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 33 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 47.22 Ciraṭṭhiti sutta - Lasting LongNew

The venerable Bhadda asks the venerable Ānanda why the good Dhamma lasts long or does not last long after the Tathāgata’s final Nibbāna. Ānanda answers that it depends on whether the four establishments of mindfulness are cultivated and frequently practiced.

Added September 7, 2026

PTS 5.172

SN 47.17 Ariya sutta - NobleNew

The Buddha teaches that the four establishments of mindfulness, when cultivated and frequently practiced, are noble and leading to liberation.

Added September 7, 2026

PTS 5.166

SN 47.16 Uttiya sutta - To UttiyaNew

The venerable Uttiya asks the Buddha for a brief teaching to practice in seclusion. The Buddha instructs him to purify virtue, straighten his view, and cultivate the four establishments of mindfulness, saying that one who does so will go beyond the realm of death.

Added September 7, 2026

PTS 5.166

SN 47.15 Bāhiya sutta - To BāhiyaNew

The venerable Bāhiya asks the Buddha for a brief teaching to practice in seclusion. The Buddha instructs him to purify virtue, straighten his view, and then cultivate the four establishments of mindfulness.

Added September 7, 2026

PTS 5.165

SN 47.11 Mahāpurisa sutta - Great ManNew

Venerable Sāriputta asks the Buddha in what way is one a great man.

Added September 7, 2026

PTS 5.158
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