Words of the Buddha

Explore the Buddha’s earliest teachings through his words. Access over 1,120 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
Recommended Read

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

Over 2,300 discourses, verses, sayings, passages, and utterances from 1,120 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
105 discourses
69 %
The Buddha's Ancient Discourses
46 teachings
65 %
Connected Discourses
542 discourses
19 %
Numerical Discourses
956 discourses
10 %
Long Discourses
1 discourses
3 %
Minor Passages
9 passages
100 %

Latest Discourses

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The Buddha delivers a brief, challenging summary statement on maintaining a consciousness that is unscattered externally, unfixated internally, and unperturbed by not grasping. When he departs unexpectedly, venerable Mahākaccāna provides a brilliant clause-by-clause exposition on these states.

Last updated on June 20, 2026

The Buddha explains what causes the hindrances to arise and how to abandon them.

Last updated on June 20, 2026

When a brahmin assumes that the Buddha’s serene faculties and radiant appearance must result from enjoying the finest worldly luxuries, the Buddha explains the true “luxurious and lofty beds” he attains—the heavenly bed, through abiding in the jhānas; the brahmic bed, through the boundless cultivation of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity; and the noble bed, through the complete abandonment of passion, aversion, and delusion.

Last updated on June 20, 2026

The Buddha describes four ways to attain final Nibbāna with or without exertion.

Last updated on June 20, 2026

The Buddha describes the true ascetic and brahmin as one who understands the four noble truths.

Last updated on June 20, 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

Audiobook41/133
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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