Nuclear Suttas


  • DN 1: Brahmajāla Sutta — The All-embracing Net of Views {D i 1} [Bodhi].
    In this important sutta, the first in the Tipitaka, the Buddha describes sixty-two philosophical and speculative views concerning the self and the world that were prevalent among spiritual seekers of his day. In rejecting these teachings — many of which thrive to this day — he decisively establishes the parameters of his own.
  • DN 9: Potthapada Sutta — About Potthapada {D i 178} [Thanissaro].
    The wandering ascetic Potthapada brings to the Buddha a tangle of questions concerning the nature of perception. The Buddha clears up the matter by reviewing the fundamentals of concentration meditation and showing how it can lead to the ultimate cessation of perception.
  • DN 11: Kevatta (Kevaddha) Sutta — To Kevatta {D i 211} [Thanissaro].
    This discourse explores the role of miracles and conversations with heavenly beings as a possible basis for faith and belief. The Buddha does not deny the reality of such experiences, but he points out that — of all possible miracles — the only reliable one is the miracle of instruction in the proper training of the mind. As for heavenly beings, they are subject to greed, anger, and delusion, and so the information they give — especially with regard to the miracle of instruction — is not necessarily trustworthy. Thus the only valid basis for faith is the instruction that, when followed, brings about the end of one’s own mental defilements. The tale that concludes the discourse is one of the finest examples of the early Buddhist sense of humor. [This summary provided by the translator.]
  • DN 12: Lohicca Sutta — To Lohicca {D i 224} [Thanissaro].
    A non-Buddhist poses some good questions: If Dhamma is something that one must realize for oneself, then what is the role of a teacher? Are there any teachers who don’t deserve some sort of criticism? The Buddha’s reply includes a sweeping summary of the entire path of practice.
  • DN 16: Maha-parinibbana Sutta — Last Days of the Buddha/The Great Discourse on the Total Unbinding {D ii 137; chapters 5-6} [Vajira/Story (excerpt) | Thanissaro (excerpt)].
    This wide-ranging sutta, the longest one in the Pali canon, describes the events leading up to, during, and immediately following the death and final release (parinibbana) of the Buddha. This colorful narrative contains a wealth of Dhamma teachings, including the Buddha’s final instructions that defined how Buddhism would be lived and practiced long after the Buddha’s death — even to this day. But this sutta also depicts, in simple language, the poignant human drama that unfolds among the Buddha’s many devoted followers around the time of the death of their beloved teacher.
  • DN 22: Maha-satipatthana Sutta — The Great Frames of Reference {D ii 290} [Burma Piṭaka Assn. | Thanissaro].
    This sutta offers comprehensive practical instructions on the development of mindfulness in meditation. The Buddha describes how the development of continuous mindfulness of the four satipatthana(“foundations of mindfulness” or “frames of reference”) — mindfulness of the body, of feelings, of the mind, and of mind-objects — can lead ultimately to full Awakening. [The text of this sutta is identical to that of the Satipatthana Sutta (MN 10), except that the Majjhima version omits the exposition of the Four Noble Truths (sections 5a,b,c and d in part D of this version).]

