Words of the Buddha

Explore the Buddha’s earliest teachings through his words. Access over 1,099 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 ·

The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame
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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.

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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.

Discourses by Text Collections

Access over 2,200 discourses, verses, sayings, passages, and utterances from 1,099 texts with parallel Pāli-English translations

Collection
The Path of Dhamma
423 verses
100 %
As It Was Said
112 sayings
100 %
Inspired Utterances
80 utterances
100 %
Middle Length Discourses
100 discourses
66 %
The Buddha's Ancient Discourses
45 teachings
63 %
Connected Discourses
534 discourses
18 %
Numerical Discourses
949 discourses
10 %
Minor Passages
9 passages
100 %

Latest Discourses

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King Pasenadi asks Ānanda if the Buddha engages in conduct criticizable by the wise. Ānanda explains the Buddha has abandoned all unwholesome, afflictive conduct, possessing only wholesome, blameless conduct. Pleased, the king offers Ānanda a valuable Bāhitika cloth.

Last updated on June 4, 2026

The Buddha outlines an approach to cross-examine other sects and their doctrines, and how to distinguish between the true Dhamma and the false Dhamma through the comprehension of the four kinds of clinging.

Last updated on June 4, 2026

A series of questions and answers between the lay follower Visākha and bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā that clarify subtle yet important aspects of the teachings. Topics covered include personal existence, Noble Eightfold Path, intentional constructs, attainment of cessation of perception and what is felt, felt experience, underlying tendencies and various counterparts.

Last updated on June 4, 2026

The venerable Sāriputta delivers a comprehensive exposition on “Right View,” detailing sixteen ways a noble disciple achieves clarity in the Dhamma. By understanding the wholesome and unwholesome, nutriments, the Four Noble Truths, dependent origination, and the taints—including their arising and cessation—a disciple abandons underlying tendencies and realizes the end of suffering.

Last updated on June 4, 2026

Merely learning, teaching, reciting, or pondering the teachings is insufficient. A true "dweller in the Dhamma" goes beyond these activities by deeply understanding the meaning of the Dhamma with wisdom.

Last updated on June 3, 2026

Anthologies

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Cover for In the Buddha’s Words

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

Audiobook37/133
Cover for Noble Truths, Noble Path

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

Audiobook7/96
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