philosophy & spirituality In the Buddha’s This …

1 TeachingsofthebuddhaAn Anthology of Discoursesfrom thePa li CanonBuddha sWordsIntheEditedandintroducedbyBhikkhu BodhiEditedandintroducedbyBhikkhuBodhifo rewordbythedalailamaIntheBuddha sWordsAnAnthologyofDiscoursesfrom thePa li CanonwisdomThislandmarkcollectionis the definitive introduction tothe buddha s teachings in his own words. The Americanscholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations havewon widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of theBuddha from the Pa li Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddhataught. Divided into ten thematic chapters,IntheBuddha sWordsreveals the full scope of the buddha s discourses, from family life andmarriage to renunciation and the path of sWordsallows even readers unacquainted withBuddhism to grasp the significance of the buddha s contributions toour world heritage.

2 Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent tes-timony to the breadth and intelligence of the buddha s teachings, andpoint the way to an ancient yet ever-vital path. There are two ways of looking at any work of Buddhist is to view it from the outside, as an object situated in its histori-cal and cultural milieu. The other, more inward, perspective is toregard its potential transformative effect upon its readers. From eitherone of these perspectives, this new work is s introductions to each chapter strung together would them-selves serve as a beautiful and accessible overview of the Dhamma. Buddhadharma:ThePractitioner sQuarterlyphilosophy& spirituality /buddhi sm/sacredwritingsISBN978-0-86171-491-9US $ Note from the PublisherWe hope you will enjoy this Wisdom book. For your conven-ience, this digital edition is delivered to you without digitalrights management (DRM).

3 This makes it easier for you touse across a variety of digital platforms, as well as preserve inyour personal library for future device nonprofit mission is to develop and deliver to you the veryhighest quality books on Buddhism and mindful living. Wehope this book will be of benefit to you, and we sincerely appre-ciate your support of the author and Wisdom with your pur-chase. If you d like to consider additional support of ourmission, please visit our website at at IntheBuddha sWordsAcquired at Tamed, he is supreme among those who tame;At peace, he is the sage among those who bring peace;Freed, he is the chief of those who set free;Delivered, he is the best of those who deliver. A guttara Nik ya4:23 Acquired at IntheBuddha sWordsAnAnthologyofDiscoursesfromthePa liCanonEditedandintroducedbyBhikkhuBodhi Wisdom Publications BostonAcquired at Wisdom Publications, Elm StreetSomerville MA 02144 2005 Bhikkhu BodhiAll rights rights reserved.

4 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior permis-sion of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be made to the of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataTipi aka. Suttapi aka. English. the buddha s words : an anthology of discourses from the Pali canon /edited and introducedby Bhikkhu Bodhi. 1st bibliographical references and 0-86171-491-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)I. Bodhi, Bhikkhu. II. '823--dc222005018336 ISBN 0-86171-491-113 12 11 10 099 8 7 6 5 The publisher thanks AltaMira Press for kindly granting permission to include in thisanthology selections fromNumerical Discourses of the buddha : An Anthology of Suttasfrom the A guttara Nik ya, translated and edited by Nyanaponika Thera and and interior design by Gopa&Ted2, Inc.

5 Set in DPalatino 10 : Standing buddha Shakyamuni. Pakistan, Gandhara, second 250cm. Courtesy of the Miho Museum, Publications books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelinesfor permanence and durability set by the Council of Library in the United States of book was produced with environmental mindfulness. We have elected toprint this title on 30% PCW recycled paper. As a result, we have saved the follow-ing resources: 67 trees, 21 million BTUs of energy, 6,413 lbs. of greenhouse gases, 30,886gallons of water, and 1,875 lbs. of solid waste. For more information, please visit ourwebsite, This paper is also FSC certified. For more information,please ISBN 978-0-86171-996-9 Acquired at ContentsForewordviiPrefaceixList of AbbreviationsxivKey to the Pronunciation of P lixvDetailed List of ContentsxviiGeneral Introduction1I.

