Turning the Wheel of Dhamma · SN 56.11
Early discourse · Four Noble Truths
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Texts
Sūtras, discourses and collected teachings. A place to read and explore.
Pāli text abbreviations
A quick key to references in books and Dharma talks. These are selected texts and collections from the Pāli canon preserved in Theravāda Buddhism. English titles vary by translator.
| Abbreviation | Pāli title | English name |
|---|---|---|
| AN | Aṅguttara Nikāya →Reading guide | Numerical DiscoursesAlso: Numbered DiscoursesTeachings arranged by the number of items in a set. |
| Dhp | Dhammapada →Reading guide | The Path of DhammaAlso: Sayings of the DhammaA collection of verses in the Khuddaka Nikāya. |
| DN | Dīgha Nikāya →Reading guide | Long DiscoursesA collection of longer discourses. |
| Iti | Itivuttaka ↗Translations at source | Thus It Was SaidShort teachings in prose and verse, in the Khuddaka Nikāya. |
| MN | Majjhima Nikāya →Reading guide | Middle-length DiscoursesA collection of discourses of intermediate length. |
| Mv | Mahāvagga ↗Translations at source | Great DivisionHere, the Vinaya section on monastic life, ordination and the early community. |
| SN | Saṃyutta Nikāya →Reading guide | Connected DiscoursesAlso: Linked DiscoursesDiscourses grouped by subject. |
| Snalso Snp | Sutta Nipāta ↗Translations at source | Collection of DiscoursesA separate work, largely in verse, in the Khuddaka Nikāya. |
| Thag | Theragāthā ↗Translations at source | Verses of the Elder MonksPoems attributed to early Buddhist monks, in the Khuddaka Nikāya. |
| Thig | Therīgāthā →Reading guide | Verses of the Elder NunsPoems attributed to early Buddhist nuns, in the Khuddaka Nikāya. |
| Ud | Udāna ↗Translations at source | Inspired UtterancesAlso: ExclamationsShort narratives with inspired sayings, in the Khuddaka Nikāya. |
How to read a reference
Two useful distinctions
SN ≠ Sn. SN is the Saṃyutta Nikāya; Sn (also written Snp) is the Sutta Nipāta. Here, Snp refers to the latter.
Mv belongs to the Vinaya. Mahāvagga is also used as a division title elsewhere; in this abbreviation list it refers to the monastic discipline collection.
Numbering can vary between editions, especially in AN and SN. Check the translator’s reference key when comparing passages.
Explore the Khuddaka Nikāya and Vinaya. Reference sources: Access to Insight ↗, Dhammatalks ↗, and SuttaCentral’s reader’s guide ↗.
More texts
Foundations & everyday life
The path’s basic framework, ethical reflection, inquiry and relationships.
An Analysis of the Path · SN 45.8
Early discourse · Noble Eightfold Path
Well-Spoken Words · AN 5.198
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 5.198
Advice to Rāhula · MN 61
Early discourse · honesty and ethical reflection
Kālāma Sutta · AN 3.65/3.66
Early discourse · inquiry and ethical judgment
Advice for Lay Life · DN 31
Early discourse · Sigālovāda Sutta
With Bhāradvāja the Rude · SN 7.2
Early discourse · anger and non-retaliation
Getting Rid of Resentment (1st) · AN 5.161
Early discourse · five responses to resentment
The Simile of the Saw · MN 21
Early discourse · patience and goodwill
With Kesi · AN 4.111
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 4.111
Equality (1st) · AN 4.55
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 4.55
Getting Rid of Resentment (2nd) · AN 5.162
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 5.162
Trades · AN 5.177
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 5.177
Subjects for Regular Reviewing · AN 5.57
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 5.57
Mindfulness of Death (2nd) · AN 6.20
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 6.20
Overflowing Merit · AN 8.39
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 8.39
With Dīghajāṇu · AN 8.54
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 8.54
Is This What You Think Of Me? · MN 103
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 103
The Great Discourse on Taking Up Practices · MN 46
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 46
The Mendicants of Kosambī · MN 48
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 48
At Kīṭāgiri · MN 70
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 70
Right View · MN 9
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 9
Meditation & insight
Training attention, understanding feeling, and exploring change and release.
