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by eternityinmind » Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:23 pm

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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eternityinmind
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by daverupa » Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:39 pm
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.
"There is, headman, dhammasamādhi. If you were to obtain cittasamādhi in that, you might abandon this state of perplexity. And what, headman, is dhammasamādhi?
[kammapatha & brahmavihara, & a method of arousing gladness]"
- SN 42.13 - Pāṭaliya"Others will misapprehend according to their individual views, hold on to them tenaciously and not easily discard them; we shall not misapprehend according to individual views nor hold on to them tenaciously, but shall discard them with ease — thus effacement can be done."
- MN 8 - Sallekha Sutta
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daverupa
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by Cittasanto » Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:54 pm
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
This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!
With Metta
Upāsaka Cittasanto
Blog - Some Suttas Translated.
"Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."
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Cittasanto
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by Hickersonia » Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:58 pm
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
http://hickersonia.wordpress.com/"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of
throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned."
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Hickersonia
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by eternityinmind » Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:17 am
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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eternityinmind
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by Kare » Wed Aug 29, 2012 1:37 pm
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,
Kåre
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Kare
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by Cittasanto » Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:54 pm
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 or
http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/index.htmlnone 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.
This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!
With Metta
Upāsaka Cittasanto
Blog - Some Suttas Translated.
"Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."
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Cittasanto
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by eternityinmind » Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:18 am
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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eternityinmind
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