Samyutta Nikaya
Encyclopedia
The Samyutta Nikaya is a Buddhist scripture, the third of the five nikaya
s, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka
, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali
Tipitaka of Theravada
Buddhism
. Because of the abbreviated way parts of the text are written, the total number of suttas is unclear. The editor of the Pali Text Society edition of the text made it 2889, Bodhi in his translation has 2904, while the commentaries give 7762. A study by Dr Rupert Gethin
gives the totals for the Burmese and Sinhalese editions as 2854 and 7656, respectively, and his own calculation as 6696; he also says the total in the Thai edition is unclear. The suttas are grouped into five vaggas, or sections. Each vagga is further divided into samyuttas, or chapters, each of which in turn contains a group of suttas on a related topic.
, where it is known as the Zá Ahánjīng (雜阿含經); meaning "the mixed agama". A comparison of the Sarvāstivādin, Kāśyapīya, and Theravadin texts reveals a considerable consistency of content, although each recension contains sutras/suttas not found in the others.
Bhikku Sujato, a contemporary scholar monk, argues that the remarkable congruence of the various recensions suggests that the Samyutta Nikaya/Saṃyukta Āgama was the only collection to be finalized in terms of both structure and content in the pre-sectarian period.
Part I. Sagatha-vagga (SN chapters 1-11)
Part II. Nidana-vagga (SN chapters 12-21)
Part III. Khandha-vagga (SN chapters 22-34)
Part IV. Salayatana-vagga (SN chapters 35-44)
Part V. Maha-vagga (SN chapters 45-56)
Nikaya
Nikāya is a word of meaning "collection", "assemblage", "class" or "group" in both Pāḷi and Sanskrit. It is most commonly used in reference to the Buddhist texts of the Sutta Piṭaka, but can also refer to the monastic divisions of Theravāda Buddhism...
s, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka
Sutta Pitaka
The Sutta Pitaka is the second of the three divisions of the Tipitaka or Pali Canon, the Pali collection of Buddhist writings, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism...
, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
Tipitaka of Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. Because of the abbreviated way parts of the text are written, the total number of suttas is unclear. The editor of the Pali Text Society edition of the text made it 2889, Bodhi in his translation has 2904, while the commentaries give 7762. A study by Dr Rupert Gethin
Rupert Gethin
Dr. Rupert Mark Lovell Gethin is a Lecturer in Indian Religions in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and codirector of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, and president of the Pali Text Society...
gives the totals for the Burmese and Sinhalese editions as 2854 and 7656, respectively, and his own calculation as 6696; he also says the total in the Thai edition is unclear. The suttas are grouped into five vaggas, or sections. Each vagga is further divided into samyuttas, or chapters, each of which in turn contains a group of suttas on a related topic.
Correspondence with the Saṃyukta Āgama
The Samyutta Nikaya corresponds to the Saṃyukta Āgama found in the Sutra Pitikas of various Sanskritic early Buddhists schools, fragments of which survive in Sanskrit and in Tibetan translation. A complete Chinese translation from the Sarvāstivādin recension appears in the Chinese Buddhist canonChinese Buddhist canon
The Chinese Buddhist Canon refers to the total body of Buddhist literature deemed canonical in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Buddhism...
, where it is known as the Zá Ahánjīng (雜阿含經); meaning "the mixed agama". A comparison of the Sarvāstivādin, Kāśyapīya, and Theravadin texts reveals a considerable consistency of content, although each recension contains sutras/suttas not found in the others.
Bhikku Sujato, a contemporary scholar monk, argues that the remarkable congruence of the various recensions suggests that the Samyutta Nikaya/Saṃyukta Āgama was the only collection to be finalized in terms of both structure and content in the pre-sectarian period.
Translations
- The Book of the Kindred Sayings, tr C. A. F. Rhys Davids & F. L. Woodward, 1917–30, 5 volumes, Pali Text SocietyPali Text SocietyThe Pali Text Society was founded in 1881 by T.W. Rhys Davids "to foster and promote the study of Pali texts".Pali is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism is preserved...
http://www.palitext.com, Bristol - The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, tr Bhikkhu Bodhi, 2000, Wisdom Publications, Somerville, MA, ISBN 0-86171-331-1; the Pali Text Society also issues a private edition of this for members only, which is its preferred translation
Selections
- anthology published by Buddhist Publication SocietyBuddhist Publication SocietyThe Buddhist Publication Society is a charity whose goal is to explain and spread the doctrine of the Buddha. It was founded in Sri Lanka in 1958 by two Sri Lankan Buddhist laymen, A.S. Karunaratna and Richard Abeyasekera, and a European-born Buddhist monk, Nyanaponika Thera...
, Kandy, Sri Lanka - Nidana Samyutta, published in Burma; reprinted Sri Satguru, Delhi
Divisions
The vaggas contained in this nikaya are (the numbering of chapters [samyuttas] here refers to the PTS and Burmese editions; the Sinhalese and Thai editions divide the text up somewhat differently):Part I. Sagatha-vagga (SN chapters 1-11)
- a collection of suttas containing verses (Pali, sagatha), many shared by other parts of the Pali canonPāli CanonThe Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the only completely surviving early Buddhist canon, and one of the first to be written down...
such as the TheragathaTheragathaThe Theragatha , often translated as Verses of the Elder Monks , is a Buddhist scripture, a collection of short poems supposedly recited by early members of the Buddhist sangha. In the Pali Canon, the Theragatha is classified as part of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the collection of short books in the...
