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Tipitaka » Sutta
Pitaka » Context of the Samyutta Nikaya
- The Samyutta Nikaya
- The Grouped Discourses
The Samyutta Nikaya, the third division of the Sutta Pitaka,
contains 2,889 suttas grouped into five sections (vaggas). Each vagga is
further divided into samyuttas, each of which in turn contains a group of suttas on
related topics. The samyuttas are named according to the topics of the suttas they
contain. For example, the Kosala Samyutta (in the Sagatha Vagga) contains suttas
concerning King Pasenadi of Kosala; the Vedana Samyutta (in the Salayatana Vagga) contains
suttas concerning feeling (vedana); and so on.
Selected suttas from the Samyutta Nikaya
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these suttas were translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu. An anthology of Thanissaro Bhikkhu's sutta translations is also
available in Microsoft Word 6 (Macintosh/Windows) format.
Contents
I . Devata-samyutta -- Devas.
II. Devaputta-samyutta -- Sons of the
Devas.
III. Kosala-samyutta -- King Pasenadi of
Kosala.
IV. Mara-samyutta -- Mara. Stories of Mara
challenging the Buddha and trying in vain to outwit him.
V. Bhikkhuni-samyutta -- Nuns. Stories
of Mara's attempts to lure the nuns away from their meditation spots in the forest by
asking them provocative questions. Without exception, these wise women conquer Mara
decisively.
- Alavika Sutta (SN V.1) -- Sister Alavika [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Mara: Why bother meditating? Why not just enjoy life's pleasures?
- Soma Sutta (SN V.2) -- Sister Soma [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Can women achieve Awakening? Ven. Sister Soma conquers this misguided question.
- Gotami Sutta (SN V.3) -- Sister Gotami [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Mara: Why bother sitting in solitude in the forest?
- Vijaya Sutta (SN V.4) -- Sister Vijaya [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Mara: Why don't we just put the meditation aside for awhile and go out dancing?
- Uppalavanna Sutta (SN V.5) -- Sister Uppalavanna [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Mara: Why don't you give up the solitude and danger of the forest for somewhere that's
safer?
- Cala Sutta (SN V.6) -- Sister Cala [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Mara: What's wrong with being reborn, anyway?
- Upacala Sutta (SN V.7) -- Sister Upacala [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Mara: Why not just settle for a happy rebirth among the devas?
- Sisupacala Sutta (SN V.8) -- Sister Sisupacala [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Sister Sisupacala shows Mara how following the path of Dhamma doesn't mean buying into to
a fixed philosophy.
- Sela Sutta (SN V.9) -- Sister Sela [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Mara tries to trip up Ven. Sister Sela with metaphysical questions.
- Vajira Sutta (SN V.10) -- Sister Vajira [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Bhikkhu Bodhi, tr.].
Have you ever found yourself getting pulled out of meditation by some fascinating -- but
utterly speculative -- train of thought? Ven. Sister Vajira shows how to deal with this
situation.
VI. Brahma-samyutta -- Brahma deities.
VII. Brahmana-samyutta -- Brahmins.
- Akkosa Sutta (SN VII.2) -- Insult. What is the
best response when someone is angry with you? Hint: if a host offers some food to a guest,
but the guest declines the offer, to whom does the food belong?
- Jata Sutta (SN VII.6) -- The Tangle. Jata
Bharadvaja asks the Buddha his famous question, "Who can untangle this tangle [of
craving]?" The Buddha's concise answer prompts Jata Bharadvaja's conversion and,
ultimately, his attainment of arahantship.
- Maha-Sala Sutta (SN VII.14) -- Very Rich. A
touching glimpse into the sorrow that a father feels when his ungrateful children fail to
honor him in his old age. Treat your parents well.
- Navakammika Sutta (SN VII.17) -- The Builder.
What useful work can one possibly accomplish by sitting in meditation under a tree in the
forest?
VIII. Vangisa-samyutta -- Ven. Vangisa.
IX. Vana-samyutta -- The forest.
X. Yakkha-samyutta -- Yakkha demons.
XI. Sakka-samyutta -- Sakka (the Deva
king).
XII. Abhisamaya-samyutta -- Paticcasamuppada
(dependent co-arising).
