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. See the Theravada Text Archives page for more information.

Contents

• Sagatha-vagga (contains samyuttas I-XI)
• Nidana-vagga (XII-XXI)
• Khandha-vagga (XXII-XXXIV)
• Salayatana-vagga (XXXV-XLIV)
• Maha-vagga (XLV-LVI)

Sagatha Vagga (samyuttas I-XI)

• Ogha-tarana Sutta (SN I.1) -- Crossing Over the Flood. The Buddha explains how he "crossed over the flood" of craving.
• Arañña Sutta (SN I.9) -- The Wilderness. Why do monks living in the forest wilderness look so happy?
• Hiri Sutta (SN I.18) -- Conscience. A lovely short teaching on the rarity and value of conscientiousness.
• Samiddhi Sutta (SN I.20) -- About Samiddhi. A devata wonders: why waste time meditating in the hopes of some future reward, when one can enjoy sensual pleasures right here and now?
• Sakalika Sutta (SN I.38) -- The Stone Sliver. After an attempt on his life, the Buddha shows by example how to handle pain.
• Aditta Sutta (SN I.41) -- (The House) on Fire. A deva visits the Buddha and recites a lovely verse on the urgency of giving.
• Kindada Sutta (SN I.42) -- A Giver of What. The Buddha explains to a deva the true value of various kinds of gifts.

II. Devaputta-samyutta -- Sons of the Devas.

• Uttara Sutta (SN II.19) -- Uttara the Deva's son. Doing good and making merit: are these the best one can aim for in this short life?
• Iccha Sutta (SN II.69) -- Desire. A brief and elegant summary of the heart of the Buddha's teaching.
• Ghatva Sutta (SN II.70) -- Having Killed. The Buddha describes one thing that deserves to be killed.

III. Kosala-samyutta -- King Pasenadi of Kosala.

• Dahara Sutta (SN III.1) -- Young. The Buddha reminds King Pasenadi that one's age is no measure of one's wisdom.
• Piya Sutta (SN III.4) -- Dear. If you truly care about your own and others' welfare, then choose your actions with care!
• Appaka Sutta (SN III.6) -- Few. The Buddha reminds King Pasenadi of the pitfalls of wealth and luxury.
• Atthakarana Sutta (SN III.7) -- In Judgment. King Pasenadi discovers what motivates people to tell lies.
• Sangama Sutta (SN III.14) -- A Battle (1).
  Sangama Sutta (SN III.15) -- A Battle (2). Two stories about the battles fought between rival kings, poignantly demonstrating how in war there is security neither for victor nor vanquished.
• Appamada Sutta (SN III.17) -- Heedfulness. The Buddha reveals the one quality in the heart that can offer us security.
• Aputtaka Sutta (SN III.19) -- Heirless (1). The Buddha advises a rich householder on the proper use and enjoyment of wealth.
• Aputtaka Sutta (SN III.20) -- Heirless (2). Give generously and without regret, or you may suffer the same sad consequences as this wealthy householder.
• Loka Sutta (SN III.23) -- (Qualities of) the World. Three common things in the world that inevitably lead to harm and suffering.
• Issattha Sutta (SN III.24) -- Archery Skills. We all know that generosity brings about good results, but to whom should we give gifts so as to reap the very highest rewards?
• Pabbatopama Sutta (SN III.25) -- The Simile of the Mountains. The Buddha gives a stirring discourse to King Pasenadi on the imminence of death, and the urgency of Dhamma practice.

IV. Mara-samyutta -- Mara. Stories of Mara challenging the Buddha and trying in vain to outwit him.

• Nandana Sutta (SN IV.8) -- Delight. Are possessions a source of joy or of grief? Mara and the Buddha debate this question.
• Sakalika Sutta (SN IV.13) -- The Stone Sliver. Mara taunts the Buddha as the latter is resting after an attempt on his life.
• Kassaka Sutta (SN IV.19) -- The Farmer. Mara proclaims his dominion over the sensory world, but the Buddha explains that he (Buddha) dwells in the one place that Mara can never go.
• Rajja Sutta (SN IV.20) -- Rulership. Mara, seeing that the Buddha has developed the four bases of power (iddhipada), tries to pursuade him to give up the monk's life and become a righteous and powerful world ruler.

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.

