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BUDDHIST SUTRAS AND BUDDHIST TEXTS

Main Page
1. General Introduction To Buddhism: This is a well written article on the basic teachings of Buddhism by
2. Zen Teaching Mike Butler. An excellent introduction for the beginner who is looking for just the salient features
Sutras
of the Buddha's Teachings.
3. Pure Land The Buddha and His Message: "The Buddha and His Message, Past, Present, and Future" is a
Sutras
4. Tibetan
lecture given on Vesak Day by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi at the United Nations, 15 May 2000. This
Scriptures lecture by a western Buddhist monk, encapsulates the Buddha's Teachings with an excellent
5. History of overview of Buddhism.
Buddhism Fundamentals of Buddhism: Dr Peter D. Santina covers what we might call the basic Buddhist
6. Buddhist teachings over a series of twelve lectures. The basic teachings outlined here are the Life of the
Information
Network Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, Karma, Rebirth, Dependent
7. Vegetarianism Origination, The Three Universal Characteristics and The Five Aggregates. This text puts
8. Additional Buddhism into its context - the pre-Buddhist background with an overview of Buddhism from a
Buddhism Links modern perspective. e-book.
Buddhism in a Nutshell: This is a classic on the basics of Buddhism by Ven. Narada Thera: The
Story of the Buddha; The Teachings (Dhamma) is it a philosophy? Is Buddhism a religion? Is
Buddhism an Ethical system? Some salient features of Buddhism. Karma or the Law of Moral
Causation. Rebirth. Dependent Arising (Paticca Samuppada). Anatta or Soul-lessness. Nibbana
and the Path to Nibbana. e-book.
Four Noble Truths: These extracts from The Four Noble Truths are from various talks given by
Venerable Ajahn Sumedho on the central teaching of the Buddha: that the unhappiness of
humanity can be overcome through spiritual means. e-book.
The Life of the Buddha: This "Life Of The Buddha" has been prepared for Secondary School
students. There are exercises with each story which Dhamma Teachers can elaborate on when
it is used as a text book. However, while the stories are simple and brief, they do follow the
scriptural tradition and so are of value for the general reader who wishes to learn about the
Buddha's life.
The Buddha, His Life and Teaching: This is a comprehensive and authentic book on the Buddha
and his Teachngs.by Piyadassi. The author, Venerable Mahathera Piyadassi is one of the
world's most eminent Buddhist monks, a highly revered teacher of great renown, an
indefatigable worker for the Buddha Dhamma. "The ages roll by and the Buddha seems not so
far away after all; his voice whispers in our ears and tells us not to run away from the struggle
but, calm-eyed, to face it, and to see in life ever greater opportunities for growth and
advancement". e-book.
Now is the Knowing: Yesterday is a memory; Tomorrow is the unknown - Now is the knowing.
This is an inspirational teaching by one of the foremost western monks, Ven. Ajahn Sumedo.
Taken from talks on the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) and
Happiness, unhappiness and Nibbana. e-book.
Handbook For Mankind: Principles of Buddhism explained by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. It is a
remarkable fact that in this book Ven. Buddhadasa has explained the meaning of one topic,
thereby covering the spirit of the whole teaching or the Tipitaka. He says that Buddhism is the
religion which teaches one to know just this much: "what is the truth?". All the chapters in this
book dealing with the five aggregates, the four kinds of attachments, intuition in a natural way
and other topics all point to "The Truth".
Buddhism as an Education: A talk given by Venerable Master Chin Kung at An-Kang Elementary
School, Taipei. Transcribed and translated into English by the Dallas Buddhist Association.
e-book.
Buddhist Tales for Young and Old (1) Prince Goodspeaker, Volume 1 (stories 1-50) These two
volumes of the Jataka stories, have been seminal to the development of many civilizations, the
cultivation of moral conduct and good behaviour, the growth of a rich and varied literature in
diverse parts of the world and the inspiration for painting, sculpture and architecture. The
Buddha himself used the Jataka Tales as teaching stories to explain concepts like kamma and
rebirth and to emphasize the importance of moral values. e-book.
Buddhist Tales for Young and Old (2): King Fruitful, Volume 2 (stories 1-50) The Jataka Tales or
Buddhist Tales for Young and Old - King Fruitful, Volume 2. These two volumes are also
available as BuddhaNet E-books - text only or illustrated. e-books
The Wheel of Life: The Wheel of Dependent Arising is a basic teaching of Buddhism. The Wheel
of Life, with its twelve links starting with ignorance and ending in aging and death, shows how
man, being fettered, wanders in Samsara birth after birth.
