# The Suttanipata: An Ancient Collection of the Buddha's Discourses Together with Its Commentaries - Hardcover

by **Bodhi** (Author)

**This landmark volume in the _Teachings of the Buddha_ series translates the _Suttanipata,_ a text that matches the _Dhammapada_ in its concise power and its centrality to the Buddhist tradition. Celebrated translator Bhikkhu Bodhi illuminates this text and its classical commentaries with elegant renderings and authoritative annotations.**

The _Suttanipata_, or "Group of Discourses" is a collection of discourses ascribed to the Buddha that includes some of the most popular suttas of the Pali Canon, among them the _Discourse on_ _Loving-Kindness Sutta_. The suttas are primarily in verse, though several are in mixed prose and verse. The _Suttanipata_ contains discourses that extol the figure of the _muni_, the illumined sage, who wanders homeless completely detached from the world. Other suttas, such as the _Discourse on Downfall_ and the _Discourse on Blessings_, establish the foundations of Buddhist lay ethics. The last two chapters--the Atthakavagga (Chapter of Octads) and the Parayanavagga (The Way to the Beyond)--are considered to be among the most ancient parts of the Pali Canon. The Atthakavagga advocates a critical attitude toward views and doctrines. The Parayanavagga is a beautiful poem in which sixteen spiritual seekers travel across India to meet the Buddha and ask him profound questions pertaining to the highest goal.

The commentary, the _Paramatthajotik__a_, relates the background story to each sutta and explains each verse in detail. The volume includes numerous excerpts from the _Niddesa_, an ancient commentary already included in the Pali Canon, which offers detailed expositions of each verse in the Atthakavagga, the Parayanavagga, and the _Rhinoceros Horn Sutta_.

Translator Bhikkhu Bodhi provides an insightful, in-depth introduction, a guide to the individual suttas, extensive notes, a list of parallels to the discourses of the _Suttanipata_, and a list of the numerical sets mentioned in the commentaries.

### Author Biography

**Bhikkhu Bodhi** is an American Buddhist monk originally from New York City. Ordained in 1972 in Sri Lanka, where he lived for over twenty years, he was the long-time president and chief editor for the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy. He currently resides at Chuang Yen Monastery in upstate New York. Renowned for his systematic and elegant translations of Buddhist texts, Venerable Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, including _The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha_, _The Connected Discourses of the Buddha_, _The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha_, _The Buddha's Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony_, and _In the Buddha's Words_.

**Number of Pages:** 1616

**Dimensions:** 2.6 x 8.5 x 5.4 IN

**Publication Date:** September 26, 2017

## Details

- **Price:** 80.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 80.00 USD | In stock |

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- The Suttanipata: An Ancient Collection of the Buddha's Discourses Together with Its Commentaries - Hardcover

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