NIDĀNASAMYUTTA
Linked Discourses on Causation
The "Linked Discourses on Causation" is a major collection containing 93 discourses on the core Buddhist teaching of dependent origination. Dependent origination presents a series of conditional links laying bare how suffering originates and how it ends. As such, it is an...
DHĀTUSAMYUTTA
Linked Discourses on the Elements
The "Linked Discourses on the Elements" contains 39 discourses on various factors classified as "elements" (dhātu). In Buddhism, the term "element" is applied to a range of phenomena, most commonly the main material properties of earth, water, fire and air. Her...
ANAMATAGGASAMYUTTA
Linked Discourses on the Unknowable Beginning
The "Linked Discourses on the Unknowable Beginning" contains 20 discourses that speak of how the ultimate origin of the process of transmigration (saṁsāra) is unknowable. This theme is a direct counter to the hubris of the creation myths found in most religions, whic...
KASSAPASAMYUTTA
Linked Discourses with Kassapa
The "Linked Discourses with Kassapa" contains 13 discourses featuring one of the most famous of the Buddha's disciples, the monk Kassapa. Kassapa was an ascetic and diligent practitioner, whose sometimes critical voice was tempered by a love of nature and a tende...
BHIKKHUSAMYUTTA
Linked Discourses with Monks
The "Linked Discourses with Monks" contains 12 discourses featuring different monks. Unlike the chapter on nuns, this does not use a consistent template, but depicts a diverse range of scenarios. Each case shows a personal challenge or spiritual triumph, shedding a...