• Ayacana Sutta (SN VI.1) -- The Request. Immediately after his Awakening, the Buddha receives a visit from Brahma Sahampati, who pleads with the Buddha to teach the Dhamma, for the sake of those "with little dust in their eyes."
• Garava Sutta (SN VI.2) -- Reverence. Shortly after his Awakening, the Buddha reviews the world around him, searching for another being whom he can now rightly consider to be his teacher.
• Parinibbana Sutta (SN VI.15) -- Total Unbinding. Four eyewitness accounts of the passing away of the Buddha.

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.
• Mahasala 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.

• Ananda Sutta (SN VIII.4) -- Ananda (Instructions to Vangisa). Ven. Ananda offers advice to Ven. Vangisa on how to subdue lust.

IX. Vana-samyutta -- The forest.

• Viveka Sutta (SN IX.1) -- Seclusion. A deva comes to the aid of a forest monk whose mind had been wandering during meditation.
• Anuruddha Sutta (SN IX.6) -- Anuruddha. One of Ven. Anuruddha's consorts from a previous life, when he lived in the heaven of the Thirty-three, visits him and invites him back.
• Vajjiputta Sutta (SN IX.9) -- The Vajjian Princeling. If you've ever wondered about your meditation, saying "Why bother?", listen to this devata's advice.
• Ayoniso-manasikara Sutta (SN IX.11) -- Inappropriate Attention. Food for thought for a monk being gnawed by his thoughts.
• Gandhatthena Sutta (SN IX.14) -- The Thief of a Scent. Ever thought you'd like to have a guardian angel, someone to warn you whenever you were about to do wrong? Here's one who offers a lesson in being meticulous and self-reliant.

X. Yakkha-samyutta -- Yakkha demons.

• Sudatta Sutta (SN X.8) -- About Sudatta (Anathapindika). Anathapindika, the wealthy benefactor who would later donate the famous Jeta's Grove monastery to the Sangha, here meets the Buddha for the first time.
• Alavaka Sutta (SN X.12) -- To the Alavaka Yakkha. A yakkha challenges the Buddha with riddles and threatens him: "If you can't answer me, I will possess your mind or rip open your heart or, grabbing you by the feet, hurl you across the Ganges." (This sutta also appears at Sn I.10.)

XI. Sakka-samyutta -- Sakka (the Deva king).

• Dhajagga Sutta (SN XI.3) -- The Top of the Standard. Are you ever overcome by fear during meditation? The Buddha offers these recollections as an antidote.
• Subhasita-jaya Sutta (SN XI.5) -- Victory Through What is Well Spoken. Marvelous account of a debating contest between two deities concerning the best way to respond to an angry person.

Nidana Vagga (samyuttas XII-XXI)

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.

• Nakhasikha Sutta (SN XIII.1) -- The Tip of the Fingernail.
  Pokkharani Sutta (SN XIII.2) -- The Pond.
  Samudda Sutta (SN XIII.8) -- The Ocean.
  These three suttas offer vivid similes that give a sense of how much suffering one totally puts behind oneself upon attaining the stream to Nibbana. Good encouragement for putting some extra effort into the practice.

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.

• Pilahaka Sutta (SN XVII.5) -- The Dung Beetle.
  
• Sigala Sutta (SN XVII.8) -- The Jackal.
  Two warnings for those who find themselves delighting in fame and fortune.

XVIII. Rahula-samyutta -- Ven. Rahula.

XIX. Lakkhana-samyutta -- Ven. Lakkhana.

XX. Opamma-samyutta -- Comparisons.

• Nakhasikha Sutta (SN XX.2) -- The Tip of the Fingernail. The Buddha offers a simile for the preciousness of this human birth.
• Okkha Sutta (SN XX.4) -- Serving Dishes.
  Satti Sutta (SN XX.5) -- The Spear. Two suttas on the extraordinary power of metta (goodwill).
• Dhanuggaha Sutta (SN XX.6) -- The Archer. How quickly life passes! Knowing this, how should we live our lives?
• Ani Sutta (SN XX.7) -- The Peg. Be careful: there are many popular teachings nowadays that may sound elegant and pleasing to the ear, but they're not necessarily the Buddha's teachings.

XXI. Bhikkhu-samyutta -- Monks.

• Upatissa Sutta (SN XXI.2) -- About Upatissa (Sariputta). Is there anything in the world whose loss would sadden an arahant?
• Theranama Sutta (SN XXI.10) -- [A Monk] by the Name of Elder (On Solitude). The Buddha explains to a wandering monk the true meaning of solitude.

Khandha Vagga (samyuttas XXII-XXXIV)

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.