  • MN 1: Mulapariyaya Sutta — The Root Sequence {M i 1} [Thanissaro].
    In this difficult but important sutta the Buddha reviews in depth one of the most fundamental principles of Buddhist thought and practice: namely, that there is no thing — not even Nibbana itself — that can rightly be regarded as the source from which all phenomena and experience emerge.
  • MN 14: Cula-dukkhakkhandha Sutta — The Lesser Mass of Stress {M i 91} [Thanissaro].
    What mental qualities must be abandoned in order to free oneself of greed, aversion, and delusion? Can painful austerities be used to purify oneself and burn away the karmic fruit of past misdeeds? Through question-and-answer dialogues with the lay follower Mahanama and with a group of Jain ascetics, the Buddha lays these questions to rest.
  • MN 18: Madhupindika Sutta — The Ball of Honey {M i 108} [Thanissaro].
    A man looking to pick a fight asks the Buddha to explain his doctrine. The Buddha’s answer mystifies not only the man, but also a number of monks. Ven. Maha Kaccana finally provides an explanation, and in the course of doing so explains what is needed to bring the psychological sources of conflict to an end.
  • MN 19: Dvedhavitakka Sutta — Two Sorts of Thinking {M i 114} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha recounts the events leading up to his Awakening, and describes his discovery that thoughts connected with sensuality, ill-will, and harmfulness do not lead one to Awakening, while those connected with their opposites (renunciation, non ill-will, and harmlessness) do.
  • MN 36: Maha-Saccaka Sutta — The Longer Discourse to Saccaka {M i 237} [Thanissaro].
    In response to an insinuating remark — that his ability not to be overcome by pleasure and pain is due simply to the fact that he never experienced any intense pleasures or pains — the Buddha recounts the  pains he endured in his austerities, and the pleasures that attended the path to and his attainment of Awakening.
  • MN 39: Maha-Assapura Sutta — The Greater Discourse at Assapura {M i 271} [Thanissaro].
    he Buddha outlines the full course of training by which a meditator may earn the right to call him- or herself a true contemplative. As presented here, the training begins with conscience and concern for the results of one’s actions, and leads progressively through the cultivation of virtue, sense-restraint, moderation, wakefulness, mindfulness, alertness, the four jhanas, finally culminating in the realization of the insight knowledges.
  • MN 58: Abhaya Sutta — To Prince Abhaya {M i 392} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha explains the criteria for determining whether or not something is worth saying. This discourse is a beautiful example of the Buddha’s skill as teacher: not only does he talk about right speech, but he also demonstrates right speech in action.
  • MN 70: Kitagiri Sutta — At Kitagiri {M i 473} [Thanissaro].
    A discourse on the importance of conviction in the Buddhist path. Not only is conviction a prerequisite for listening to the Buddha’s teachings with respect, but — as is shown by the unusual discussion here categorizing the types of noble disciples — it can underlie the practice all the way to the Deathless.
  • MN 82: Ratthapala Sutta — About Ratthapala {M ii 54} [Thanissaro].
    A two-part story about the monk who, the Buddha said, was foremost among his disciples in ordaining on the power of pure conviction. In the first part of the story, Ratthapala deals with his parents’ opposition to his ordaining, and their attempts, after ordination, to lure him back to lay life. In the second part, he recalls the four observations about the world that inspired him, as a healthy and wealthy young man, to ordain in the first place.
  • MN 90: Kannakatthala Sutta — At Kannakatthala {M ii 125} [Thanissaro].
    A case study in how social advantages can be a spiritual liability. The discussion focuses on the factors needed for release — attainable by all people, regardless of caste or race — while the gently satirical frame story shows how the life of a king, or any highly placed person, presents obstacles to developing those factors.
  • MN 93: Assalayana Sutta — With Assalayana {M ii 147} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha enters into a debate with a brahman on whether one’s worth as a person is determined by birth or by behavior. Although some of the arguments he presents here deal with the specifics of brahman caste pride, many of them are applicable to issues of racism and nationalism in general.
