Long Discourses

While others may praise or criticize the Buddha, they tend to focus on trivial details. The Buddha presents an analysis of 62 kinds of wrong view, seeing through which one becomes detached from meaningless speculations.

The newly crowned King Ajātasattu is disturbed by the violent means by which he achieved the crown. He visits the Buddha to find peace of mind, and asks him about the benefits of spiritual practice. This is one of the greatest literary and spiritual texts of early Buddhism.

A young brahmin student attacks the Buddha’s family, but is put in his place.

A reputed brahmin visits the Buddha, despite the reservations of other brahmins. They discuss the true meaning of a brahmin, and the Buddha skillfully draws him around to his own point of view.

A brahmin wishes to undertake a great sacrifice, and asks for the Buddha’s advice. The Buddha tells a legend of the past, in which a king is persuaded to give up violent sacrifice, and instead to devote his resources to supporting the needy citizens of his realm. However, even such a beneficial and non-violent sacrifice pales in comparison to the spiritual sacrifice of giving up attachments.

The Buddha explains to a diverse group of lay people how the results of meditation depend on the manner of development.

This discourse is mostly quoted by the Buddha in the previous.

The Buddha is challenged by a naked ascetic on the topic of spiritual austerities. He points out that it is quite possible to perform all kinds of austere practices without having any inner purity of mind.

The Buddha discusses with a wanderer the nature of perception and how it evolves through deeper states of meditation. None of these, however, should be identified with a self or soul.

Shortly after the Buddha’s death, Venerable Ānanda is invited to explain the core teachings.

The Buddha refuses to perform miracles, explaining that this is not the right way to inspire faith. He goes on to tell the story of a monk whose misguided quest for answers led him as far as Brahmā.

A brahmin has fallen into the idea that there is no point in trying to offer spiritual help to others. The Buddha goes to see him, and persuades him of the genuine benefits of spiritual teaching.

A number of brahmins are discussing the true path to Brahmā. Contesting the claims to authority based on the Vedas, the Buddha insists that only personal experience can lead to the truth.

The Buddha teaches about the six Buddhas of the past, and tells a lengthy account of one of those, Vipassī.

Rejecting Venerable Ānanda’s claim to easily understand dependent origination, the Buddha presents a complex and demanding analysis, revealing hidden nuances and implications of this central teaching.

The longest of all discourses, this extended narrative tells of the events surrounding the Buddha’s death. Full of vivid and moving details, it is an ideal entry point into knowing the Buddha as a person, and understanding how the Buddhist community coped with his passing.

An elaborate story of a past life of the Buddha as a legendary king who renounced all to practice meditation.

Beginning with an account of the fates of disciples who had recently passed away, the scene shifts to a discussion of Dhamma held by the gods.

A minor deity informs the Buddha of the conversations and business of the gods.

When deities from all realms gather in homage to the Buddha, he gives a series of verses describing them. These verses, which are commonly chanted in Theravadin countries, give one of the most detailed descriptions of the deities worshiped at the the time of the Buddha.

After hearing a love song from a god of music, the Buddha engages in a deep discussion with Sakka on the conditioned origin of attachment and suffering.

The Buddha details the seventh factor of the noble eightfold path, mindfulness meditation. This discourse is essentially identical to MN 10, with the addition of an extended section on the four noble truths derived from MN 141.

This is a long and entertaining debate between a monk and a skeptic, who went to elaborate and bizarre lengths to prove that there is no such thing as an afterlife. The discourse contains a colorful series of parables and examples.

When Sunakkhatta threatens to disrobe, the Buddha is unimpressed. Rejecting showy displays of asceticism or wondrous powers, he demonstrates his pre-eminence.

This discourse gives a specially good example of dialog between religions. The Buddha insists that he is not interested to make anyone give up their teacher or practices, but only to help people let go of suffering.

In illustration of his dictum that one should rely on oneself, the Buddha gives a detailed account of the fall of a kingly lineage of the past, and the subsequent degeneration of society. This process, however, is not over, as the Buddha predicts that eventually society will fall into utter chaos. But far in the future, another Buddha, Metteyya, will arise in a time of peace and plenty.

In contrast with the brahmin’s self-serving mythologies of the past, the Buddha presents an account of evolution that shows how human choices are an integral part of the ecological balance, and how excessive greed destroys the order of nature.

Shortly before he passes away, Venerable Sāriputta visits the Buddha and utters a moving homage to his great teacher.

Following the death of Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta, the leader of the Jains, the Buddha emphasizes the stability and maturity of his own community. He encourages the community to come together after his death and recite the teachings in harmony.

This presents the brahmanical prophecy of the Great Man, and explains the 32 marks in detail. This discourse contains some of the latest and most complex verse forms in the canon.

The Buddha encounters a young man who honors his dead father by performing rituals. The Buddha recasts the meaningless rites in terms of virtuous conduct. This is the most detailed discourse on ethics for lay people.

Mighty spirits hold a congregation, and warn the Buddha that, since not all spirits are friendly, the mendicants should learn verses of protection.

The Buddha encourages Venerable Sāriputta to teach the mendicants, and he offers an extended listing of Buddhist doctrines arranged in numerical sequence.

This is similar to the previous, but with a different manner of exposition. These two discourses anticipate some of the methods of the Abhidhamma.