Sutta Pitaka starting point

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eternityinmind
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Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by eternityinmind »

:namaste: I wish to start exploring the Sutta Pitaka,but I have no idea which suttas should i begin with and how should i progress after that.I am still a beginner,so i want some of the basic stuff :) Sorry if there is a topic like this already in the forum (I searched,but i didn't find one).
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Om muni muni mahamuni shakyamuniye svaha!
daverupa
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Re: Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by daverupa »

Either this anthology or this Nikaya are great ways to begin.

The anthology collects from all the Nikayas, while the Majjhima Nikaya is one among them. These collections are well-balanced introductions to the pertinent themes.
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
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Cittasanto
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Re: Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by Cittasanto »

It is normal for the order to be kept with,
Digha
Majjhima
Samyutta
Angutara
Khundhaka
but the Majjhima is the best for Beginners and has some good study guides such as pressing out pure honey
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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Hickersonia
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Re: Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by Hickersonia »

Cittasanto wrote:It is normal for the order to be kept with,
Digha
Majjhima
Samyutta
Angutara
Khundhaka
but the Majjhima is the best for Beginners and has some good study guides such as pressing out pure honey
I'm close to finishing the Digha Nikaya and would recommend it without hesitation, although I'd be careful about how you handle it if you purchase the same one I have -- I am finding that the binding is coming apart, the result of my flipping repeatedly between the suttas and the notes at the back... that and excessive heat due to being left in my car while I'm at work.

I also have a copy of the Majjhima Nikaya and am probably about 40% of the way through it too.
Hickersonia
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eternityinmind
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Re: Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by eternityinmind »

Thanks for all the answers.I went to Access to Insight and saw that the Nikayas there are not fully translated.Are there complete translations in paper or online?
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Om muni muni mahamuni shakyamuniye svaha!
santa100
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Re: Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by santa100 »

This one has all DN and MN suttas. They're working on the rest..
http://tipitaka.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Kare
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Re: Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by Kare »

It really doesn't matter much which Nikaya you start with. Some people prefer this or that Nikaya, but you have to find out for yourself which one you prefer. So just start reading one of them. In every Nikaya you will find stuff that you feel may be a bit irrelevant for you, and you will find gems that hit you right in the heart. But if you return to the same Nikaya after some years, when your experiences and your life situation is a little different from what it is today, you may find that some of the passages that you felt irrelevant today, have something important to tell you there and then. So just start reading any Nikaya, and enjoy!
Mettāya,
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Cittasanto
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Re: Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by Cittasanto »

eternityinmind wrote:Thanks for all the answers.I went to Access to Insight and saw that the Nikayas there are not fully translated.Are there complete translations in paper or online?
There is a vast amount of work translated and Bhikkhu Bodhi has the most complete range, although Access to insight is as good as it gets.
the other option for missing suttas is http://tipitaka.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
none of the available translations are 100% complete except for the Pali Text societys hardcopy versions which are not cheep for the full set, & outdated, in many places replaced by Bhikkhu Bodhis work now.
I would recommend you stick with the texts available online for a little while before investing in a complete nikaya, just read a selection and alternative translations to get a feel for the language being used.
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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eternityinmind
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Re: Sutta Pitaka starting point

Post by eternityinmind »

Those links are exactly what i needed.I think I will start with the Majjhima Nikaya.It will be a long jorney with the Buddha's words.I'm so busy with stuff from life,so it will take me a long time to read all the translated texts from the Sutta Pitaka.I'm sure it will be worth it in the end.
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Om muni muni mahamuni shakyamuniye svaha!
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