Karaṇīya Mettā · Sn 1.8
Pāli canon · goodwill
Two Kinds of Thought · MN 19
Early discourse · intention and mental cultivation
The Arrow · SN 36.6
Early discourse · pain and our response
Ānāpānasati · MN 118
Pāli canon · mindfulness of breathing
Satipaṭṭhāna · MN 10
Pāli canon · mindfulness
The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness · MN 121
Early discourse · dwelling in emptiness
Not-self · SN 22.59
Early discourse · the five aggregates
Dependent Origination · SN 12.2
Early discourse · conditions and suffering
Unlearned · SN 12.61
Early discourse · the changing mind
The Fire Sermon · SN 35.28
Early discourse · the senses and attachment
The Gradual Training · MN 107
Early discourse · a stepwise monastic training
The Great Forty · MN 117
Pāli canon · Noble Eightfold Path
With Mahānāma (1st) · AN 11.11
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 11.11
With Saṅgārava · AN 3.60
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 3.60
Training (2nd) · AN 3.87
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 3.87
Three Trainings (1st) · AN 3.89
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 3.89
Love (1st) · AN 4.125
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 4.125
The King of Kosala · AN 5.49
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 5.49
Mindfulness of Death (1st) · AN 6.19
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 6.19
Nodding Off · AN 7.61
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 7.61
Worldly Conditions (2nd) · AN 8.6
Early Buddhist discourse · AN 8.6
With Kevaḍḍha · DN 11
Early Buddhist discourse · DN 11
The Fruits of the Ascetic Life · DN 2
Early Buddhist discourse · DN 2
About Pāṭikaputta · DN 24
Early Buddhist discourse · DN 24
One by One · MN 111
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 111
Advice to Anāthapiṇḍika · MN 143
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 143
Six By Six · MN 148
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 148
The Development of the Faculties · MN 152
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 152
The Honey-Cake · MN 18
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 18
The Simile of the Cobra · MN 22
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 22
Chariots at the Ready · MN 24
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 24
The Longer Simile of the Elephant’s Footprint · MN 28
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 28
The Longer Discourse With Saccaka · MN 36
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 36
The Longer Discourse on the Ending of Craving · MN 38
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 38
Fear and Dread · MN 4
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 4
The Shorter Elaboration · MN 44
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 44
A Trainee · MN 53
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 53
The Longer Advice to Rāhula · MN 62
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 62
The Shorter Discourse With Māluṅkyaputta · MN 63
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 63
With Caṅkī · MN 95
Early Buddhist discourse · MN 95
Kaccānagotta · SN 12.15
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 12.15
Grasping · SN 12.52
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 12.52
With Yamaka · SN 22.85
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 22.85
With Vakkali · SN 22.87
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 22.87
A Lump of Foam · SN 22.95
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 22.95
With Sīvaka · SN 36.21
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 36.21
A Question About Extinguishment · SN 38.1
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 38.1
With Khemā · SN 44.1
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 44.1
Nourishing · SN 46.51
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 46.51
Fire · SN 46.53
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 46.53
Analysis (2nd) · SN 48.10
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 48.10
At Sāketa · SN 48.43
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 48.43
The Brahmin Uṇṇābha · SN 51.15
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 51.15
Analysis · SN 51.20
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 51.20
In a Rosewood Forest · SN 56.31
Early Buddhist discourse · SN 56.31
Early voices & poetry
Verses, the voices of early Buddhist nuns, and the narrative of the Buddha’s final days.
Dhammapada
Pāli canon · Khuddaka Nikāya
Therīgāthā · Poems of the Elder Nuns
Early poetry · women’s voices
The Buddha’s Final Days · DN 16
Early discourse · Mahāparinibbāna Sutta
The Dart · Snp 3.8
Early Buddhist verse · Snp 3.8
Quarrels and Disputes · Snp 4.11
Early Buddhist verse · Snp 4.11
Taking Up Arms · Snp 4.15
Early Buddhist verse · Snp 4.15
Ubbirī · Thig 3.5
Early Buddhist verse · Thig 3.5
Khemā · Thig 6.3
Early Buddhist verse · Thig 6.3
Mahāpajāpati Gotamī · Thig 6.6
Early Buddhist verse · Thig 6.6
Upon Awakening (1st) · Ud 1.1
Early Buddhist discourse · Ud 1.1
With Bāhiya · Ud 1.10
Early Buddhist discourse · Ud 1.10
With Mucalinda · Ud 2.1
Early Buddhist discourse · Ud 2.1
With Suppabuddha the Leper · Ud 5.3
Early Buddhist discourse · Ud 5.3
Mahāyāna sūtras
Wisdom, compassion, buddha-nature and the bodhisattva path across Mahāyāna traditions.
Heart Sūtra
Mahāyāna · Perfection of Wisdom
Diamond Sūtra
Mahāyāna · Perfection of Wisdom
The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
Mahāyāna · wisdom in ordinary life
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines
Mahāyāna · Prajñāpāramitā
Lotus Sūtra
Mahāyāna · Tiantai, Tendai & Nichiren
Avataṃsaka · Flower Garland
Mahāyāna · Huayan
Browse collectionThe Stem Array · Gaṇḍavyūha
Mahāyāna · Avataṃsaka chapter 45 · Toh 44-45
Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra
Mahāyāna · Yogācāra
Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
Mahāyāna · mind and realization
The Lion’s Roar of Queen Śrīmālā
Mahāyāna · Buddha-nature
Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra
Mahāyāna · Buddha-nature · Tathāgata essence
Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra · Volume I
Mahāyāna · Nirvāṇa Sūtra · Buddha-nature
Śūraṅgama (Shurangama) Sūtra
East Asian Mahāyāna · Chan · mind and meditation
The Pure Land sūtras
Mahāyāna · Amitābha traditions
Browse collectionThe Sūtra on the Three Bodies
Mahāyāna · the three bodies of a buddha
The Teaching on the Aids to Enlightenment
Mahāyāna · mindfulness and the path
Inspiring Determination
Mahāyāna · bodhisattva conduct · Toh 69
The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines
Mahāyāna · Prajñāpāramitā · Toh 8
The Ten Bhūmis
Mahāyāna · bodhisattva stages · Toh 44-31
The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1)
Mahāyāna · longevity scripture · Toh 849
The Play in Full
Mahāyāna · the Buddha’s life · Toh 95
The Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra
Mahāyāna · the Samādhi of the Heroic March
East Asian teachings
Chan and Zen, Pure Land, Tiantai, Nichiren and Shingon teaching traditions.