• Satta Sutta (SN XXIII.2) -- A Being. The Buddha invokes a dramatic simile to explain how to dismantle one's attachment to the five aggregates.

XXIV. Ditthi-samyutta -- Views.

XXV. Okkantika-samyutta -- Recurring.

XXVI. Uppada-samyutta -- Arising.

XXVII. Kilesa-samyutta -- Defilements.

• Cakkhu Sutta (SN XXVII.1) -- The Eye. Why desire connected with the six senses is worth abandoning.
• Rupa Sutta (SN XXVII.2) -- Forms. Why desire connected with the objects of the six senses is worth abandoning.
• Viññana Sutta (SN XXVII.3) -- Consciousness. Why desire connected with consciousness is worth abandoning.
• Phassa Sutta (SN XXVII.4) -- Contact. Why desire connected with contact is worth abandoning.
• Vedana Sutta (SN XXVII.5) -- Feeling. Why desire connected with feelings is worth abandoning.
• Sañña Sutta (SN XXVII.6) -- Perception. Why desire connected with perceptions is worth abandoning.
• Cetana Sutta (SN XXVII.7) -- Intention. Why desire connected with intentions is worth abandoning.
• Tanha Sutta (SN XXVII.8) -- Craving. Why desire connected with craving for sense-objects is worth abandoning.
• Dhatu Sutta (SN XXVII.9) -- Properties. Why desire connected with the six dhatu (elements) is worth abandoning.
• Khandha Sutta (SN XXVII.10) -- Aggregates. Why desire connected with the five khanda (aggregates) is worth abandoning.

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.

Salayatana Vagga (samyuttas XXXV-XLIV)

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.

• Dukkha Sutta (SN XXXVIII.14) -- Stress. Ven. Sariputta describes three kinds of stress (dukkha) and how they are to be fully comprehended.

XXXIX. Samandaka-samyutta -- Samandaka the wanderer.

XL. Moggallana-samyutta -- Ven. Moggallana.

XLI. Citta-samyutta -- Citta the householder.

• Isidatta Sutta (SN XLI.3) -- About Isidatta. What is the origin of self-view? The touching story of Ven. Isidatta, a wise young forest monk, who declines his elders' invitation to become a Dhamma teacher, and instead quietly slips off into the forest and disappears.
• Gilana Sutta (SN XLI.10) -- Sick (Citta the Householder's Last Hours). Citta, on his deathbed, delivers an inspiring teaching on generosity to his friends, his family, and a gathering of devas.

XLII. Gamani-samyutta -- Village headmen.

• Talaputa Sutta (SN XLII.2) -- Talaputa the Actor. Comedians and actors take heed: making people laugh may not always be a particularly commendable occupation, as Talaputa learns.
• Yodhajiva Sutta (SN XLII.3) -- To Yodhajiva (The Warrior). The Buddha cautions a soldier against expecting a favorable rebirth because of his battlefield heroics.
• Paccha-bhumika Sutta (SN XLII.6) -- [Brahmins] of the Western Land. The Buddha explains how the principles of kamma and rebirth are as inviolable as the law of gravity. Choose your actions with care, lest you sink like a stone!
• Sankha Sutta (SN XLII.8) -- The Conch Trumpet. The Buddha clarifies a crucial point about kamma: although you can never undo a past misdeed, there are ways you can mitigate its inevitable harmful results.
• Gandhabhaka Sutta (SN XLII.11) -- To Gandhabhaka. Why do we experience suffering and stress? Using simple analogies, the Buddha offers a clear and penetrating answer.

XLIII. Asankhata-samyutta -- The unfashioned (Nibbana).

XLIV. Avyakata-samyutta -- Not designated.

• Ananda Sutta (SN XLIV.10) -- To Ananda (on Self, No Self, and Not-self. Why the Buddha did not take a position on the question of whether or not there is a self.

Maha Vagga (samyuttas XLV-LVI)

XLV. Magga-samyutta -- The Noble Eightfold Path.

• Avijja Sutta (SN XLV.1) -- Ignorance. The Buddha explains that ignorance is the cause of wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, etc., whereas clear knowing gives rise to right view and all the factors of the eightfold path.
• Upaddha Sutta (SN XLV.2) -- Half (of the Holy Life). In this famous sutta the Buddha corrects Ven. Ananda, pointing out that having "admirable people" as friends is not half but the whole of the holy life. (For more about this special kind of friendship, see the page on kalyanamittata.)
• Magga-vibhanga Sutta (SN XLV.8) -- An Analysis of the Path. A summary of the Noble Eightfold Path.
• Ogha Sutta (SN XLV.171) -- Floods. Many discourses speak of "crossing over the flood." This discourse lists the floods that should be crossed over, and how it should be done. [TB]

XLVI. Bojjhanga-samyutta -- The Seven Factors of Awakening. [See "The Seven Factors of Awakening" in The Wings to Awakening.]

