Words of the Buddha

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

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In the Buddha’s WordsBhikkhu Bodhi · Anthology
Noble Truths, Noble PathBhikkhu Bodhi · Anthology
DhammapadaChapter 1 — Pairs · Audio

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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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 31 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
kp
KhuddakapāṭhaMinor Passages
Minor Passages — Khuddakapāṭha

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The Buddha defines the five spiritual faculties. Here, he introduces a distinct, practical framing for 1.) the faculty of energy, defined as the energy one acquires by undertaking the four right strivings, and 2.) the faculty of mindfulness, defined as the mindfulness one acquires by undertaking the four establishments of mindfulness.

Last updated on August 7, 2026

The Buddha provides a detailed analysis of the five spiritual faculties. He defines faith as conviction in the Buddha’s awakening, energy as the four right efforts, mindfulness as the four establishments of mindfulness, collectedness as the four jhānas, and wisdom as discerning the Four Noble Truths as they truly are.

Last updated on August 7, 2026

The Buddha defines the five spiritual faculties required for awakening: faith in the Tathāgata, steadfast energy, supreme mindfulness, collectedness through letting go, and the penetrative wisdom that discerns impermanence and leads to the end of suffering.

Last updated on August 7, 2026

The Buddha explains exactly where the five spiritual faculties are to be seen in practice. Faith is to be seen in the factors of stream-entry, energy in the four right strivings, mindfulness in the four establishments of mindfulness, collectedness in the four jhānas, and wisdom in the Four Noble Truths.

Last updated on August 7, 2026

Using a parable of a quail and a hawk, the Buddha explains that straying into the domain of sensual pleasures makes one vulnerable to Māra. A practitioner who stays within their own ancestral resort cannot be overcome by Māra.

Last updated on August 5, 2026

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