Reddit reviews The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya

Theravada ordained monk, Bhikkhu Bodhi, has a spectacular grasp of Buddhist concepts based on the ancient texts, the Pali Canon.

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The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya

Here's how it continues the theme:

>“Bhikkhus, I will teach you the Dhamma for abandoning all. Listen to that…. “And what, bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for abandoning all? The eye is to be abandoned, forms are to be abandoned, eye-consciousness is to be abandoned, eye-contact is to be abandoned, and whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition— whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant— that too is to be abandoned. “The ear is to be abandoned … The mind is to be abandoned, mental phenomena are to be abandoned, mind-consciousness is to be abandoned, mind-contact is to be abandoned, and whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition— whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant— that too is to be abandoned. “This, bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for abandoning all.”

>At Savatthı. “Bhikkhus, without directly knowing and fully understanding the all, without developing dispassion towards it and abandoning it, one is incapable of destroying suffering. “And what, bhikkhus, is that all without directly knowing and fully understanding which, without developing dispassion towards which and abandoning which, one is incapable of destroying suffering? “Without directly knowing and fully understanding the eye, without developing dispassion towards it and abandoning it, one is incapable of destroying suffering. Without directly knowing and fully understanding forms … eye-consciousness … eye-contact … and whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition … without developing dispassion towards it and abandoning it, one is incapable of destroying suffering.

>“Without directly knowing and fully understanding the ear … the mind … and whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition … without developing dispassion towards it and abandoning it, one is incapable of destroying suffering. “This, bhikkhus, is the all without directly knowing and fully understanding which … one is incapable of destroying suffering. “Bhikkhus, by directly knowing and fully understanding the all, by developing dispassion towards it and abandoning it, one is capable of destroying suffering. “And what, bhikkhus, is that all by directly knowing and fully understanding which, by developing dispassion towards which and abandoning which, one is capable of destroying suffering? “By directly knowing and fully understanding the eye … the mind … and whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition … by developing dispassion towards it and abandoning it, one is capable of destroying suffering. “This, bhikkhus, is the all by directly knowing and fully understanding which … one is capable of destroying suffering.”

(from Connected Discourses of the Buddha p. 1140)

It depends on which school of Buddhism you are interested in. Different schools of Buddhism have different scriptures. For example, the school of Theravada Buddhism cherishes the Pali Canon, which consists of Vinaya Pitaka (monastic rules and disciplines), Sutta Pitaka (Buddha's discourses) and Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophical treaties). The school of Mahayana Buddhism cherishes the Tripitaka, while the school of Tibetan Buddhism also has their own scriptures.

If you are into the Theravada school of Buddhism, which is the oldest school and also closest to the original teaching of the Buddha, then I'd recommend the following books:

The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya

The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Complete Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya

The Suttanipata: An Ancient Collection of the Buddha’s Discourses Together with Its Commentaries

Middle length discourses

Long discourses

Connected Discourses


Those 3 make up the Nikayas and will keep you busy until infinity. They're also a bit pricey.

I have a copy of Buddhist Suttas that contains many of the key suttas in it.

A Buddhist Bible contains some of the more important Mahayana suttas as they relate to Zen especially.

And then of course there is the Lotus Sutra, an epic classic unto itself.

Bhikkhu Bodhi's collection of sutras.

http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911

http://www.amazon.com/The-Middle-Length-Discourses-Buddha/dp/086171072X/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JGB8GYHNJYWS360RV6E

http://www.amazon.com/The-Connected-Discourses-Buddha-Translation/dp/0861713311/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JGB8GYHNJYWS360RV6E

http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Discourses-Buddha-Translation/dp/0861711033/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JGB8GYHNJYWS360RV6E

They have commentaries, but they are seperate from the sutras themselves.

Just don't read the commentaries if you are opposed to them, but if you have questions about the meanings of the sutras, you should read the commentaries as Bhikkhu Bodhi is a very well established pali translator, and thus can discern subtle differences in the pali that don't come across in English.

I would take the Samyutta Nikaya, Bikkhu Bodhi translation. This is a great volume for a serious practitioner, and will leave you knowing Buddhism much much better. I thought it would be good for you when you said you wish to know everything there is to know. It employs a lot of repetition to pound the concepts into your head, and I can't say enough good things about it. It's pricey but on the kindle can be very light and go with you everywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/Connected-Discourses-Buddha-Translation-Samyutta/dp/0861713311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517947797&sr=8-1&keywords=samyutta+nikaya

Get a job hippie!


Seriously though, it costs money to plant trees, let them grow, pay someone to cut them down and then turn that into paper. That's not even counting the numerous hours that someone has to dedicate to translating the sutras and their living expenses during that time. Some of the essential buddhist books cost around $60 each which is expensive, but I look at it like an investment, the greatest investment.


*PS, you will never get out of the research phase.