Ancient Buddhist Scriptures: The Sutta PitakaEverything we teach comes from the ancient sermons taught by Gautama Buddha and his enlightened disciples that lived with him. They have been preserved in the Sutta Pitaka by the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Below you can see an outline of the books that make up the Sutta Pitaka as well as titles of translations into simple English. Many of these books are available from our free lending library as well as from our bookshop.
For beginners: We recommend In The Buddha's Words, by Bhikkhu Bodhi. This commercially published book contains sections from the collections listed below organized around different aspects of the Buddha's teachings: The nature of life, meditation, the nature of the mind, the life and enlightenment of the Buddha, etc. It is available through on-line retailers and Turning the Tide bookstore in Saskatoon. The Saskatoon Public Library now has four copies in their collection. Dīgha Nikāya - Long Discourses (D or DN): Contains 34 suttas that range in length from 5 to 47 pages.
Khuddakapāṭha (Khp): This is a collection of 10 suttas. Dhammapada (Dhp): This is a collection of 423 short verses, grouped into 26 chapters. This is an excellent text for newcomers and experienced practitioners alike. It takes about 4 minutes to read one chapter so it is well suited to someone with a short amount of time available. Even just reading a single verse each day will instill your life with the Blessed One’s wisdom.
Vimānavatthu (Vv) and Petavatthu (Pv): Teachings in verse about the results of good and bad action Theragāthā (Thag) and Therīgāthā (Thīg): Verses of Arahant Bhikkhus and Bhikkhuṇis. Two excellent collections for practice. The ultimate source for inspiration and reminder of the goal of the practice.
|