DIALOGUES OF THE BUDDHA (3 Pts.)

This is a reprint from T. W. Rhys Davids’ translation of the Digha Nikaya. It was first published in three parts in 1899 and 1910 respectively. Digha Nikaya, or “the collection long doctrinary lecturing” of Buddha, is one the five Nikayas (or collections) belonging to the Suttapitaka. It is also known as “the basket of (Buddha’s) discourses”, which is one the three main collections of Pali Buddhist texts. It is composed of 34 long Suttas, each of which focuses on a particular point of the doctrine. Like other Indian teachers, the Buddha taught through conversation. The literary tradition of his day was that he expressed his doctrine in set phrases (sutras), which he expanded on various occasions in different ways. These sayings (suttas), were collected by his disciples and compiled into the great Nikayas, of which the current one is the first.