- Paticca-samuppada-vibhanga Sutta (SN XII.2) --
Analysis. A summary of the causal chain of dependent co-arising.
- Kaccayanagotta Sutta (SN XII.15) -- To Kaccayana
Gotta (on Right View). The Buddha explains to Ven. Kaccayana Gotta how dependent
co-arising applies in the development of right view.
- Bala-pandita Sutta (SN XII.19) -- The Fool and the
Wise Person. What is the difference between a fool and a wise person?
- Paccaya Sutta (SN XII.20) -- Requisite Conditions.
The Buddha explains that when dependent co-arising is clearly seen and understood, wrong
views and confusion disappear.
- Upanisa Sutta (SN XII.23) -- Prerequisites.
Here the Buddha explains that the ending of the mental effluents occurs when one sees and
understands dependent co-arising. The causal chain here includes an additional set of
factors not present in the "standard" chain of dependent co-arising.
- Bhumija Sutta (SN XII.25) -- To Bhumija. What
is the origin of pleasure and pain? Ven. Sariputta clears up some misconceptions.
- Bhutamidam Sutta (SN XII.31) -- This Has Come Into
Being. What characterizes the difference between a run-of-the-mill person, one who
practices the Dhamma, and one who has fully realized the Dhamma?
- Loka Sutta (SN XII.44) -- The World. How the
world arises and falls according to the law of dependent co-arising.
- Lokayatika Sutta (SN XII.48) -- The Cosmologist.
The Oneness of all being is sometimes taught as a basic Buddhist principle, but this
discourse shows that the Buddha himself rejected the idea. It is simply one of the
extremes that he avoided by teaching dependent co-arising.
- Upadana Sutta (SN XII.52) -- Clinging. The
Buddha uses a marvelous fire simile to describe the nature of clinging.
- Atthi Raga Sutta (SN XII.64) -- Where There Is
Passion. The Buddha describes four factors to which the mind habitually clings. Those
who succeed in abandoning passion for these "nutriments" can realize the
cessation of birth, aging, and death.
- Nagara Sutta (SN XII.65) -- The City. The
Buddha retells the story of how, on the eve of his Awakening, he re-discovered the
long-forgotten laws of dependent co-arising and the Four Noble Truths.
- Susima Sutta (SN XII.70) -- About Susima. The
Buddha explains to Susima that development of psychic powers is not a prerequisite for
enlightenment. (Note, however, that the sutta does not say that the development of
jhana is not necessary.)
XIII. Abhisamaya-samyutta --
Realization.
XIV. Dhatu-samyutta -- Elements.
XV. Anatamagga-samyutta -- The
unimaginable beginnings of samsara and transmigration.
- Assu Sutta (SN XV.3) -- Tears. "Which is
greater, the tears you have shed while transmigrating and wandering this long, long
time...or the water in the four great oceans?"
- Danda Sutta (SN XV.9) -- The Stick. We bounce
from one birth to the next, as a thrown stick bounces along the ground.
- Duggata Sutta (SN XV.11) -- Fallen on Hard Times.
When you encounter an unfortunate person, remember: you've been there, too.
- Sukhita Sutta (SN XV.12) -- Happy. When you
encounter a fortunate person, remember: you've been there, too.
- Mata Sutta (SN XV.14-19) -- Mother. It's hard
to meet someone who has not been, at some time in the distant past, your mother, father,
son, daughter, sister, or brother.
XVI. Kassapa-samyutta -- Ven. Maha
Kassapa.
- Jinna Sutta (SN XVI.5) -- Old. Ven. Maha Kassapa
explains why he chooses to continue meditating in the forest wilderness even though he has
long since attained arahantship.
XVII. Labhasakkara-samyutta --
Gains and tribute.
XVIII. Rahula-samyutta -- Ven. Rahula.
XIX. Lakkhana-samyutta -- Ven.
Lakkhana.
XX. Opamma-samyutta -- Comparisons.
XXI. Bhikkhu-samyutta -- Monks.
XXII. Khandha-samyutta -- The aggregates of
clinging/becoming.
- Nakulapita Sutta (SN XXII.1) -- To Nakulapita.
