Words of the Buddha
Explore the Buddha’s earliest teachings through his words. Access over 1,033 texts with parallel Pāli-English translations and built-in study tools.
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 ·

Fire: Investigating Recurrent Experience
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.
Contextual Tooltips
Click any Pāli word or translated term for on-the-spot explanations that deepen understanding.
Bookmarks & Highlights
Save discourses and highlight key passages to build your personal collection of insights.
Discourses by Text Collections
Access over 2,200 discourses, verses, sayings, passages, and utterances from 1,033 texts with parallel Pāli-English translations
| Collection | |
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| The Path of Dhamma | 423 verses 100 %
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| As It Was Said | 112 sayings 100 %
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| Inspired Utterances | 80 utterances 100 %
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| Middle Length Discourses | 91 discourses 60 %
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| The Buddha's Ancient Discourses | 41 teachings 58 %
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| Connected Discourses | 496 discourses 17 %
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| Numerical Discourses | 928 discourses 10 %
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| Minor Passages | 7 passages 78 %
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Latest Discourses
View all →The Buddha defines a trainee as one who trains in higher virtue, higher mind, and higher wisdom.
Last updated on April 9, 2026
The Buddha describes the four establishments of mindfulness to be cultivated in detail, namely - mindfulness of the body, mindfulness of the felt experience, mindfulness of the mind, and mindfulness of the mental qualities.
Last updated on April 9, 2026
The Buddha explains the cause for the restraint of all the taints and how there is abandoning of all the taints through the seven methods of seeing, restraint, proper use, enduring, avoiding, removing, and cultivation.
Last updated on April 9, 2026
The Buddha teaches Sakka that liberation comes from realizing “nothing is worth holding on to.” To cure Sakka's divine negligence, Mahāmoggallāna shakes Sakka's heavenly mansion with his toe, prompting the deity to correctly recall the teaching.
Last updated on April 9, 2026
The young deity Māgha asks the Buddha in a verse on what to cut off to sleep with ease and grieve no more. The Buddha advises to cut off anger.
Last updated on April 8, 2026
Anthologies
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An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon
In In the Buddha’s Words, Bhikkhu Bodhi curates a rich anthology of discourses drawn from the Pali Canon that capture the full breadth of the Buddha’s teachings. Through these selected suttas, readers explore key themes such as impermanence, not-self, and the path to awakening, revealing how suffering arises and can ultimately be transcended. Each section is introduced with Bhikkhu Bodhi’s insightful commentary, which clarifies the practical application of the Dhamma in daily life. The book’s thematic structure provides a coherent roadmap to the Buddha’s profound insights, emphasizing their timeless relevance in overcoming the human predicament. In essence, In the Buddha’s Words serves as an invaluable guide for anyone seeking a clear and transformative overview of Early Buddhism.
By Bhikkhu Bodhi
The heart essence of the Buddha’s original teachings
In Noble Truths, Noble Path, Bhikkhu Bodhi brings together key suttas from the Saṁyutta Nikāya that illuminate the essence of the Buddha’s teaching - the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Through these discourses, readers see how suffering arises, why it persists, and how it can be ended, culminating in Nibbāna. Each chapter, introduced by Ven. Bodhi, follows the structure of the Four Noble Truths, offering a clear roadmap to understand and overcome the human predicament. The book emphasizes the universal relevance of the Buddha’s radical insights and guides us toward liberation from the cycle of rebirth, making it an invaluable resource for anyone seeking a concise yet profound overview of Early Buddhism.
By Bhikkhu Bodhi
A daily learning feed of the Buddha’s teachings — learn, reflect, and apply in practice.