The Buddha's dialogues, in plain English.
The discourses of the Buddha (suttas), preserved for two and a half millennia in the Pāli Canon — explained for the English-speaking practitioner, without hiding behind jargon.
Choose a discourse to enter.
We are working through the Pāli Canon one collection at a time. The Majjhima Nikāya and the Dīgha Nikāya are both live below.
Majjhima Nikāya
152 dialogues, parables, and meditation instructions from the Pāli Canon. Each entry has a reading guide written for English speakers, the full Sujato translation, and a self-check quiz.
Dīgha Nikāya
34 of the longest, most sweeping discourses in the Pāli Canon — debates with rival teachers, the Buddha's final months, and the fullest account of mindfulness meditation in the canon. Reading guide, full Sujato translation, and a self-check quiz for each.
Aṅguttara Nikāya
The largest collection in the Pāli Canon — thousands of teachings organized by number — is too vast to cover exhaustively. This is a curated selection of eighteen widely quoted, important discourses, from the Threes through the Elevens, each with a reading guide, full Sujato translation, and self-check quiz.
Saṃyutta Nikāya
Organized by theme across five books — dependent origination, the aggregates, the six sense fields, and more — this collection runs to thousands of suttas. This is a curated selection of twenty, including the Buddha's first and second sermons and the Fire Sermon, each with a reading guide, full Sujato translation, and self-check quiz.
Dhammapada
The most widely read text in the whole Pāli Canon — 423 verses in 26 chapters, part of the Khuddaka Nikāya. No narrative, no dialogue, just concentrated, quotable verse. Reading guide, full Sujato translation, and a self-check quiz for every chapter.
Sutta Nipāta
Part of the Khuddaka Nikāya, widely regarded by scholars as containing some of the oldest material in the entire Pāli Canon — largely verse, often strikingly direct. All 73 discourses across five chapters, including the Discourse on Love and the Buddha's own pre-awakening story, each with a reading guide, full Sujato translation, and self-check quiz.
Udāna
Part of the Khuddaka Nikāya, this collection gathers eighty short episodes from the Buddha's life, each closing with a spontaneous "heartfelt saying." Includes the story of Bāhiya's instant awakening and four profound, closely-guarded statements on Nibbāna itself. Reading guide, full Sujato translation, and self-check quiz for every discourse.
Itivuttaka
Part of the Khuddaka Nikāya, this collection gathers 112 short teachings, each following the same spare form: a prose statement opening "This was said by the Buddha," followed by a verse restating the same point. Arranged into four books by factor count — Ones, Twos, Threes, and Fours. Reading guide, full Sujato translation, and self-check quiz for every discourse.