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Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:26 pm
by zan
I am trying to come up with the best summary version of the Pali Canon that would be ideal for vacations and travel in general.

I am thinking In the Buddha's Words for the Sutta Pitaka, A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma for the Abhidhamma Pitaka and I suppose Life of the Buddha for the Vinaya Pitaka.

I do not know of any books that are supposed to be for the Vinaya Pitaka what In the Buddha's Words and A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma are for the Sutta Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitakas. Life of the Buddha has a lot of suttas that detail the creation of certain rules so that is the only one I know of. Is there such a book?

Does anyone have any suggestions other than what I have written here for any of the books? Ideally one book per Pitaka, unless someone knows of a really amazing single volume that contains everything? Anything more than a book per Pitaka and they become extremely difficult to lug around.

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:51 pm
by Sam Vara
zan wrote:Ideally one book per Pitaka, unless someone knows of a really amazing single volume that contains everything? Anything more than a book per Pitaka and they become extremely difficult to lug around.
Have you considered using a kindle, tablet, or some other device?

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:01 pm
by zan
Sam Vara wrote:
zan wrote:Ideally one book per Pitaka, unless someone knows of a really amazing single volume that contains everything? Anything more than a book per Pitaka and they become extremely difficult to lug around.
Have you considered using a kindle, tablet, or some other device?
Great suggestion but I cannot afford and do not like to rely on them. I like to forget technology when I go camping and sometimes even when I am just out and about in general it is nice to simply have my real life paper copies because their batteries never die and they do not require a wifi signal or data plan and so I can always count on them :smile:

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:19 pm
by form
I find even words of the buddha too bulky. I prefer books like bodhi's eight fold path or w rahula's what the Buddha taught.

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:23 pm
by SarathW
when I go camping and sometimes even when I am just out and about in general it is nice to simply have my real life paper copies because their batteries never die and they do not require a wifi signal or data plan and so I can always count on them :smile:
and hopefully after one thousand years someone might discover them hidden under a bush.
I still think books are the great way to preserve Dhamma.
:D

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:27 pm
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Memorise a few important suttas, e.g. Satipatthana or Dhammacakka Suttas.

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:34 pm
by zan
SarathW wrote:
when I go camping and sometimes even when I am just out and about in general it is nice to simply have my real life paper copies because their batteries never die and they do not require a wifi signal or data plan and so I can always count on them :smile:
and hopefully after one thousand years someone might discover them hidden under a bush.
I still think books are the great way to preserve Dhamma.
:D
Thanks, ha ha. Me too!

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:35 pm
by zan
form wrote:I find even words of the buddha too bulky. I prefer books like bodhi's eight fold path or w rahula's what the Buddha taught.
Thanks. I like those types as well but I like to have as much direct sutta selections as possible.

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:37 pm
by zan
Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:Memorise a few important suttas, e.g. Satipatthana or Dhammacakka Suttas.
Thank you, Venerable. I have memorized the Magga Vibhanga sutta and am up to the "clear comprehension" section of the Maha Satipatthana sutta. I have never considered the Dhammacakka sutta. I will re read it now.

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 1:46 am
by davidbrainerd
Dhammapada....unless you buy into the erroneous notion that there is no self, since there's self in the Dhammapada and it might offend you to read about how you don't get to nirvana by riding elephants but by riding the well tamed self.

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 2:01 am
by Reductor
davidbrainerd wrote:Dhammapada....unless you buy into the erroneous notion that there is no self, since there's self in the Dhammapada and it might offend you to read about how you don't get to nirvana by riding elephants but by riding the well tamed self.
:rofl:

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 2:04 pm
by Kare
I once got a small publication from the Buddhist Publication Society, called "Buddha-Vacanam", by Nyanatiloka Mahathera, 1968. Soft cover, only 84 pages. It contains some essential texts in Pali, and I found it very handy and useful. There also exists an English version, "The Word of the Buddha".

Re: Most Compact Pali Canon

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:30 am
by zan
Kare wrote:I once got a small publication from the Buddhist Publication Society, called "Buddha-Vacanam", by Nyanatiloka Mahathera, 1968. Soft cover, only 84 pages. It contains some essential texts in Pali, and I found it very handy and useful. There also exists an English version, "The Word of the Buddha".
Thanks!