  • MN 97: Dhanañjani Sutta — To Dhanañjani {M ii 184} [Thanissaro].
    A poignant story of a lay person whose welfare was of special concern to Ven. Sariputta, this discourse teaches two lessons in heedfulness. (1) If you’re engaging in wrong livelihood, don’t expect  to escape the karmic consequences even if you’re doing it to fulfil your duties to your family, parents, or friends. (2) Don’t be satisfied with mundane levels of attainment in meditation when there is still more to be done.
  • MN 101: Devadaha Sutta — At Devadaha {M ii 214} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha refutes a Jain theory of kamma, which claims that one’s present experience is determined solely by one’s actions in past lives, and that the effects of past unskillful actions can be “burned away” through austerity practices. The Buddha here outlines one of his most important teachings on kamma: that it is both the results of past deeds and present actions that shape one’s experience of the present. It is precisely this interaction of present and past that opens up the very possibility of Awakening.
  • MN 105: Sunakkhatta Sutta — To Sunakkhatta {M ii 252} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha addresses the problem of meditators who overestimate their progress in meditation. The sutta ends with a warning: anyone who claims enlightenment as license for unrestrained behavior is like  someone who fails to follow the doctor’s orders after surgery, who knowingly drinks a cup of poison, or who deliberately extends a hand toward a deadly snake.
  • MN 108: Gopaka Moggallana Sutta — Moggallana the Guardsman {M iii 7} [Thanissaro].
    Ven. Ananda explains how the Sangha maintains its unity and internal discipline after the passing away of the Buddha [BB]. Interestingly, this sutta also shows that early Buddhist practice had no room for many practices that developed in later Buddhist traditions, such as appointed lineage holders, elected ecclesiastical heads, or the use of mental defilements as a basis for concentration practice.
  • MN 109: Maha-punnama Sutta — The Great Full-moon Night Discourse {M iii 15} [Thanissaro].
    A thorough discussion of issues related to the five aggregates. Toward the end of the discussion, a monk thinks that he has found a loophole in the teaching. The way the Buddha handles this incident shows the proper use of the teachings on the aggregates: not as a metaphysical theory, but as a tool for questioning clinging and so gaining release.
  • MN 118: Anapanasati Sutta — Mindfulness of Breathing {M iii 78} [Thanissaro].
    One of the most important texts for beginning and veteran meditators alike, this sutta is the Buddha’s roadmap to the entire course of meditation practice, using the vehicle of breath meditation. The simple practice of mindfulness of breathing leads the practitioner gradually through 16 successive phases of development, culminating in full Awakening.
  • MN 126: Bhumija Sutta — To Bhumija {M iii 138} [Thanissaro].
    Does the desire for Awakening get in the way of Awakening? According to this discourse, the question of desiring or not desiring is irrelevant as long as one develops the appropriate qualities that constitute the path to Awakening. The discourse is also very clear on the point that there are right and wrong paths of practice: as a geographer might say, not every river flows to the sea.
  • MN 140: Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta — An Analysis of the Properties {M iii 237} [Thanissaro].
    A poignant story in which a wanderer, searching for the Buddha, meets the Buddha without realizing it. He recognizes his mistake only after the Buddha teaches him a profound discourse on four determinations and the six properties of experience. An excellent illustration of the Buddha’s statement, “Whoever sees the Dhamma sees me.”
  • SN 27.1-10: Upakkilesa Samyutta — Defilements {S iii 232; CDB i 1012} [Thanissaro].
    These ten suttas explain why it is worth abandoning desire that is associated with: (1) the six sense bases; (2) their objects; (3) consciousness; (4) contact; (5) feeling; (6) perception; (7) intentions; (8) craving; (9) the six elements (earth, liquid, fire, wind, space, and consciousness); and (10) the five aggregates. 
  • SN 37.4: Vaddha Sutta — Growth {S iv 250; CDB ii 1293} [Thanissaro].
    This brief sutta, which encourages education for women, may account for the fact that in the pre-modern world Theravada Buddhist countries had the highest rates of female literacy. [TB]


