This chapter features twelve longer suttas, blending narrative and doctrine. The Pabbajjā Sutta and Padhāna Sutta recount the Buddha’s renunciation and fight with Māra, while the Nalaka Sutta shares a prophecy about his life. The Dvayatānupassanā Sutta examines dependent co-arising. It merges storytelling with core Buddhist teachings.
Mahāvagga - The Great Chapter
The Buddha explains the four qualities of speech that is well-spoken - 1) speaking only what is well spoken, 2) speaking only the Dhamma, 3) speaking only what is pleasing, and 4) speaking only the truth. The Venerable Vaṅgīsa then praises the Buddha's teaching with verses on the nature of well-spoken speech.
Verses depicting the uncertain, brief, and suffering-laden nature of mortal life, emphasizing the inevitability of death for all beings, like ripe fruits fated to fall. The Buddha counsels against futile grief and lamentation over the departed, urging the wise to understand the world's relentless course of decay and death.