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Suttas of the Dīgha Nikāya

Key

Index of Sutta Indexes

 

PTS: Dīgha Nikāya,
Volume 1 Suttas 1-13.
Volume 2 Suttas 14-23.
Volume 3 Suttas 24-34.
The Pāḷi Text Society Pāḷi text by T.W. Rhys Davids and J.E. Carpenter.

BJT: Dīgha Nikāya,
Volume 1 Suttas 1-13.
Volume 2 Suttas 14-23.
Volume 3 Suttas 24-34.
The Sri Lanka Buddha Jayanti Tripitaka Series Pāḷi text

The Pāḷi text for individual suttas listed below is adapted from the Sri Lanka Buddha Jayanti Tripitaka Series [BJT]. Much, but not all of it is unabridged and has been checked against the Pāḷi Text Society edition, and many of the suttas have been reformatted to include the original Pāḷi (and/or organizational) phrase and sentence breaks.

PTS: Dialogues of the Buddha, Volumes I, III, III, Translated from the Pāḷi by T.W. Rhys Davids,

Title Page/Contents of Volume 1
Preface to Volume 1: Note on the Probable Age of the Dialogues

WP: The Long Discourses of the Buddha, Maurice Walshe
BD: Sutta translations by M. Olds. [PDF: Yarnbasket for a Buddhist, Volume 2: Selected Suttas from the Dīgha Nikāya, translated from the Pāḷi by Michael M. Olds.]
ATI/DTO: Sutta translations by bhikkhu Thanissaro and others originally located on Access to Insight.

1. Brahmājāla Suttanta, I.1

A sutta which serves well as an introduction to the Buddhist Dhamma for the serious beginner. It goes into minute detail concerning ethical practices and what is considered by the Buddha as other points of view held by the world called 'the net of views' from which his Dhamma provides an escape.

BD:Brahmāgala Notes
The Brahmā-Net Spell Nidana, Olds, trans.
The Brahmā-Net Spell Ethics, Olds, trans.
The Brahmā-Net Spell Higher Dhamma: Speculation about the Past 1, Olds, trans.
The Brahmā-Net Spell Higher Dhamma: Speculation about the Past 2, Olds, trans.
The Brahmā-Net Spell Higher Dhamma: Speculation about the Future, Olds, trans.
The Brahmā-Net Spell Conclusion, Olds, trans. [PDF]

PTS: The Perfect Net, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.1
WP: The Supreme Net: What the Teaching is Not, Walshe, trans., 67

ATI/DTO: The All-embracing Net of Views, Bhk. Bodhi, trans.
The Brahmā Net, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.

2. Sāmañña-Phala Suttanta, I.47

King Ajātasattu of Magadha, after pointing out the advantages derived from their occupations by a long list of ordinary people in the world, asks whether the members of the Order, who have given up the world, derive any corresponding advantage, visible in this life, from theirs. The answer is a list of such advantages, arranged in an ascending scale of importance, each one mentioned being said to be better and sweeter than the one just before described.

PTS: The Fruits of the Life of a Recluse, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.65
WP: The Fruits of the Homeless Life, Walshe, trans., 91
ATI: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.

3. Ambaṭṭha Suttanta, I.87

This is one of several Suttas which deal with the subject of caste. As regards his own Order, over which alone he had complete control, he ignores completely and absolutely all advantages or disadvantages arising from birth, occupation, and social status, and sweeps away all barriers and disabilities arising from the arbitrary rules of mere ceremonial or social impurity. On being questioned about the issue, the Buddhas position was first to point out the actual facts of life — how a prosperous member of any group would find members of the others to wait upon him and serve him. Then he points out how a wicked man in accordance with the doctrine of Karma acknowledged by all good men, will be reborn in some state of woe; and a good man in some state of bliss. Thirdly, a criminal, whatever his class would be equally subject to punishment for his crime. And lastly, a man, whatever his class, would, on joining the order, on becoming a religieux, receive equal respect and honor from the people.

PTS: A Young Brahmān's Rudness and An Old One's Faith: The Pride of Birth and Its Fall, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.108
WP: About Ambattha: Pride Humbled, Walshe, trans., 111

4. Soṇadaṇḍa Suttanta, I.111

This Dialogue comes very appropriately immediately after the Ambaṭṭha. That dealt with the general question of pride of birth, or social position. This deals with the special question of what is the essential quality which makes a man a Brahmān.