Platform Sūtra
Chinese Chan · Huineng tradition
Three Chan Classics
Chan · Linji, Wumen & the Faith-Mind Maxim
Browse collectionZen poetry
Chan & Zen · eight selected poems
Shōbōgenzō · Volume I
Japanese Sōtō · Dōgen
Essentials of Buddhist Meditation
Tiantai · Zhiyi · calming and insight
The Awakening of Faith
East Asian Mahāyāna · mind and awakening
Kyōgyōshinshō · Teaching, Practice & Realization
Japanese Pure Land · Shinran
The Writings of Nichiren
Japanese Buddhism · Lotus-centered teaching
Browse collectionShingon Texts
Vajrayāna · esoteric Buddhism
Tibetan paths & practices
Stages of the path, mind training and devotional practice, including Indian works central to Tibetan study.
The Way of the Bodhisattva
Indian Mahāyāna · Śāntideva
A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment
Indian & Tibetan Buddhism · Atiśa
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation
Tibetan Buddhism · Gampopa · Kagyu
Seven-Point Mind Training
Tibetan Buddhism · Chekhawa · lojong
The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas
Tibetan Buddhism · Gyalse Tokme Zangpo
Three Principal Aspects of the Path
Tibetan Buddhism · Tsongkhapa · Gelug
The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path
Lamrim Chenmo · Tsongkhapa · Gelug
Parting from the Four Attachments
Tibetan Buddhism · Sakya
Clarifying the Sage’s Intent
Sakya Paṇḍita · Sakya · bodhisattva path
Thirty Pieces of Heart Advice
Tibetan Buddhism · Longchen Rabjam
Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind
Longchenpa / Longchen Rabjam · Nyingma · Trilogy of Rest, volume 1
Praises to the Twenty-One Tārās
Tibetan Buddhist canon · Toh 438 · Devotional praise
Mountain Doctrine
Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen · Jonang · shentong / other-emptiness
Dudjom Tersar Ngöndro Notes
Tibetan Buddhism · Nyingma · Dudjom Rinpoche
Classical treatises
Systematic works on meditation, emptiness and consciousness. Sanskrit Buddhist treatises are often called śāstras.
Visuddhimagga · Path of Purification
Theravāda · Buddhaghosa
Root Verses on the Middle Way
Indian philosophy · Nāgārjuna
Three Texts on Consciousness Only
Indian & East Asian philosophy · Yogācāra
Browse collectionThe Summary of the Great Vehicle
Mahāyānasaṃgraha · Asaṅga · Yogācāra śāstra
Introduction to the Middle Way
Madhyamakāvatāra · Candrakīrti (Chandrakīrti) · Madhyamaka śāstra
Canons & complete collections
Large collections and gateways into the Pāli, Chinese and Tibetan textual traditions. Each entry identifies the linked edition’s coverage.
The Pāli canon
Canonical collection
Browse collections
Dīgha Nikāya · 34Majjhima Nikāya · 152Saṃyutta Nikāya · 1819Aṅguttara Nikāya · 1408Khuddaka Nikāya · all books
Khuddaka Nikāya books
SN and AN retain the source’s grouped repetitions. The Khuddaka directory identifies complete translations, external editions and selections.
Dīgha Nikāya
Pāli canon · Long discourses
Browse collectionMajjhima Nikāya
Pāli canon · Middle-length discourses
Browse collectionSaṃyutta Nikāya
Pāli canon · Connected discourses
Browse collectionAṅguttara Nikāya
Pāli canon · Numerical discourses
Browse collectionKhuddaka Nikāya
Pāli canon · Shorter and miscellaneous collections
Browse collectionThe Āgamas
Early discourses · Chinese transmission
Browse collectionVinaya · Monastic Discipline
Canonical collections · community and conduct
Browse collectionAbhidhamma · Systematic Analysis
Pāli canon · analytical teachings
Browse collectionMahāyāna scriptures
Scriptural collections
Browse collectionThe Chinese Buddhist canon
Canonical collection
Browse collectionKangyur & Tengyur
Canonical collection
Browse collectionNo matching texts
Try a shorter title, a teacher’s name, or a subject such as compassion.
A growing selection of Buddhist literature. The complete collections offer room to explore beyond these selected works.