The Buddha explains to the aging householder Nakulapita how one need not be sick in mind
even though one may be sick in body.
- Devadaha Sutta (SN XXII.2) -- At Devadaha. Ven.
Sariputta explains the best way to introduce the Buddha's teachings to inquisitive,
intelligent people.
- Haliddakani Sutta (SN XXII.3) -- To Haliddakani.
Ven. Maha Kaccana explains to a householder what it means to live as a monk, free of
society, free of sensual passion, free of yearning, and free of quarreling.
- Samanupassana Sutta (SN XXII.47) -- Assumptions.
The Buddha speaks on the assumptions that underly self-view.
- Khandha Sutta (SN XXII.48) -- Aggregates. The
Buddha gives a summary of the teaching on the five aggregates.
- Upaya Sutta (SN XXII.53) -- Attached. When
passion for each of the five aggregates is completely abandoned, Awakening ensues.
- Parivatta Sutta (SN XXII.56) -- The (Fourfold)
Round. Direct knowledge of the "fourfold round" with respect to the
aggregates (knowledge of the aggregate, of its origination, of its cessation, and of the
path leading to its cessation) leads to Awakening.
- Sattatthana Sutta (SN XXII.57) -- Seven Bases.
The Buddha explains how one becomes an arahant through mastery of the seven-fold skill of
analysing the five aggregates.
- Anattalakkhana Sutta (SN XXII.59) -- The Discourse
on the Not-self Characteristic. The Buddha's second discourse, in which he discusses
the principle of anatta (not-self) with the group of five ascetics. By means of a
question-and-answer dialogue with his audience, the Buddha demonstrates that there can be
no abiding self in any of the five aggregates that we tend to identify as
"self." As a result of engaging in this discourse, all five monks attain full
Awakening (arahatta).
- Palileyyaka Sutta (SN XXII.81) -- At Palileyyaka.
Despite having heard many teachings from the Buddha, a monk still wonders how to bring his
meditation practice to a speedy conclusion. The Buddha explains that the goal can be
reached by understanding that each of the five aggregates is inconstant, fabricated, and
dependently co-arisen.
- Yamaka Sutta (SN XXII.85) -- To Yamaka. Ven.
Yamaka claims that when an arahant dies, he/she is utterly annihilated. Ven. Sariputta
pulls him out of this wrong view, and in so doing leads him to Awakening.
- Anuradha Sutta (SN XXII.86) -- To Anuradha.
Ven. Anuradha finds himself obsessing over questions about the fate of an arahant after
death. The Buddha pulls him out of his confused thinking, and suggests that the only thing
truly worth contemplating is suffering and its cessation.
- Nadi Sutta (SN XXII.93) -- The River. The
Buddha explains that a person who incorrectly takes the five aggregates to be
"self" is like a man swept away by a swift river, who grasps in vain at trees
and clumps of grass as he rushes by.
- Phena Sutta (SN XXII.95) -- Foam. The Buddha
gives some vivid similes to describe the voidness of the five aggregates.
- Gaddula Sutta (SN XXII.99) -- The Leash (1)
Gaddula Sutta (SN XXII.100) -- The Leash (2).
Those who don't penetrate the not-self nature of the five aggregates are doomed to go
round and round in circles, like a dog tied to a post.
- Nava Sutta (SN XXII.101) -- The Ship. The
Buddha explains that Awakening comes about not by wishful thinking, but only through
deliberate effort.
- Upadana Sutta (SN XXII.121) -- Clinging.
What are the phenomena to which we cling? Answer: each one of the five aggregates.
- Silavant Sutta (SN XXII.122) -- Virtuous.
Ven. Sariputta explains how every meditator -- beginner and arahant, alike -- should
contemplate the five aggregates (khandha).
XXIII. Radha-samyutta -- Ven. Radha. [top]
XXIV. Ditthi-samyutta -- Views.
XXV. Okkantika-samyutta -- Recurring.
XXVI. Uppada-samyutta -- Arising.
XXVII. Kilesa-samyutta -- Defilements.
XXVIII. Sariputta-samyutta -- Ven.
Sariputta.