PTS: Characteristics of the True Brahmān, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.144
WP: About Sonadanda: The Qualities of a True Brahmin, Walshe, trans., 125

5. Kūṭa-Danta Suttaɱ, I.127

A sutta in which the Very Reverend Sir Goldstick Sharp-tooth, lord of the manor of Khanumata, — very keen on being sure that his 'soul' should be as comfortable in the next world as he was, now, in this, makes up his mind to secure that most desirable end by the murder of a number of his fellow creatures, or as he would put it, by celebrating a sacrifice. In order to make certain that not one of the technical detail should be done wrong, the intending sacrificer goes to the Samaṇa Gotama for advice about the modes of the ritual to be performed. The Buddha's answer is to tell him a wonderful legend of a King Wide-realm, and of the sacrifice he offered — truly the most extraordinary sacrifice imaginable.

PTS: The Wrong Sacrifice and the Right, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I. 160
WP: About Kutadanta: A Bloodless Sacrifice, Walshe, trans., 133

6. Mahāli Suttaɱ, I.150

An extremely long sutta with massive repetition which has inspired no one to date to translate it in full. Here, with the Olds translation, it is translated in full. Fully linked section by section to the Rhys Davids translation and the Pāḷi. The Rhys Davids translation has been expanded to include the sections included by reference, but does not include sections he himself elected to omit. The Pāḷi is fully expanded with all repetitions and referenced inclusions and is formatted for clarity. The sutta might have some interest for those curious about the practice of magic powers. In this sutta we have discussed first the question of the ability to see heavenly sights and hear heavenly sounds where the Buddha says that it is not for the sake of acquiring such powers that people join the Order under him, then he gradually leads the questioner on to Arahatship, as the aim, along the Eightfold Path.

PTS: The Aim of the Brethren, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.197
WP: About Mahali: Heavenly Sights, Soul and Body, Walshe, trans., 143
BD: Mahali, Olds, trans. [PDF]

7. Jāliya Suttanta, I.159

The Buddha raises the question — whether the soul and the body are the same. And in answer, he leads the discourse up to Arahatship. This Sutta having been incorporated, word for word, in the previous sutta, the reader is referred to the translation given there.

PTS: Is the Soul Distinct from the Body? Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.205 (But see #6 as this is just a reference to that sutta.)
WP: About Jaliya, Walshe, trans., 149

8. Kassapa Sīhanāda Suttanta, I.161

In this Sutta the Buddha, in conversation with a naked ascetic, explains his position as regards asceticism. When speaking on sacrifice to a sacrificial priest, on union with God to an adherent of the current theology, on Brahmān claims to superior social rank to a proud Brahmān, on mystic insight to a man who trusts in it, on the soul to one who believes in the soul theory, Gotama puts himself as far as possible in the mental position of the questioner. He attacks none of his cherished convictions. He accepts as the starting-point of his own exposition the desirability of the act or condition prized by his opponent - of the union with God, or of sacrifice, or of social rank, or of seeing heavenly sights, or of the soul theory, he adopts the phraseology of his questioner and then, partly by putting a new and higher meaning into the words; partly by an appeal to such ethical conceptions as are common ground between them; he gradually leads his opponent up to his conclusion. This is, of course, always Arahatship — that is the sweetest fruit of the life of a recluse, that is the best sacrifice, that the highest social rank, that the best means of seeing heavenly sights, and a more worthy object; and so on.

PTS: The Naked Ascetic, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I. 223 (Intro: pg 206)
WP: The Great Lion's Roar, Walshe, trans., 151

9. Poṭṭhapāda Suttanta, I.178

This Sutta, beginning with a discussion on the mystery of jhāna, passes over to the question of the doctrine of the impermanence of each and every condition, physical or mental; the absence of any abiding principle, any entity, any substance, any 'soul'. The issue dealt with here is the gradual change of mental conditions, of states of consciousness: and then, secondly, the point that personality, individuality is only a convenient expression in common use in the world, and therefore made use of also by the Tathāgata, but only in such a manner that he is not led astray by its ambiguity, by its apparent implication of some permanent entity.

PTS: The Soul Theory, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.244
WP: About Potthapada: States of Consciousness, Walshe, trans., 159
ATI: About Potthapada, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.