6 The Human Condition17II. The Bringer of Light41 III. Approaching the Dhamma79IV. The Happiness Visible in This Present Life105V. The Way to a Fortunate Rebirth143VI. Deepening One s Perspective on the World181 VII. The Path to Liberation221 VIII. Mastering the Mind255IX. Shining the Light of Wisdom299X. The Planes of Realization371 Notes425 Table of Sources459 Glossary469 Bibliography471 Index of Subjects473 Index of Proper Names479 Index of Similes481 Index of Selected P li Sutta Titles483 Index of P li Terms Discussed in the Notes485vAcquired at Publisher s AcknowledgmentFor their help in sponsoring the printing of this book, the publishergratefully acknowledges the generous help of the Hershey FamilyFoundation and the kind contribution made in loving memory of GanChin Hong by his at ForewordMore than two thousand five hundred years have passed since ourkind teacher, buddha kyamuni, taught in India.

7 He offered advice toall who wished to heed it, inviting them to listen, reflect, and criticallyexamine what he had to say. He addressed different individuals andgroups of people over a period of more than forty the buddha s passing, a record of what he said was maintainedas an oral tradition. Those who heard the teachings would periodicallymeet with others for communal recitations of what they had heard andmemorized. In due course, these recitations from memory were writ-ten down, laying the basis for all subsequent Buddhist literature. TheP li Canon is one of the earliest of these written records and the onlycomplete early version that has survived intact. Within the P li Canon,the texts known as the Nik yas have the special value of being a sin-gle cohesive collection of the buddha s teachings in his own teachings cover a wide range of topics; they deal not only withrenunciation and liberation, but also with the proper relations betweenhusbands and wives, the management of the household, and the waycountries should be governed.

8 They explain the path of spiritual devel-opment from generosity and ethics, through mind training and therealization of wisdom, all the way up to the attainment of teachings from the Nik yas collected here provide fascinatinginsights into how the buddha s teachings were studied, preserved, andunderstood in the early days of Buddhism s development. Modernreaders will find them especially valuable for reinvigorating and clar-ifying their understanding of many fundamental Buddhist the buddha s essential message of compassion, ethical respon-sibility, mental tranquillity, and discernment is as relevant today as itwas more than twenty-five hundred years Buddhism spread and took root in many parts of Asia,evolving into diverse traditions according to the place and occasion,distance and differences of language limited exchange betweenBuddhists in the past.

9 One of the results of modern improvements inviiAcquired at transport and communication that I most appreciate is the vastlyexpanded opportunities those interested in Buddhism now have toacquaint themselves with the full range of Buddhist teaching and prac-tice. What I find especially encouraging about this book is that it showsso clearly how much fundamentally all schools of Buddhism have incommon. I congratulate Bhikkhu Bodhi for this careful work of com-pilation and translation. I offer my prayers that readers may findadvice here and the inspiration to put it into practice that willenable them to develop inner peace, which I believe is essential for thecreation of a happier and more peaceful Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai LamaMay 10, 2005viiiIn the buddha s WordsAcquired at PrefaceThe buddha s discourses preserved in the P li Canon are calledsuttas,the P li equivalent of the Sanskrit words tras.

10 Although the P liCanon belongs to a particular Buddhist school the Therav da, orSchool of the Elders the suttas are by no means exclusivelyTherav da Buddhist texts. They stem from the earliest period ofBuddhist literary history, a period lasting roughly a hundred yearsafter the buddha s death, before the original Buddhist communitydivided into different schools. The P li suttas have counterparts fromother early Buddhist schools now extinct, texts sometimes strikinglysimilar to the P li version, differing mainly in settings and arrange-ments but not in points of doctrine. The suttas, along with their coun-terparts, thus constitute the most ancient records of the buddha steachings available to us; they are the closest we can come to what thehistorical buddha Gotama himself actually taught.