Words of the Buddha
Explore the Buddha’s earliest teachings through his words. Access over 997 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 ·
Fire: Investigating Recurrent Experience
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.
Contextual Tooltips
Click any Pāli word or translated term for on-the-spot explanations that deepen understanding.
Bookmarks & Highlights
Save discourses and highlight key passages to build your personal collection of insights.
Discourses by Text Collections
Access over 2,100 discourses with parallel Pāli-English translations
| Collection | |
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| The Path of Dhamma | 423 verses 100 %
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| As It Was Said | 112 sayings 100 %
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| Inspired Utterances | 69 utterances 86 %
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| Middle Length Discourses | 80 discourses 53 %
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| The Buddha's Ancient Discourses | 41 teachings 58 %
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| Connected Discourses | 489 discourses 17 %
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| Numerical Discourses | 924 discourses 10 %
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| Minor Passages | 4 passages 44 %
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Latest Discourses
View all →The Buddha contrasts a person of integrity with one lacking integrity. A person without integrity uses worldly status, ascetic practices, or deep meditative attainments to exalt themselves and disparage others. Conversely, a person of integrity prioritizes the Dhamma and non-identification, avoiding all conceit to realize the cessation of conceiving.
Last updated on March 10, 2026
When venerable Mahāmoggallāna was struggling with drowsiness, the Buddha gave him seven methods to overcome it. Moving beyond wakefulness, the discourse warns against pride and contentious talk, ultimately revealing how letting go leads to the exhaustion of craving and complete quenching.
Last updated on March 10, 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 March 10, 2026
The Buddha shares the four kinds of persons — those who cultivate the first jhāna, the second jhāna, the third jhāna, and the fourth jhāna while perceiving gratification — and the difference in their rebirths.
Last updated on March 10, 2026
The Buddha describes four ways to attain final Nibbāna with or without exertion.
Last updated on March 10, 2026
Anthologies
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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
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
A daily learning feed of the Buddha’s teachings — learn, reflect, and apply in practice.