10. Subha Suttanta, I.204

Almost word for word the same as the Samanna-phala Sutta, the chief difference is that the states of mind enumerated in the Samanna-phala as fruits of the life of a recluse are here divided under the three heads of Sīla, Samādhi, and Paññā — Ethical conduct, Serenity, and Wisdom.

PTS: Conduct, Concentration, and Intellect, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.267
WP: Morality, Concentration, Wisdom, Walshe, trans., 171

11. Kevaddha Suttanta, I.211

This Sutta deals with the position taken up by the early Buddhists as to the practice of the wonders or magic powers.

PTS: The Three Wonders, and the Gods, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.276
WP: About Kevaddha: What Brahmā Didn't Know, Walshe, trans., 175
ATI: To Kevatta, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.
Buddhism in Translations, D 11: Kevaddha-Sutta. Warren, trans.

12. Lohicca Suttantaɱ, I.224

This sutta deals with the question of the ethics of teachers and teaching.

PTS: Some Points in the Ethics of Teaching, Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.289
WP: About Lohicca: Good and Bad Teachers, Walshe, trans., 181
ATI: To Lohicca, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.

13. Tevijja Suttanta, I.235

This Suttanta leads up only to the four states of mind held to result, after death, in a rebirth in the heavenly worlds of Brahmā. If you want union with Brahmā — which is not the Buddhist goal — this is the way to attain to it.

PTS: On Knowledge of the Vedas Rhys Davids, T., trans., I.300
Buddhist Suttas: Chapter 3: On Knowledge of the Vedas, Rhys Davids, T., trans.,
BD: On Experiential Knowledge, Olds, trans. (An adaptation of the T.W. Rhys Davids' translation.) [PDF]
WP: The Threefold Knowledge: The Way to Brahmā, Walshe, trans., 187

14. Mahā-Padāna Suttaɱ, II.1

The Buddha gives the bhikkhus a comprehensive course on his system through the lens of seeing the lives of the previous seven Buddhas. Like other suttas, this one reveals itself in a completely different light when unabridged.
The numbering of the sections agrees in no two versions of this sutta. I have numbered the sections according as it appears to me the text is usually broken up.

PTS: The Sublime Story, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II.4
WP: The Great Discourse on the Lineage, Walshe, trans., 199
Discussion

15. Mahā-Nidāna Suttanta, II.55

A detailed exposition of the paṭicca samuppāda, the Buddha's formula for the workings of kamma in the creation of the existing being. One of the most important suttas in the entire collection of Pāḷi suttas.

BD: The Great Downbinding Spell, Olds, trans. [PDF]
PTS: The Great Discourse on Causation T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II.50
WP: The Great Discourse on Origination, Walshe, trans., 223
ATI: The Great Causes Discourse, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.
Buddhist Publication Society: Bodhi: The Great Discourse on Causation
Buddhism in Translations: There is No Ego. (DN 15: Excerpt).Dependent Origination (DN 15: Excerpt) Warren, trans.
SC: The Great Discourse on Causation, Bhk. Sujato, trans.

16. Mahā-Parinibbāna Suttaɱ, II.72

The story of the last days of the Buddha.

Buddhist Suttas: Rhys Davids, Chapter 1: The Book of the Great Decease
PTS: The Book of the Great Decease, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II.78
Excerpt: § 33-42
WP: The Great Passing: The Buddha's Last Days, Walshe, trans., 231
ATI: The Last Days of the Buddha, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.
The Last Days of the Buddha, Story, trans.
BIT: Buddhism in Translations: Chapter 12: The Death of the Buddha (Excerpt)

17. Mahā-Sudassana Suttanta, II.169

A story of one of the Buddha's former births told to Ānanda as the Buddha was dying to illustrate the meaninglessness of worldly things.
Rhys Davids finds this to be a fable reflecting an ancient sun worship. I suggest rather that it is a story about you. In our hearts we are all 'the Great King of Glory' and this is highly illustrative of the process of withdrawing from the world in terms of that inner self-image.

Buddhist Suttas: Rhys Davids,
Chapter 6: Legend Of The Great King Of Glory I. 237
(Mahā-Sudassana Jātaka
PTS: The Great King of Glory, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II.199
WP: The Great Splendour: A King's Renunciation, Walshe, trans., 279

18. Jana-Vasabha Suttantaɱ, II.200

King Bimbasara, reborn in the retinue of the deva Vesavana, the Great King of the North, revisits the Buddha and reveals to him the discussion that was had in the council of the Thirty and Three upon a visit by Brahmā Sanamkumara the topic of which was the great number of beings just from Magadha that were reborn there as stream-entrants consequent on developing faith in the Buddha and his instructions.
Twenty-four hundred thousand.
Both by way of Rhys Davids translation and by differences in the descriptions made by this Brahmā we get a view of the Dhamma unique to this sutta.

