A selection from the Samyutta Nikaya.Over the next few months I will post some Suttas from the Samyutta
Nikaya (SN). I intend to use mainly Suttas that appear in the
collections by Bhikkhu Ñanananda
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... el183.html John D. Ireland
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... el107.html or M.O'C. Walshe
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... el318.html as well as in the main collection on Access to Insight
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/index.html so that we have a variety of translations to compare, including, of course, Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation:
http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/c_teachings.lasso which is not available (legally) on line, but which I highly recommend. I will post some summaries of Bhikkhu Bodhi's notes as we go along.
I intend to use the ordering suggested by Bhikkhu Bodhi:
Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote:I suggest you might take [the Samyutta Nikaya] in
what seems to me to be the original order, the most reasonable order,
preserved better in the Sarvastivada school (in Chinese
translation). In the Pali tradition, it seems, the books of the
Samyutta were re-arranged and as a result one loses sight of the
underlying groundplan. As I see it from the Chinese Samyukta Agama,
this collection attempted, in broad terms, to mirror the pattern of
the four noble truths. One should begin with Part III (of the Pali),
22-the Khandha-samyutta, followed by Part IV, 35-the
Salayatana-samyutta and 36-Vedana-samyutta. These were to represent
the noble truth of suffering.
Then take Part II, the Nidana-samyutta [12]. This represents the noble
truths of the origin and cessation of suffering. You can also look at
Part IV-43 and 44-which again relate to the truth of cessation.
Then take Part V [45-56], just about all the chapters are
important. This is called in Pali the Mahavagga, the large
compilation, but in the Chinese Samyukta Agama it was called
Margavagga, the compilation on the path; for it represents the fourth
truth, the way to the cessation of suffering.
Thereafter you can take any of the minor chapters that catch your
interest. Part I, the collection with verses, can be taken last. In
the Samyukta Agama it was in fact put at the end, as a kind of
supplement to the original Samyutta collection, but for some reason
the early elders of the Theravada tradition moved it to the beginning,
where it has effectively discouraged many brave souls who were intent
on reading the Samyutta from proceeding further.
PS: I will alternate Suttas from the final chapter of the Sutta Nipata with the Samyutta Nikaya Suttas until we get the Sutta Nipata finished.
Mike
MN_syllabus.pdf