XXIX. Naga-samyutta -- Nagas.
XXX. Supanna-samyutta -- Garudas.
XXXI. Gandhabbakaya-samyutta --
Gandhabba devas.
XXXII. Valahaka-samyutta --
Rain-cloud devas.
XXXIII. Vacchagotta-samyutta --
Ven. Vacchagotta.
XXXIV. Samadhi-samyutta --
Concentration.
XXXV. Salayatana-samyutta -- The six senses.
- Adittapariyaya Sutta (SN XXXV.28) -- The Fire
Sermon. Several months after his Awakening, the Buddha delivers this sermon to an
audience of 1,000 fire-worshipping ascetics. In his characteristically brilliant teaching
style, the Buddha uses a metaphor that quickly penetrates to the heart of the audience --
in this case, the metaphor of fire. Upon hearing this sermon, the entire audience attains
full Awakening (arahatta).
- Migajala Sutta (SN XXXV.63) -- To Migajala.
Why is true solitude so hard to find? The Buddha explains why, no matter where you go,
some of your most annoying companions always seem to be tagging along.
- Upasena Sutta (SN XXXV.69) -- Upasena. Ven.
Upasena, mortally wounded by a venomous snake, remains perfectly composed as he utters his
dying words to Ven. Sariputta, and reveals that he has thoroughly freed himself from any
identification with the body.
- Loka Sutta (SN XXXV.82) -- The World. The
Buddha explains how all things in the world share one inevitable and unfortunate
characteristic. Do you want to remain bound to a world like this?
- Suñña Sutta (SN XXXV.85) -- Empty. The
Buddha explains to Ven. Ananda in what way the world is devoid of anything that can
rightly be called "self."
- Punna Sutta (SN XXXV.88) -- To Punna. What
would you do with your mind while you're being beaten and stabbed? In this sutta
the Buddha instructs Punna on abandoning delight in the six senses. The Buddha then
quizzes Punna, to see if his patience and self-control are sufficiently developed to dwell
in Sunaparanta, a place reknowned for its fierce inhabitants.
- Samadhi Sutta (SN XXXV.99) -- Concentration.
The Buddha recommends concentration practice as a way to develop discernment of the
inconstancy of the six sense doors.
- Na Tumhaka Sutta (SN XXXV.101) -- Not Yours.
Do you usually think of "grass" or "leaves" as being "you"?
Of course not. In the same way, the sense of "self" cannot be found anywhere
within the realm of the senses.
- Marapasa Sutta (SN XXXV.115) -- Mara's Power.
The Buddha explains that once one completely frees oneself from chasing after sense
pleasures, one is then finally out of reach of Mara, the embodiment of evil.
- Bharadvaja Sutta (SN XXXV.127) -- About
Bharadvaja. Ven. Pindola Bharadvaja explains to a king the various tools one can use
to help maintain one's resolve towards celibacy.
- Kamma Sutta (SN XXXV.145) -- Action. The
Buddha explains how "old" kamma (the actions we performed in the past) and
"new" kamma (the actions we perform in the present) are both experienced in the
present.
- Kotthita Sutta (SN XXXV.191) -- To Kotthita.
Ven. Sariputta explains to Ven. Maha Kotthita that our problem lies neither in the senses
themselves nor in the objects to which the senses cling; rather, suffering comes from the
desire and passion that arises in dependence on both.
- Kumma Sutta (SN XXXV.199) -- The Tortoise.
If we guard the senses wisely, as a tortoise guards against attack by withdrawing into the
safety of its shell, we are safely out of Mara's reach.
- Kimsuka Sutta (SN XXXV.204) -- The Riddle Tree.
The Buddha explains how tranquillity (samatha) and insight (vipassana)
function together as a "swift pair of messengers" to guide the meditator onwards
to Nibbana.
- Vina Sutta (SN XXXV.205) -- The Lute. The
heart of insight (vipassana): When you take apart a lute in search of its music,
what do you find? When you take apart the five aggregates in search of "self,"
what do you find?
- Chappana Sutta (SN XXXV.206) -- The Six Animals.
The Buddha explains how training one's own mind is like keeping six unruly animals tied
together on a leash.