PTS: Jana-Vasabha's Story, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., trans., II.237
WP: About Janavasabha: Brahmā Addresses the Gods, Walshe, trans., 291

19. Mahā-Govinda Suttanta, II.220

Brahmā Eternal Youth reminds the Buddha of a former birth.

PTS: The Lord High Steward, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II, 259
WP: The Great Steward: A Past Life of Gotama, Walshe, trans., 301

20. Mahā-Samaya Suttanta, II.253

The Buddha introduces the bhikkhus to the great throng of deities gathered round him in the Great Wood near Kapilavatthu.
Another of these very ancient style poems consisting largely of a list of names. There is a little drama towards the end when Mara and his army sense a great opportunity to capture a lot of victims together, but his plans come to nothing.

PTS: The Great Concourse, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II.284
WP: The Mighty Gathering: Devas Come to See the Buddha, Walshe, trans., 315
ATI: The Great Assembly, Piyadassi Th., trans.
The Great Meeting, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.

21. Sakka-Pañha Suttanta, II.263

Sakka, Ruler of Gods, visits the Buddha and puts questions to him that have been perplexing him. The Buddha's answers please him and he becomes a Streamwinner.
The prologue to the questions is a poem by one of the Celestial Musicians which is a very beautiful love poem.

PTS: The Questions of Sakka, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II.299
WP: Sakka's Questions: A God Consults the Buddha, Walshe, trans., 321
ATI: Sakka's Questions, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.

22. Mahā Sati-Paṭṭhāna Suttantaɱ, II.290

The long version of the famous sutta in which the Buddha describes the setting up of the mind by way of understanding the origin, sustenance and ending of body, sense experience, mental states and the Dhamma. Possibly the most famous, certainly one of the most important of all the Buddhas suttas. It is this sutta which is the basis for the wide-spread 'mindfulness' business which makes use of but the first of its instructions.

BD: The Spell of Four Great Satisfactions, Olds, trans. [PDF]
PTS: Setting-Up of Mindfulness, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II.326
WP: The Greater Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, Walshe, trans., 335
ATI: The Great Frames of Reference, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.
Buddhism in Translations, [BIT] The Four Intent Contemplations. Warren, trans.
The Four Intent Contemplations. Warren, trans. reformatted with links to the Pāḷi and the other translations above.
Norwegian: Den store teksten om oppmerksomhetens hovedområder Kåre A. Lie trans.
Ganges Saṇgha: The Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness
SC: The Longer Discourse on Mindfulness Meditation, Bhk. Sujato, trans.

See also: Satipatthana Resources
Glossology: Cattari Satipatthana

23. Pāyāsi Suttanta, II.316

Prince Payasi has his view that there is no hereafter, that there is no spontaneous rebirth, and that there is no consequences from deeds well done or badly done thoroughly rebutted by Kassapa the Boy.

PTS: Rebirth and Karma, T.W. Rhys Davids, trans., II.349
WP: About Payasi: Debate with a Sceptic, Walshe, trans., 351

24. Pāṭika Suttanta, III.1

Another suttanta delivered by Gotama towards the end of his life. We have a cross link in this sutta to the events described in MN 12. This sutta describes events leading up to the resignation of Sunakkhatta from the order. Sunakkhatta has complained that Gotama works no feats of magic for him nor does he tell him about the origins of the world. But Gotama tells of several events where he worked feats of magic right in front of Sunakkhatta which were acknowledged by him as feats of magic. Then he describes several ways theories of the origin of the world are arrived at. I find this one of the most humorous suttas in the entire collection. This puts me in the class of a schoolboy on holiday in the opinion of Rhys Davids. All things considered that is probably not an insult to me. There are, however, things in this sutta which are extraordinary and worthy of deep thought. The major problem in formatting the sutta was getting the quotation marks correctly. What is at work is a hypnotic technique which does one of two things: throws the listener right off track or raises such a state of concentration as allows virtual transportation to the events being described. That was the point: that is, to create belief in the listener by bringing him to the position of eye-witness. It does this on multiple levels within the range of the contemporary scene and then it juxtaposes all those with visions of the ancient past right back to the origins of the world cycle. It has quotations within stories within quotations within stories within stories with quotations. I have tried to make the sequences more apparent by the use of indentations as well as the progression of quotation marks. There is one passage which is left abridged as it is not clear how Rhys Davids would have translated it. He summarizes which is not helpful. The possibility exists that I have not got the quotation marks perfectly correctly.

