Words of the Buddha

Read early Buddhist discourses in parallel Pāli and English — from memorable verses to the full Nikāyas.

Reflection of the Day

“I do not see any other form that so completely obsesses a man’s mind as the form of a woman.”

AN 1.1·

The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame
Recommended Read

The Buddha cast his entire framework of liberation in the language of fire and its cessation. This essay traces that structure using what we now understand about how fire actually works.

Experience is examined starting with the texture of a single moment, to the cascade of experience, across the terrain where consciousness takes root, and to the extinguishing that is Nibbāna.

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Parallel Texts

Read Pāli and English side-by-side or interleaved, with line-by-line fidelity to the source.

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Contextual Tooltips

Click any Pāli word or translated term for on-the-spot explanations that deepen understanding.

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Bookmarks & Highlights

Save discourses and highlight key passages to build your personal collection of insights.

Explore the Collections

Browse the major texts of the Pāli Canon, with parallel Pāli and English on every page.

New translation
dhp
DhammapadaThe Path of Dhamma
The Path of Dhamma — Dhammapada
New translation
iti
ItivuttakaAs It Was Said
As It Was Said — Itivuttaka
New translation
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UdānaInspired Utterances
Inspired Utterances — Udāna
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Dīgha NikāyaLong Discourses
Long Discourses — Dīgha Nikāya
New translationwith 34 illustrations
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Majjhima NikāyaMiddle Length Discourses
Middle Length Discourses — Majjhima Nikāya
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Saṁyutta NikāyaConnected Discourses
Connected Discourses — Saṁyutta Nikāya
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Aṅguttara NikāyaNumerical Discourses
Numerical Discourses — Aṅguttara Nikāya
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Sutta NipātaThe Buddha's Ancient Discourses
The Buddha's Ancient Discourses — Sutta Nipāta
New translation
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KhuddakapāṭhaMinor Passages
Minor Passages — Khuddakapāṭha

Latest Discourses

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SN 47.14 Ukkacela sutta - At UkkacelāNew

Following the passing of Sāriputta and Moggallāna, the Buddha reflects on impermanence and urges the bhikkhus to dwell with the Dhamma as their island and refuge.

Added September 18, 2026

PTS 5.163–5.164

SN 1.62 Citta sutta - MindNew

By what is the world led astray? By what is it carried away? What is the one thing that has everything under its sway?

Added September 18, 2026

PTS 1.39

SN 12.67 Naḷakalāpī sutta - Sheaves of ReedsNew

Using the famous simile of two sheaves of reeds leaning against each other, venerable Sāriputta explains the reciprocal conditioning of consciousness and name-and-form.

Added September 18, 2026

PTS 2.112–2.114

AN 7.62 Metta sutta - Loving-kindnessNew

The Buddha shares the immense fruits of developing a mind of loving-kindness for seven years, detailing his past lives as Mahābrahmā, Sakka, and a wheel-turning monarch ruling by the Dhamma.

Added September 18, 2026

PTS 4.88–4.90

SN 47.23 Parihāna sutta - DeclineNew

The venerable Bhadda asks the venerable Ānanda what causes the decline or non-decline of the good Dhamma. Ānanda answers that it depends on whether the four establishments of mindfulness are cultivated and frequently practiced.

Added September 13, 2026

PTS 5.173
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