- Yavakalapi Sutta (SN XXXV.207) -- The Sheaf of
Barley. This sutta, if perhaps a bit disjointed, offers some fine similes to
illustrate the mind's tendency to create suffering for itself.
XXXVI. Vedana-samyutta -- Feeling.
- Samadhi Sutta (SN XXXVI.1) -- Concentration
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. How an understanding of the nature of feelings leads to Nibbana.
- Sukha Sutta (SN XXXVI.2) -- Happiness
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. How an understanding of the nature of feelings leads to the
ending of passion.
- Pahana Sutta (SN XXXVI.3) -- Giving up
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. True freedom is found by abandoning the mind's underlying
habitual tendencies (anusaya).
- Patala Sutta (SN XXXVI.4) -- The Bottomless Chasm [two
translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Nyanaponika
Thera, tr.]. The Buddha teaches that by meeting intense physical pain with
mindfulness, we can spare ourselves from falling headlong into the bottomless pit of
anguish and distress.
- Datthabba Sutta (SN XXXVI.5) -- To Be Known
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. Behind even the happiest and most pleasant of feelings lurks a
persistent pain that can, with correct practice, be overcome.
- Sallatha Sutta (SN XXXVI.6) -- The Arrow [two translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Nyanaponika Thera,
tr.]. When shot by the arrow of physical pain, an unwise person makes matters worse by
piling mental anguish on top of it, just as if he had been shot by two arrows. A wise
person feels the sting of one arrow alone.
- Gelañña Sutta (SN XXXVI.7) -- The Sick Ward (1) [two
translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Nyanaponika
Thera, tr.]. The Buddha visits a sick ward, and offers advice to the monks on how to
approach death with mindfulness.
- Gelañña Sutta (SN XXXVI.8) -- At the Sick Room
(2) [Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. (This sutta is nearly identical to the preceding one,
except here the feeling of pleasure, etc., is said to be dependent on contact
rather than dependent on the body.)
- Anicca Sutta (SN XXXVI.9) -- Impermanent
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. The impermanence of feeling.
- Phassamulaka Sutta (SN XXXVI.10) -- Rooted in
Sense-impression [Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. How sense-impression gives rise to feeling.
- Rahogata Sutta (SN XXXVI.11) -- Alone [two
translations: Thanissaro Bhikkhu, tr. | Nyanaponika
Thera, tr.]. The Buddha explains how the practice of jhana leads to progressive stages
of cessation and stillness. Only when the defilements are finally extinguished, however,
is true peace and stillness achieved.
- Akasa Sutta (SN XXXVI.12) -- In the Sky (1)
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. Feelings rise and fall, like winds blowing across the skies.
- Akasa Sutta (SN XXXVI.13) -- In the Sky (2). [This sutta repeats the prose section of
the preceding sutta, without the verse.]
- Agara Sutta (SN XXXVI.14) -- The Guest House
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. Feelings come and go, like house-guests.
- Santaka Sutta (SN XXXVI.15) -- To Ananda (1)
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. The Buddha explains to Ven. Ananda the origin of, danger in, and
escape from feeling.
- Santaka Sutta (SN XXXVI.16) -- To Ananda (2). [In this sutta the Buddha puts to Ven.
Ananda the same questions as in the preceding sutta, and answers
them in the same way.]
- Atthaka Sutta (SN XXXVI.17) -- Eightfold (1).
Atthaka Sutta (SN XXXVI.18) -- Eightfold (2). [In these suttas the same questions and
answers found in SN XXXVI.15 are repeated in the case of "many
monks."]
- Pañcakanga Sutta (SN XXXVI.19) -- Carpenter
Fivetools [Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. The Buddha describes the many kinds of happiness
that can be experienced through sustained practice. Which kind of happiness do you
seek? [The text of this sutta is identical to that of MN 59.]
- Bhikkhu Sutta (SN XXXVI.20) -- Monks. [This text, addressed to some bhikkhus, repeats
the main part of the preceding sutta, without its introductory section.]
- Moliyasivaka Sutta (SN XXXVI.21) -- To Sivaka
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. Are all of one's present experiences attributable to one's past
actions (kamma)? The Buddha explains that those who so claim are probably not speaking
from their direct experience. (Note that he is not saying that some factors --
e.g., the weather, accidents, etc. -- operate outside the law of kamma!) [For more on this
passage, see "Kamma and the Ending of Kamma"
in The Wings to Awakening.]