• Himavanta Sutta (SN XLVI.1) -- The Himalayas (on the Factors of Awakening). A summary of the 7 Factors of Awakening.
• Gilana Sutta (SN XLVI.14) -- Ill. The Buddha instructs Ven. Maha Kassapa, who is very ill, on the 7 Factors of Awakening.
• Ahara Sutta (SN XLVI.51) -- Food (for the Factors of Awakening). The Buddha describes how we can either "feed" or "starve" the wholesome and unwholesome tendencies in the mind according to how we apply our attention.

XLVII. Satipatthana-samyutta -- The Four Frames of Reference (Foundations of Mindfulness). [See "The Four Frames of Reference" in The Wings to Awakening.]

• Sukunagghi Sutta (SN XLVII.6) -- The Hawk. The Buddha uses a lovely parable -- that of a hawk catching a quail far outside the quail's familiar hunting ground -- to reveal the need for keeping the mind in its proper territory: the four frames of reference.
• Makkata Sutta (SN XLVII.7) -- The Monkey. The Buddha recommends keeping the mind in its proper territory -- the four frames of reference -- to prevent it from becoming ensnared, like a monkey in a tar trap.
• Suda Sutta (SN XLVII.8) -- The Cook. The Buddha explains how progress in meditation depends upon noticing clearly what leads the mind to concentration and what does not, and on adjusting one's practice accordingly, just as a good cook adjusts the spices of his dishes.
• Cunda Sutta (SN XLVII.13) -- About Cunda (Sariputta's Passing Away). A touching account of Ven. Ananda's grief over Ven. Sariputta's death, and of how the Buddha consoled him with Dhamma: make the Dhamma your island, your true refuge!
• Sedaka Sutta (SN XLVII.19) -- At Sedaka (1: The Acrobat). Is meditation a selfish endeavor? Using a lovely simile of two acrobats, the Buddha resolves this question decisively.
• Sedaka Sutta (SN XLVII.20) -- At Sedaka (2: The Beauty Queen). How solid is your concentration? Try this test, proposed by the Buddha: Can you keep a glass of oil balanced on your head while your favorite movie star is singing and dancing right in front of you?
• Satipatthana-vibhanga Sutta (SN XLVII.40) -- Analysis of the Frames of Reference. A summary of the four Frames of Reference, and how they are to be developed.

XLVIII. Indriya-samyutta -- The Five Mental Faculties. [See "The Five Faculties" in The Wings to Awakening.]

• Indriya-vibhanga Sutta (SN XLVIII.10) -- Analysis of the Mental Faculties. A summary of the five mental faculties: conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration, and discernment.
• Jara Sutta (SN XLVIII.41) -- Old Age. The Buddha, now a wrinkled old man -- but one who has conquered aging, illness, and death -- issues a powerful rebuke against old age.
• Pubbakotthaka Sutta (SN XLVIII.44) -- Eastern Gatehouse. The Buddha and Ven. Sariputta discuss conviction, and whether it is present in those who have seen the Deathless. They concur that until one experiences the Deathless for oneself, one can only take its existence on faith.

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.]

• Brahmana Sutta (SN LI.15) -- To Unnabha the Brahman. Ven. Ananda explains to Unnabha that the path of Dhamma is one with a definite goal -- the abandoning of desire -- which can only be attained by developing a strong desire to end desire.
• Iddhipada-vibhanga Sutta (SN LI.20) -- Analysis of the Bases of Power. The Buddha explains how the four Bases of Power are to be developed.

LII. Anuruddha-samyutta -- Ven. Anuruddha.

• Gilayana Sutta (SN LII.10) -- Illness. Ven. Anuruddha explains to the other monks how he keeps the pain of his physical illness from invading the mind.

LIII. Jhana-samyutta -- Jhana (mental absorption).

LIV. Anapana-samyutta -- Mindfulness of breathing.

• Ananda Sutta (SN LIV.13) -- To Ananda (on Mindfulness of Breathing). The Buddha explains to Ven. Ananda how the sustained practice of mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati) leads, by stages, to full Awakening.

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.