PTS: Mystic Wonders and the Origin of Things, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.7
WP: About Patikaputta: The Charlatan, Walshe, trans., 371

25. Udumbarika-Sīhanāda Suttanta, III.36

Gotama instructs a group of ascetics on the way to bring the ascetic practice to its highest perfection. This is a rare case where the Buddha, even after making an heroic effort fails utterly. This is also a sutta which shows the absolutely vital role repetition plays in the suttas. This was a spell which was designed to bring a group of committed ascetics step-by-step to the topmost peak of their discipline with the intent of bringing them, from that point, over to Gotama's system. It worked as far as bringing the group to their highest development, but failed to bring them across. If you even just read this sutta and wake up at those points where you want to skip the repetition and make yourself conscious that it is exactly at these points where the sutta takes one into a higher dimension, then this sutta has the potential to deliver one a view of infinity. I would love to hear this one given by an old-time black broad-brim hat, fire and brimstone preacher man, circa 1770s (or even of today in some places in the S.E. USA). A real masterpiece.

PTS: On Asceticism, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.33
WP: The Great Lion's Roar to the Udumbarrikans, Walshe, trans., 385

26. Cakkavatti-Sīhanāda Suttanta, III.58

In this sutta the Buddha sets out his idea of conquest, and then as inculcating the observance of the Dhamma as the most important force for the material and moral progress of mankind.
An incredibly long repetitious sutta not at all in the usual style of Gotama which nevertheless conveys a strong message as to the future. The sutta paints a stark picture of the grinding devolution and evolution of man consequent on his behavior with regard to pretty much universally accepted (and today disregarded) fundamental ethical standards: not taking by theft, not lying, not harming living beings, not being promiscuous, not drinking alcohols, respecting family, elders, leaders. Things we see around us everywhere today where the fact of their leading the people astray is incontestable and yet contested at every turn and defended nowhere. "In times past it was to those of good behavior that respect was paid and to whom people listened; in times to come it will be the course setters in disrespect and poor behavior to whom the people will listen." The consolation in this sutta is the additional lesson of the cyclicity of this phenomena. The world devolves and evolves, round and round.

 

§

 

And what, father, is the duty of an aristocratic King?

It is this my son:

Guided by Dhamma, paying respect to Dhamma, honoring Dhamma, holding Dhamma sacred, revering Dhamma,
being yourself one whose banner is the Dhamma,
being yourself a beacon of the Dhamma,
with the Dhamma as your Teacher,
you should provide proper protection for your people, for the army, for the managers, for the workers, for the scholar and the layman, for town and country dwellers, for the religious world, for animals and birds.
Throughout your kingdom let no wrongdoing prevail.
And let whoever in your kingdom is poor be provided with economic security.
And when, my son, in your kingdom men leading the religious life, having themselves given up the carelessness that arises from the influence of the senses, devoted to calm, patience, compassion and self-mastery, aiming for self-perfection,
come to you to discuss what is good and what is bad,
what should not be unlawful and what should be unlawful,
what should be done and what should not be done,
and what line of action will in the long run work for benefit or disadvantage,
you should listen to what they have to say,
and for your part you should encourage them to desist from wrong conduct and encourage them in good conduct.

This my son is the duty of an aristocratic King.

Excerpt from DN 26, paraphrased by Olds.

PTS: War, Wickedness, and Wealth, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.59
WP: The Lion's Roar on the Turning of the Wheel, Walshe, trans., 395
ATI: The Wheel-turning Emperor (Excerpt) Bhk. Thanissaro, trans

27. Aggañña Suttanta, III.80

The Buddha lays out the idea that the world is a phenomena which goes through cycles of evolution and devolution. Contrary to the popular notion that the Buddha did not answer questions about the origin of the world, this sutta explains the phenomena in great detail. The sutta arises from a discussion of the origin of the classes and gives an interesting history of Gotama's clan, the Sakkyans.