Theory of Karma in Buddhism: is in depth book on Karma explains: 'What is Karma; Karma and

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Vipaka; The Cause of Karma; Classification of Karma; Questions and Answers on Karma and
the Nature of Karma.
Buddhist Ceremonies: Buddhist Festivals and Special Days including Ceremonies for the Dead
and Funeral Rites. A Web Link to Uposatha or Observance Days. The Thai Buddhist Calendar
and Buddha's Birthday Celebrations, Vesak or Visakah Puja.
The Buddhist Calenda: A comprehensive explanation of the Buddhist Calendar from scriptural
sources in the Pali (Theravada) Buddhist canon by Ven. U Sobhana. Web link to Uposatha or
Observance Days, which are times of renewed dedication to Dhamma practice in Theravada
Buddhism.
Adittapariyaya Sutta - The Fire Sermon.
Ananda Sutta - To Ananda (on Mindfulness of Breathing).
Anapanasati Sutra - Discourse on the mindfulness of breathing
Anapanasati Sutta - Sutra on mindfulness of breathing.
Anattalakkhana Sutta - The discourse on the not-self characteristic.
Anattalakkhana Sutta - The Sermon on the Not-Self Characteristic.
The Anattalakkhana Sutta - A document from the Pali canon of Buddhist scriptures in which
Buddha speaks on not-self characteristic.
Bhikkuni Samyutta Suttas - 10 suttas about Mara, the personification of doubt and evil, trying in
vain to lure the bhikkhunis (nuns) away from their meditation spots in the forest by asking them
provocative questions.
Bhumija Sutta - The discourse to Bhumija.
Buddha's First Sermon - A reconstruction of Buddha's first sermon. Composed at least several
centuries after Siddhartha Gautama's death, contains the essence of what the Buddha taught
his earliest disciples.
Buddha's Sermons and Teachings - A version of Buddha's first sermon and a discussion of the
nature of Nirvana.
Buddhist Texts - A small collection of various Buddhist teachings and sutras.
Buddhist Information - A large collection of sutras.
Cula-Kammavibhanga Sutta - Buddhist text on how Action differentiates beings in terms of
baseness & excellence.
Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta - The Shorter Instructions to Malunkya regarding the cosmos.
Cula-Suññata Sutta - The Lesser Discourse on Emptiness.
Culasunnata Sutta - On Voidness (sunyata) - the quintessence of Buddhism.
Cula-Vedalla Sutta - The Shorter Set of Questions-and-Answers.
Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta - Buddha's teaching about ways in which one is made impure by
verbal or mental actions.
Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta - Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion.
Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta - Setting Rolling the Wheel of Truth.
The Dhammapada - Downloadable e-text of Buddha's essential teachings on some 305
occasions.
The Dhammapada, or the Treasury of Truth, consist of 423 verses spoken by the Buddha on about
300 occasions in the course of his teaching ministry of forty-five years. The gems of truth
embodied in these texts aptly illustrate the moral and philosophical Teachings of the Buddha.+
eBook
The Dhammapada - A collection of 423 verses containing the Buddha's essential teachings on
some 305 occasions for the benefit of a wide range of human beings.
Dighavu-kumara Vatthu - The Story of Prince Dighavu. Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro
Bhikkhu.
The Flower Adornment Sutra - Translation of chapter 40 of the Avatamsaka Sutra, the basic
scripture of the Hua Yen school.
The Gospel of Buddha - A 19th century compilation from a variety of Buddhist texts by Paul
Carus. It is modelled on the New Testament. It was very widely read, and was even
recommended by Ceylonese Buddhist leaders as a teaching tool for Buddhist children.
Hiri Sutta - A sutra from the Sutta Nipata, discussing definition of friendship.
Householder Sutta Page - Provides links of various Suttas on the internet.
Kaccayanagotta Sutta - The sutra on right view.
Kalama Sutra - The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry. The sutta signifies a teaching that is
exempt from fanaticism, bigotry, dogmatism, and intolerance.
Kalama Sutra -- Extract - This extract exemplifies the scientific and rational approach to Buddhist
practice and teachings, instead of by blind faith. It also demonstrates that the teachings of the
Buddha are closely bonded to logic and his basic principle that if something is good and
beneficial to one and all, we should accept and live by it.
Kalama Sutta - This discourse of the Buddha has been described as "the Buddha's Charter of
Free Inquiry." It counters the decrees of dogmatism and blind faith with a vigorous call for free
investigation, exhorting one to not rely on what others say in what to believe.

