Words of the Buddha

Explore the Buddha’s original teachings in his own words. Access over 972 texts with parallel Pāli-English translations and built-in study tools.

Reflection of the Day

”This mind is radiant, and it is freed from incoming defilements.”

AN 1.50

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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

Over 2,100 discourses are available and growing, across the following collections of the Pāli Canon:

Collection
The Path of Dhamma
423 verses
100 %
As It Was Said
112 sayings
100 %
Middle Length Discourses
76 discourses
50 %
The Buddha's Ancient Discourses
41 teachings
58 %
Linked Discourses
482 discourses
17 %
Numerical Discourses
914 discourses
10 %
Inspired Utterances
65 utterances
81 %
Minor Passages
4 passages
44 %
The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame
Featured Essay

Extending the Buddha’s Fire Simile with What We Now Know About Fire

The word Nibbāna itself derives from the extinguishing of a flame. The entire framework of liberation is cast in the language of fire and its cessation.

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Latest Discourses

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The Buddha explains the five causes for liberation, which include hearing the Dhamma, teaching the Dhamma to others, reciting the Dhamma, reflecting on the Dhamma, and attending to a theme of mental stillness.

Last updated on February 18, 2026

The Buddha explains how one becomes the perfected one, an arahant, and shares verses on their qualities.

Last updated on February 18, 2026

The Buddha explains that those recollecting past lives are merely recalling one or more of the five aggregates. He defines each aggregate and shows how a noble disciple sees them as impermanent, unsatisfactory, and not suitable to identify with, leading to disenchantment, dispassion, and liberation.

Last updated on February 18, 2026

The Buddha explains how the six sense bases and their objects are burning with the fires of passion, aversion, and delusion, and how to become disenchanted, dispassionate, and liberated.

Last updated on February 18, 2026

The Buddha teaches the Dhamma for the complete comprehension of all clinging through seeing the dependent co-arising of feeling through the six sense bases.

Last updated on February 18, 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

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 Saṃyutta 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

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