Words of the Buddha

Explore the Buddha’s earliest teachings through his words. Access over 1,039 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.

Read essay

📖

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 2,200 discourses, verses, sayings, passages, and utterances from 1,039 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
92 discourses
61 %
The Buddha's Ancient Discourses
42 teachings
59 %
Connected Discourses
499 discourses
17 %
Numerical Discourses
929 discourses
10 %
Minor Passages
7 passages
78 %

Latest Discourses

View all →

The Buddha describes the three divine messengers that appear among human beings and what happens to those who do not heed their message.

Last updated on April 24, 2026

A person endowed with the two qualities of guarding the sense doors and moderation in eating lives with discontentedness in this very life and after death, a bad destination is to be expected.

Last updated on April 24, 2026

A person endowed with the two qualities of guarding the sense doors and moderation in eating lives happily in this very life and after death, a good destination is to be expected.

Last updated on April 24, 2026

A person who has not done good, has not done what is wholesome, has not protected others from fear, but has done evil, cruelty, and misdeeds, feels remorse.

Last updated on April 24, 2026

One who has done good, acted wholesomely, protected others from fear, avoided evil and cruelty, and refrained from misdeeds does not feel remorse.

Last updated on April 24, 2026

Anthologies

View all →
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

Audiobook18/129
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

Audiobook3/96
Join r/WordsOfTheBuddha1,725 members

A daily learning feed of the Buddha’s teachings — learn, reflect, and apply in practice.