- Atthasatapariyaya Sutta (SN XXXVI.22) -- One
Hundred Eight Feelings [Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. An enumeration of the 108 kinds of
feeling. (Hint: 3x6x6=108.)
- Bhikkhu Sutta (SN XXXVI.23) -- To a Monk
Pubbe Sutta (SN XXXVI.24) -- Knowledge of the Past
Ñana Sutta (SN XXXVI.25) -- Knowledge
Sambahulabhikkhu Sutta (SN XXXVI.26) -- To Sambahula
Samanabrahmana Sutta (SN XXXVI.27) -- Contemplatives and Brahmins (1)
Samanabrahmana Sutta (SN XXXVI.28) -- Contemplatives and Brahmins (2)
Samanabrahmana Sutta (SN XXXVI.29) -- Contemplatives and Brahmins (3)
[These suttas repeat paragraphs 3-4 of SN XXXXVI.15; only
the interlocutors differ.]
- Suddhikavedana Sutta (SN XXXVI.30) -- Purified of Feeling. [Contains only an enumeration
of the three kinds of feeling.]
- Niramisa Sutta (SN XXXVI.31) -- Unworldly
[Nyanaponika Thera, tr.]. The Buddha describes the various grades of happiness and freedom
-- from the worldly to the transcendent -- that are available to us all.
XXXVII. Matugama-samyutta --
Destinies of women.
XXXVIII. Jambhukhadaka-samyutta
-- Jambhukhadaka the wanderer.
XXXIX. Samandaka-samyutta --
Samandaka the wanderer.
XL. Moggallana-samyutta -- Ven.
Moggallana.
XLI. Citta-samyutta -- Citta the
householder.
XLII. Gamani-samyutta -- Village
headmen.
XLIII. Asankhata-samyutta -- The
unfashioned (Nibbana).
XLIV. Avyakata-samyutta -- Not
designated.
XLV. Magga-samyutta -- The Noble Eightfold
Path.
XLVI. Bojjhanga-samyutta -- The Seven
Factors of Awakening. [See "The Seven Factors of Awakening" in The Wings to
Awakening.]
XLVII. Satipatthana-samyutta --
The Four Frames of Reference (Foundations of Mindfulness). [See "The Four Frames of
Reference" in The Wings to Awakening.]
XLVIII. Indriya-samyutta -- The Five
Mental Faculties. [See "The Five Faculties" in The Wings to Awakening.]
XLIX. Sammappadhana-samyutta --
The Four Right Exertions. [See "The Four Right Exertions" in The Wings to
Awakening.]
L. Bala-samyutta -- The Five Strengths. [See
"The Five Strengths" in The Wings to Awakening.]
LI. Iddhipada-samyutta -- The Four
Bases of Power. [See "The Four Bases of Power" in The Wings to Awakening.]
LII. Anuruddha-samyutta -- Ven.
Anuruddha.
LIII. Jhana-samyutta -- Jhana (mental
absorption).
LIV. Anapana-samyutta -- Mindfulness of
breathing.
LV. Sotapatti-samyutta -- Stream-entry.
LVI. Sacca-samyutta -- The Four Noble
Truths.
- Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN LVI.11) -- Setting
the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion. This is the Buddha's first discourse, delivered shortly
after his Awakening to the group of five monks with whom he had practiced the austerities
in the forest for many years. The sutta contains the essential teachings of the Four Noble
Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Upon hearing this discourse, the monk Kondañña
attained the first stage of Awakening, thus giving birth to the ariya sangha (Noble
Sangha).
- Simsapa Sutta (SN LVI.31) -- The Simsapa Leaves.
The Buddha compares the knowledge he gained in his Awakening to all the leaves in the
forest, and his teachings to a mere handful of leaves. He then explains why he didn't
reveal the remainder.
- Chiggala Sutta (SN LVI.48) -- The Hole. Here
is the Buddha's famous simile of the blind sea-turtle, illustrating the precious rarity of
this human birth.
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