Overview
The Sutta Piṭaka contains the conventional teachings and sermons of the Buddha. At the First Buddhist Council in Rājagaha, the senior Arahats organized this vast collection of discourses into five distinct structural repositories, known as Nikāyas (Collections), primarily grouped according to the length and content style of the texts.
The List
- Dīgha Nikāya - The Long Collection: Consisting of 34 major, expansive discourses dealing with philosophy, cosmic origins, and debates with other religious leaders.
- Majjhima Nikāya - The Middle-Length Collection: Consisting of 152 core discourses that provide comprehensive guidance on meditation, psychological deconstruction, and monastic training.
- Saṃyutta Nikāya - The Connected Collection: Consisting of thousands of short suttas organized topically into 56 sections (saṃyuttas) based on subject matter (e.g., the aggregates, sense bases, or dependent origination).
- Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Collection: Consisting of discourses systematically organized into eleven progressive books (nipātas), from the Ones to the Elevens, matching the mathematical layout of the teachings.
- Khuddaka Nikāya - The Minor Collection: A diverse anthology of 15 independent books (in the Sri Lankan tradition) containing verses, history, and highly ancient poetic treatises.
Textual References
- Canonical: Cullavagga (Vinaya Piṭaka) – Records the First Buddhist Council where Ven. Mahākassapa interrogated Ven. Ānanda to compile and classify the discourses.