 

  • AN 3.61: Tittha Sutta — Sectarians {A i 173; Thai III.62} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha explains how three common views about pain and pleasure can, if followed to their logical conclusion, lead to a life of inaction. He then shows how pain and pleasure actually do come about and how they can be transcended.
  • A i 188; Thai III.66} [Soma | Thanissaro].
    The Buddha explains to a group of skeptics the proper criteria for accepting a spiritual teaching.

  • A ii 10} [Nizamis | Thanissaro].
    In many discourses, the Buddha speaks of “the unexcelled rest from the yoke.” In this discourse he explains what yokes he is referring to, and how that rest comes about. [TB]
  • AN 4.36: Dona Sutta — With Dona {A ii 37} [Thanissaro].
    A passerby, struck by the Buddha’s serene presence, asks him, “What are you? Are you a deva? A spirit? A human being?” The Buddha’s now-famous reply has made this one of the most oft-quoted passages in the entire Canon.
  • AN 4.111: Kesi Sutta — To Kesi the Horsetrainer {A ii 111} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha explains to Kesi, a horsetrainer, how he teaches Dhamma. This brilliant exposition warrants close study by every teacher, as it reveals the multiple levels in which effective teaching operates: the Buddha speaks in terms that the listener understands (horsetraining), he uses similes to great effect, and he deftly answers the real question that lies behind the student’s query (“Please, can you train me?”).
  • A ii 114} [Woodward | Thanissaro].
    How much dukkha does it take to motivate you to practice the Dhamma in earnest? The Buddha illustrates his point with the famous simile of a thoroughbred horse stirred to action by its rider.
  • A ii 128} [Ñanamoli | Thanissaro].
    The Buddha describes four possible courses of rebirth open to someone who practices the brahma-vihara (good will, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity).
  • A ii 129} [Ñanamoli | Thanissaro].
    The Buddha describes another possible course of rebirth open to someone who practices the brahma-vihara (good will, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity).
  • AN 5.37: Bhojana Sutta — A Meal {A iii 42} [Thanissaro].
    Whenever one gives the gift of food, five wonderful things are also given, automatically, to both giver and recipient alike. [Often chanted by monks as a blessing after receiving food or other offerings.]
  • A iii 57} [Thanissaro | Hecker/Khema].
    When Queen Mallika dies, her husband, King Pasenadi, is overcome with grief. The Buddha advises the king on how to free himself of obsessive grieving.
  • AN 5.176: Piti Sutta — Rapture {A iii 206} [Thanissaro].
    Instructions to a generous lay person: Generosity is good, but there is still more to be done. An even greater happiness awaits if you practice meditation to attain an internal state of seclusion and rapture.

  • AN 6.54: Dhammika Sutta — Dhammika {A iii 366} [Olendzki (excerpt)].
    In the first of these excerpts, the Buddha uses a telling simile to explain the meaning of his most common epithet, Tathagata — “the Thus-Gone one.” In the second, the Buddha tells a story illustrating how patient endurance is the best response to the insults of others.
  • AN 6.63: Nibbedhika Sutta — Penetrative {A iii 410} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha explains that mastery of the Dhamma comes from meditating on six factors in the mind, each of which should be understood deeply in six different ways. This sutta contains a lovely short verse pointing out the true cause of attachment based on sensuality.


  • A iv 281} [Thanissaro | Narada].
    The Buddha’s instructions for householders on how to preserve and increase wealth and happiness, in both the mundane and spiritual senses.

  • AN 9.45: Ubhatobhaga Sutta — (Released) Both Ways {A iv 453} [Thanissaro].
    In this group of short suttas, Ven. Ananda answers Ven. Udayin’s lingering questions about the meaning of several key terms that the Buddha uses in other suttas: What is a “bodily witness”? What is  “discernment-release”? What is “released both ways”? Ven. Ananda shows here that the development of jhana plays an integral part in the development of wisdom.

 

  • AN 10.29: Kosala Sutta — The Kosalan {A v 59} [Thanissaro].
    Like supremacy in the human and deva worlds, exalted states of mind — even experiences of all-encompassing white light and non-dual consciousness — are all subject to change and aberration. Some people criticized the Buddha for showing the way to freedom from this change and aberration. In this sutta the Buddha offers a series of contemplations for inducing disenchantment and dispassion for even the most supreme things in the cosmos. [TB]
  • A v 108} [Thanissaro | Piyadassi].
    The Buddha instructs Ven. Girimananda, who is ill, on the ten themes of meditation that can heal both mind and body.
  • AN 10.71: Akankha Sutta — Wishes {A v 131} [Thanissaro].
    This discourse lists ten reasons, in ascending worth, for perfecting the precepts and being committed to the development of calm (samatha) and insight (vipassana). An interesting feature of this discussion is that the Buddha does not separate insight and jhana into separate paths of practice, and actually cites insight, together with tranquillity, as a prerequisite for mastering the four jhanas. [TB]
  • AN 11.13: Mahanama Sutta — To Mahanama (2) {A v 332} [Thanissaro].
    The Buddha further instructs the householder Mahanama on the importance of developing the six recollections, reminding him to develop these recollections in every posture, even “while you are busy at work, while you are resting in your home crowded with children.”
  • A v 342; BJT calls this the Mettanisamsa Sutta; Thai, Burmese, and PTS call it Metta Sutta.} [Piyadassi | Thanissaro].
    Eleven benefits arising from the practice of metta (loving kindness, or good-will) meditation.

The difference of whitelotus sutta and theravadin sutta is we don;t use khuddhaka nikaya section, because most parts of khuddaka nikaya are not words of Buddha.


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