Words of the Buddha

Explore the Buddha’s earliest teachings through his words. Access over 1,030 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 1,030 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
90 discourses
59 %
The Buddha's Ancient Discourses
41 teachings
58 %
Connected Discourses
495 discourses
17 %
Numerical Discourses
927 discourses
10 %
Minor Passages
7 passages
78 %

Latest Discourses

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In Pāṭaligāma, the Buddha contrasts the dangers of unprincipled conduct with the benefits of a virtuous life. Observing Magadhan ministers building a fortification, he prophesies the rise and future vulnerabilities of Pāṭaliputta.

Last updated on April 7, 2026

The Buddha teaches the bhikkhus that all feelings arise entirely dependent on contact. Just as pieces of wood create heat through friction, specific contact creates specific feeling. When the underlying contact ceases, the corresponding feeling ceases and subsides.

Last updated on April 7, 2026

The Buddha explains the three types of feelings and their impermanent nature.

Last updated on April 7, 2026

When the Kālāmas, perplexed by conflicting teachers, ask the Buddha how to know truth from falsehood, he advises against blind reliance on tradition or authority. Instead, offering a pragmatic test: reject what leads to detriment and cultivate that which leads to well-being.

Last updated on April 7, 2026

Using the example of a king’s elephant on the battlefield, the Buddha presents two contrasting scenarios - In one case, a person, overwhelmed by enticing sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches is unable to collect and settle the mind; in the other, a person patiently endures without becoming infatuated with external objects, and is able to compose and stabilize the mind amidst sensory contact.

Last updated on April 7, 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 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

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