|
The Suttanta
Pitaka is divided into five separate collections known as
Nikayas. |
|
1. Digha Nikaya
Collection
of Long Discourses of the Buddha.
which consists of 34 suttas,
including the well-known Mahasatipatthana Sutta (The Greater Discourse on
the Four Foundations of Mindfulness), the Samaññaphala Sutta (The Fruits
of the Homeless Life), the Mahaparinibbana Sutta (The Buddha's Last Days),
and many others. |
|
2. Majjhima
Nikaya
Collection
of Medium Length Discourses of the Buddha
which consists of 152
suttas of varying length, including the Satipatthana Sutta (The Four
Foundations of Mindfulness), the Anapanasati Sutta (Mindfulness of
Breathing) the Sabbasava Sutta (All the Taints), the Angulimala Sutta (The
Story of Angulimala), and many more. |
|
3. Samyutta
Nikaya
Collection
of the Kindred Sayings
Also named the "Grouped" Discourses, which
consists of 2,889 shorter suttas grouped together by theme into 56
samyuttas |
|
4. Anguttara
Nikaya
A
Collection of Gradual Sayings
Or the "Further-factored" Discourses
, which consists of 8,777 short suttas, grouped together into eleven
nipatas according to the number of items of Dhamma covered in each sutta.
For example, the Eka-nipata ("Book of the Ones") contains suttas about a
single item of Dhamma; the Duka-nipata ("Book of the Twos") contains
suttas dealing with two items of Dhamma, etc. |
|
5. Khuddaka
Nikaya
The
Smaller Collection
Consisting of 15 "books" (17 in the Thai
edition; 18 in the Burmese), including the Dhammapada, Therigatha (Verses
of the Elder Nuns), Theragatha (Verses of the Elder Monks), Sutta Nipata,
Jataka stories, etc. |