Misc: The Dialogue Primeval, Edwards, trans
PTS: A Book of Genesis, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.77
WP: On Knowledge of Beginnings, Walshe, trans., 407

28. Sampasādanīya Suttanta, III.99

The venerable Sariputta makes an apparently unsupportable claim as to the Buddha's greatness. When he is called on it by the Buddha he makes good.
The challenge for the reader is to see how the venerable Sāriputta's defense is reasonable. Don't just accept that Sāriputta's arguments are reasonable because they are supported by a long list of Dhammas that are in their turn claimed to be unsurpassable. See how these Dhammas are unsurpassable. See also how Sāriputta's defense has constructed a Dhamma lesson that has the potential to thoroughly established the doubter in Faith.

PTS: The Faith that Satisfied, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.95
WP: Serene Faith, Walshe, trans., 417

29. Pāsādika Suttanta, III.117

Gotama responds to the news that the death of Nathaputta the Nigantha has resulted in the break-up and general disorder of his followers by outlining in great detail the solid foundation on which the Saṇgha has been constructed. This one was mind-boggling to untangle as the bulk of it was in the form of "...pe..." and sometimes the abridgments were not even so noted, and the BJT had omissions and numerous differing readings. I have no great confidence I have got it completely correctly.)

PTS: The Delectable Discourse, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.111
WP: The Delightful Discourse, Walshe, trans., 427
ATI/DTO: The Inspiring Discourse, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.
Discussion

30. Lakkhaṇa Suttanta, III.142

The sutta has three elements: a list of signs to be found on the body of one who is a 'maha-purissa' or 'great-man,' an exposition of the behaviors that resulted in its acquisition and the consequences of possessing such qualities, and a poetic recapitulation of the prose exposition. There are those who take the descriptions of the signs literally and there are those who take the descriptions of the signs as strictly metaphorical. I suggest that the signs are actual physical attributes which are being given metaphorical descriptions and that the signs themselves are to stand for but are not direct metaphors for supernatural powers — they are more like 'clues'. I have not 'broken the code' for all of them, but here and there in the rest of the suttas we come across clues to their meaning. To provide one example: the Great Man has a long tongue. In this sutta what we hear is that this is a result of blameless pleasant speech and results in a commanding voice that is pleasant to hear. Elsewhere however [KD.snp.3.7] we find out that this tongue is able touch both ears and cover the forehead, and in another place that there is a power of a Great Man known as the Dibba-sota, the Divine Ear, which gives the possessor the power to hear both sounds, heavenly and man made, far and near understanding their meaning. I suggest this is the meaning of this attribute of a Great Man and consequently it cannot be taken in the strictly linear way of a metaphor for quality of speech.
As to the physical manifestation of these signs there is a state of mind where this physical world becomes very plastic and where this body is capable of willful distortion and that in this state the physical attribute could be projected (made visible or 'superimposed as a vision') such as to be seen just as described.
I have a further speculation: this is one of a few very strange suttas in the collection which look to me to have been of interest to Gotama himself primarily because of their ancient heritage.
A sutta not for ye of little faith!

PTS: The Marks of the Superman, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.137
WP: The Marks of a Great Man, Walshe, trans., 441

31. Sigālovada (Siṇgālovāda) Suttantaɱ, III. 180

Of this sutta Buddhaghosa writes, 'nothing in the duties of housemen is left unmentioned. This suttanta is called the vinaya of the houseman. Hence in one who practices what he has been taught in it, growth is to be looked for, and not decay.' And Rhys Davids adds: 'And truly we may say even now of this vinaya, or code of discipline, so fundamental are the human interests involved, so sane and wide is the wisdom that envisages them, that the utterances are as fresh and practically as binding to-day and here as they were then at Rajagaha.'

SSP: Sigālovada Suttanta, Gogerly, trans.
PTS: The Segala Homily Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.173
pdfThe Segala Homily, pdf file
WP: To Sigalaka: Advice to Lay People, Walshe, trans., 461
ATI: To Sigala/The Layperson's Code of Discipline, Narada Th., trans.
The Buddha's Advice to Sigalaka, John Kelly, Sue Sawyer, and Victoria Yareham, trans.

