalities and higher progress across the range of human activities. In doing so, he encounters individuals from all walks of life, from kings, courtesans and artisans to numerous spiritual seekers, both from the Buddhist Sangha and other ‘wanderers' following different paths. He also has many encounters with Brahmins and other high-caste individuals who sometimes set out specifically to challenge his wisdom and authority while others come to learn. The manner in which he deals with these approaches - with clarity, irrefutable logic, confidence, humour and sometimes uncompromising refutation - reveals the character of the Buddha himself. This new and modern English version of The Numbered Discourses is by the Australian-born Theravadin monk Bhikkhu Sujato, who has undertaken a translation of the four main Nikayas expressly to present the works in an accessible manner for the 21st century. He has dealt flexibly with the numerous repetitions embedded in the original texts - eliding sentences where necessary to keep the content and the message fresh and alive. He has further given his Dhamma translations a new character by boldly giving new English expressions for primary Pali words. Among them are ‘extinguishment' for nibbana, ‘absorption' f
Bhikkhu Sujato (Author), Taradasa (Narrator)
Audiobook
The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya
The Long Discourses of the Buddha (Digha Nikaya) is the first of the five Nikayas (Collections) in the Sutta Pitaka and has its own particular character. Unlike the others which contain thousands of shorter discourses (suttas), it comprises just 34 but of much longer length - as the name indicates! This makes it in some ways a more focused collection of teachings of the Buddha and especially accessible in audio. Among them are some important texts distinctive in character and crucial to the early Buddhist tradition. The Long Discourses is divided into three chapters or Vaggas: Chapter on Ethics (Silakkhanda Vagga), The Great Chapter (Maha Vagga) and finally Chapter on Patikaputta (Patikaputta Vagga). Throughout The Long Discourses many different expositions of and approaches to the Dhamma are presented. The Chapter on Ethics (teachings on morality, meditation and wisdom) opens with The Prime Net. It is an absorbing discussion of the many (62!) philosophical speculations which the Buddha declares are not conducive to the main purpose of his teaching to attain ‘extinguishment' or nibbana - and are thus just distractions. The Great Chapter has The Great Discourse on the Buddha's Extinguishment (the Mahaparanibbana Sutta), which tells of the events surrounding the Buddha's death. It is the longest of all the 34 Discourses and in many ways is the centrepiece of the Collection. Also here can be found The Longer Discourse on Mindfulness Meditation, the most extensive elucidation of mindfulness in the Pali Canon. The whole Collection draws to a close with two discourses featuring Sariputta - who gives clear and unequivocal listings of Buddhist doctrines arranged in numerical sequence. This new and modern English version of The Long Discourses is by the Australian-born Theravadin monk Bhikkhu Sujato, who has undertaken a translation of the four main Nikayas expressly to present the works in an accessible manner for the 21st century. He has dealt flexibly with the numerous repetitions embedded in the original texts - eliding sentences where necessary to keep the content and the message fresh and alive. He has further given his translations a new character by boldly taking the primary Pali words central to our reception of the Dhamma to date and given them a new expression in English: ‘extinguishment' for nibbana', ‘absorption' for jhana, immersion' for samadhi and ‘the Realised One' for Tathagata. In this manner, Bhikkhu Sujato has made a particularly welcome contribution to the 21st dissemination of the Dhamma, and it is nowhere more evident than in The Long Discourses. He has also offered brief but meaningful introductions to each of the 34 Discourses which helpfully set the topic or the scene. The Long Discourses is read in an engaged and clear manner by Taradasa.
Bhikkhu Sujato (Author), Taradasa (Narrator)
Audiobook
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