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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.
Contents
I. Devata-samyutta -- The Devas.
II. Devaputta-samyutta -- Sons of the Devas.
III. Kosala-samyutta -- King Pasenadi of Kosala.
IV. Mara-samyutta -- Mara.
V. Bhikkhuni-samyutta -- The bhikkhuni (nuns). In these suttas Mara, the personification of doubt and evil, tries in vain 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.
VI. Brahma-samyutta -- The Brahma deities.
VII. Brahmana-samyutta -- The brahmins.
- 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.
VIII. Vangisa-samyutta -- Ven. Vangisa.
IX. Vana-samyutta -- The forest.
X. Yakkha-samyutta -- The yakkha demons.
XI. Sakka-samyutta -- Sakka (the Deva king).
XII. Nidana-samyutta -- Paticcasamuppada (dependent co-arising).
XIII. Abhisamaya-samyutta -- Realization.
XIV. Dhatu-samyutta -- The 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 -- The bhikkhus (monks).
XXII. Khandha-samyutta -- The khandha (five 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.
- 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.
- Gaddula Sutta (SN XXII.99) -- The Leash (1)
- 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.
XXIV. Ditthi-samyutta -- Views.
XXV. Okkantika-samyutta -- Recurring.
XXVI. Uppada-samyutta -- Arising.
XXVII. Kilesa-samyutta -- The defilements.
XXVIII. Sariputta-samyutta -- Ven. Sariputta.
XXIX. Naga-samyutta -- The nagas.
XXX. Supanna-samyutta -- The garudas.
XXXI. Gandhabbakaya-samyutta -- The Gandhabba devas.
XXXII. Valahaka-samyutta -- The 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.
- 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 -- The destinies of women.
XXXVIII. Jambhukhadaka-samyutta -- The wanderer Jambhukhadaka.
XXXIX. Samandaka-samyutta -- The wanderer Samandaka.
XL. Moggallana-samyutta -- Ven. Moggallana.
XLI. Citta-samyutta -- Citta the householder.
XLII. Gamani-samyutta -- The village.
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.
Revised: Sun 15 November 1998
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