The second division of the Dīgha Nikāya, containing ten discourses that address grand themes in the Buddha's teachings. This division includes the Mahāpadāna Sutta on past Buddhas, the Mahānidāna Sutta on dependent origination, the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta recounting the Buddha's final days and passing, and the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta on the four foundations of mindfulness. These are among the most celebrated and extensive discourses in the Pāli Canon.
Mahāvagga - The Great Division
The Buddha corrects Ānanda’s assumption that dependent co-arising is easily understood. He provides a profound, detailed exposition of causality, tracing both the cycle of existential rebirth and the moment-to-moment roots of human conflict back to craving and felt experience. The discourse explores the intricacies of self-designation, the seven planes of consciousness, and the eight liberations.
PTS 2.55–2.71The Buddha’s final journey from Rājagaha to Kusinārā, detailing the conditions for non-decline, his illness and relinquishment of the life force, his last instructions to the Saṅgha, his final Nibbāna between the twin sāla trees, the cremation, and the distribution of the relics.
PTS 2.72–2.168The Buddha’s most detailed exposition of the four establishments of mindfulness. This extended version includes comprehensive definitions of the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the four jhānas within the framework of mindfulness practice.
PTS 2.290–2.315