32. Āṭānāṭiya Suttanta, III.194

A magic charm to be used by Buddhists to call forth aid in the event of harassment by demonic beings. This does not look like a 'ward-rune' to me. It is a magic spell, but in and of itself it is not a 'ward-rune'. One is first to memorize a lengthy poetic homage (or if not homage, 'statement of recognition') to the Four Kings of the Four Directions. That memorized then if a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni or male or female lay disciple is harassed by some monster, an appeal for help to a number of powerful gods will be answered. An Appendix is added giving references to other places in the Suttas where the various gods to be appealed to are mentioned.
See JĀT #203: Khandha-Vatta-Jātaka AN 4.67.]

SSP: Grimblot, Sept Suttas Pāḷi: The Discourse Called Āṭānāṭiya
PTS: The Ward Rune of Āṭānāṭa, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.188
Appendix to the Āṭānāṭiya Suttanta
WP: The Atanata Protective Verses, Walshe, trans., 471
ATI: Discourse on Atanatiya, Piyadassi Th., trans.

 


The profession of amity, according to Buddhist doctrine, was no mere matter of pretty speech.

"It was to accompany and express a psychic suffusion of the hostile man or beast or spirit with benign, fraternal emotion — with mettā. For strong was the conviction, from Sutta and Vinaya to Buddhaghosa's Visuddhi-Magga, that 'thoughts are things,' that psychical action, emotional or intellectual, is capable of working like a force among forces."
— From C.A.F. Rhys David's Introduction to DN 32: Āṭānātiya Suttanta


 

33. Saṇgīti Suttantaɱ, III.207

An extensive categorization of all the main ideas in the Buddha's system grouped by the number of concepts covered.

[Pāḷi] Sangiti Sutta: 1s and 2s, p 207
Sangiti Sutta: 3s, p 214
Sangiti Sutta: 4s, p 221
Sangiti Sutta: 5s, p 233
Sangiti Sutta: 6s, p 243
Sangiti Sutta: 7s, p 251
Sangiti Sutta: 8s, p 254
Sangiti Sutta: 9s, p 262
Sangiti Sutta: 10s, p 266

BD: The Compilation: 1s and 2s, Olds, trans.
The Compilation: 3s, Olds, trans.
The Compilation: 4s, Olds, trans.
  The Compilation: 4s: The Ancient Aristocratic Heritage, Olds, trans., (excerpt)
  The Compilation: 4s: Four Immeasurables, Olds, trans., (excerpt)
The Compilation: 5s, Olds, trans.
The Compilation: 6s, Olds, trans.
  The Compilation: 6s: Six-Part Harmony, Olds, trans., (excerpt)
The Compilation: 7s, Olds, trans.
The Compilation: 8s, Olds, trans.
The Compilation: 9s, Olds, trans.
The Compilation: 10s, Olds, trans. [PDF]

PTS: The Recital: Introduction, by C.A.F. Rhys Davids
The Recital: 1s and 2s, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 201
The Recital: 3s Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 207
The Recital: 4s Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 214
The Recital: 5s Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 224
The Recital: 6s Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 230
The Recital: 7s Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 234
The Recital: 8s Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 237
The Recital: 9s Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 243
The Recital: 10s Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III. 245

WP: The Chanting Together: 1s and 2s, Walshe, trans., 479
The Chanting Together: 3s Walshe, trans.
The Chanting Together: 4s Walshe, trans.
The Chanting Together: 5s Walshe, trans.
The Chanting Together: 6s Walshe, trans.
The Chanting Together: 7s Walshe, trans.
The Chanting Together: 8s Walshe, trans.
The Chanting Together: 9s Walshe, trans.
The Chanting Together: 10s Walshe, trans.

ATI/DTO: The Discourse for Reciting Together, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.

SC: Reciting in Concert, Bhk. Sujato, trans.

34. Dasuttara Suttanta, III 272

This sutta is very similar to DN 33 in that it is a catalog of various units of the Dhamma organized by way of the number of items in the unit. It becomes a form of mental gymnastics by imposing on the structure that it be limited to ten sets fit within ten specific concepts: — so that section 1 is 10 units of one item each, each dealing with concepts 1-10; the second is 10 units of 2 items each, each dealing with concepts 1-10; on up to 10 units of 10 items each, each dealing with concepts 1-10.

PTS: The Tenfold Series, Rhys Davids, T. and C., trans., III.250
BD: Ten-by-Ten-by-Ten, Olds, trans. [PDF]
ATI/DTO: Progressing by Tens, Bhk. Thanissaro, trans.
WP: Expanding Decades, Walshe, trans., 511


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