, TherigathaTherigathaThe Therigatha, often translated as Verses of the Elder Nuns , is a Buddhist scripture, a collection of short poems supposedly recited by early members of the Buddhist sangha in India around 600 BC...
, Suttanipata, DhammapadaDhammapadaThe Dhammapada is a versified Buddhist scripture traditionally ascribed to the Buddha himself. It is one of the best-known texts from the Theravada canon....
and the Jatakas.
Part II. Nidana-vagga (SN chapters 12-21)
- a collection of suttas primarily pertaining to causationNidanaNidana is a Sanskrit word . It means 'chain of causation,' and is attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha. It has two specific meanings within Buddhism...
(Pali, nidana).
Part III. Khandha-vagga (SN chapters 22-34)
- a collection of suttas primarily pertaining to the five aggregatesSkandhaIn Buddhist phenomenology and soteriology, the skandhas or khandhas are any of five types of phenomena that serve as objects of clinging and bases for a sense of self...
(Pali, khandha).
Part IV. Salayatana-vagga (SN chapters 35-44)
- a collection of suttas primarily pertaining to the six sense basesSadayatana' or ' means the six sense bases , that is, the sense organs and their objects. These are: is the fifth link in the Twelve Nidānas of Pratitya-Samutpada and thus likewise in the fifth position on the Bhavacakra...
(Pali, salayatana), including the "Fire SermonFire SermonThe Ādittapariyāya Sutta or, more simply, Āditta Sutta is a discourse from the Pali Canon, popularly known as the Fire Sermon...
" (Adittapariyaya Sutta).
Part V. Maha-vagga (SN chapters 45-56)
- the largest – that is, great (Pali, maha) – collection consists of the following chapters:
- Ch 45. the Noble Eightfold PathNoble Eightfold PathThe Noble Eightfold Path , is one of the principal teachings of the Buddha, who described it as the way leading to the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self-awakening. It is used to develop insight into the true nature of phenomena and to eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion...
- Ch 46. the Seven Factors of Enlightenment
- Ch 47. the Four Establishment of MindfulnessSatipatthanaIn the Buddhist tradition, ' refers to the establishing, foundation or presence of "mindfulness" . The Buddha taught the establishing of mindfulness as the 'direct path' to the realisation of nirvana...
- Ch 48. the FacultiesIndriyaIndriya, literally "belonging to or agreeable to Indra" is the Sanskrit and Pali term for physical strength or ability in general, and for the five senses more specifically....
- Ch 49. the Four Right StrivingFour Right ExertionsThe Four Right Exertions unarisenarisen unskillfulqualitiesguardabandonskillfulqualitiesarousemaintain ...
- Ch 50. the Five Powers
- Ch 51. the Four Bases for Spiritual Power
- Ch 52. AnuruddhaAnuruddhaAnuruddha was one of the five head disciples and a cousin of Gautama Buddha.-Early years:Anuruddha was the son of Sukkhodana and brother to Mahanama. Since Sukkhodana was the brother of Suddhodana, king of the Sakyas in Kapilavastu, Anuruddha was cousin to Siddhartha, . He was a kshatriya by...
discourses - Ch 53. the Jhanas
- Ch 54. Mindfulness of BreathingAnapanasatiĀnāpānasati , meaning 'mindfulness of breathing' , is a form of Buddhist meditation now common to the Tibetan, Zen, Tiantai, and Theravada schools of Buddhism, as well as western-based mindfulness programs.According to tradition, Anapanasati was...
- Ch 55. Factors of Stream-entrySotapannaIn Buddhism, a Sotāpanna , Srotāpanna , or "stream-winner" is a person who has eradicated the first three fetters of the mind. Sotapanna literally means "one who entered the stream ", after a metaphor which calls the Noble Eightfold Path, 'a stream'...
- Ch 56. the TruthsSaccaSacca is a Pāli word meaning "real" or "true." In early Buddhist literature, sacca is often found in the context of the "Four Noble Truths," a crystallization of Buddhist wisdom...
- Ch 45. the Noble Eightfold Path
See also
- Anguttara NikayaAnguttara NikayaThe Anguttara Nikaya is a Buddhist scripture, the fourth of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that comprise the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism...
- Buddhist textsBuddhist textsBuddhist texts can be categorized in a number of ways. The Western terms "scripture" and "canonical" are applied to Buddhism in inconsistent ways by Western scholars: for example, one authority refers to "scriptures and other canonical texts", while another says that scriptures can be categorized...
- Digha NikayaDigha NikayaThe Digha Nikaya is a Buddhist scripture, the first of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism...
- Khuddaka NikayaKhuddaka NikayaThe Khuddaka Nikaya is the last of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism...
- List of Samyutta Nikaya suttas
- List of suttas
- Majjhima NikayaMajjhima NikayaThe Majjhima Nikaya is a Buddhist scripture, the second of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism...
External links
- Samyutta Nikaya suttas in Pali (complete) and English (first 44 chapters) at "Metta Net"
- Samyutta Nikaya selected suttas in English at "Access to Insight"
- Samyutta Nikaya selected suttas in English at Mahindarama Temple, Penang, Malaysia (majority of these translations appear to have been copied – unattributed – from "Access to Insight")
- "Connected Discourses in Gandhāra" by Andrew Glass (2006 dissertation) - compares four Gandharan sutras related to the Samyutta Nikaya with Pali, Chinese and Tibetan versions.