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The Kalama Sutta: Translated from the Pali by Ven. Soma Thera. The instruction of the Kalamas
(Kalama Sutta) is justly famous for its encouragement of free inquiry; the spirit of the sutta
signifies a teaching that is exempt from fanaticism, bigotry, dogmatism, and intolerance. Also
included is a Commentary on the Kalama Sutta "A Look at the Kalama Sutta" by Bhikkhu Bodhi.
Kayagata-sati Sutta - Sutra on Mindfulness immersing in the body.
Lotus of the True Dharma - A sacred text of Mahayana Buddhism on the subject of the true
nature of the Buddha.
Lotus Sutra - "The Universal Door Of The Bodhisattva Who Listens To The Sounds Of All The
World"
The Lotus Sutra - Also known as the "White Lotus of the True Dharma" or "Saddharma-
Pundarika Sutta". Translated by Burton Watson.
Maha-Cattarisaka Sutta - "The Great Forty" - a discourse on Right View.
Maha-Nidana Sutta - The Great Causes Discourse.
Maha-Parinibbana Sutta - Sutra on the Last Days of the Buddha. This sutra gives a good
summary of the Buddha's Teachings.
Mahasatipatthana Sutta: Practise in accordance with this Mahasatipatthana Sutta (Four
Foundations of Mindfulness) so that you can see why it is acknowledged as the most important
Sutta that the Buddha taught. The message here in this Sutta is that you should be mindful of
whatever is occurring in the body and mind, whether it be good or bad, and thus you will
become aware that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent, unsatisfactory and not-self. +
eBook
Maha-Satipatthana Sutta - The Great Frames of Reference Sutra.
Metta Sutra - The Buddha's Words on Kindness (Metta Sutta)
Metta Sutta - May all beings be at ease....
Online Mahayana Sutras - Page with various mahayana sutras and a few commentries on sutras.
They include Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra, Sutra of Hui Neng, Amitabha Sutra, and Sutra of
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Enlightenment Sutra.
Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra - In Sanskrit and English.
Punna Sutta - To Punna. This is a sutta from the Samyutta Nikaya (SN XXXV.88).
Quotes from the Masters - A collection of quotes from various sutras. Indexed by author.
Rathakara Sutta (Pacetana Sutta) - The Chariot Maker - Buddha's parable about the straightness of
wheels as corresponding to the straightness of practice.
Readings in Theravada Buddhism - Over 700 translated discourses by the Buddha.
Reflections On The Three Fold Lotus Sutra - Paper by John R.A. Mayer. Presents reflections on
how this text is applicable to issues in contemporary Western philosophy. Contrasts Nichiren
and Tendai traditions with Zen.
Sabbasava Sutta - Sutra on All the Fermentations (thoughts that arise in mind).
Sallekha Sutta - The Discourse on Effacement.
Samaññaphala Sutta - The Fruits of the Contemplative Life Sutra. This discourse is one of the
masterpieces of the Pali Canon.
Sammaditthi Sutta - The Discourse on Right View
Sammaditthi Sutta - The Discourse on Right View.
Sammaditthi Sutta - The Discourse on Right View.
Samyutta Nikaya - The third division of the Sutta Pitaka, contains 2,889 suttas grouped into five
sections (vaggas).
Satipatthana -- Foundations of Mindfulness - Site is dedicated to the study of sati - a Pali word
for the Buddhist concept which is most often translated as "mindfulness."
Satipatthana Sutra - Discourse on The Four Foundations of Mindfulness.
Satipatthana Sutra - Discourse on The Four Foundations of Mindfulness.
Satipatthana Sutta - The foundations of mindfulness.
Shurangama Sutra - Buddha's discourse on impermanence and the physical senses.
Sigalovada Sutta - The Discourse to Sigala -- The Layperson's Code of Discipline.
Siha Sutta - To General Siha (On Generosity). Anguttara Nikaya V.34.
Sunakkhatta Sutta - The discourse to Sunakkhatta on craving.
Teachings of Tathagata Buddha - Sutra of the deep kindness of parents and the difficulty in
repaying this kindness.
Timeless Wisdom - Quotes and excerpts from the Buddhist sutras.
Upajjhatthana Sutta - Subjects for Contemplation.
Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra - Translated by Robert A. F. Thurman.
The Brahma Net Sutra - http://www.purifymind.com/BrahmaNetSutra.htm
http://www.ymba.org/bns/bnsframe.htm
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/bns/bnsframe.htm
http://www.buddhistdoor.com/resources/sutras/net_sutra.htm

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