Buddhism
Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world going by number of adherents. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, a man mostly likely from the the current border between Nepal and India and most likely in the 5th Century BCE. The provisional nature of exact details is not surprising, considering the passage of time and the quick attraction of legend-making to the growth of the religion. Indeed, even the concept of “religion” is not to be attached too firmly to a philosophy that is decidedly pragmatic and unpretentious. Elaboration in literature and visual art and just about everything that Buddhists have turned their attention to is inevitable, but the core is clear. “Suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering is not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify it.”
The literature of Buddhism is vast, historic, diverse, and ranges from poetically direct to intricately arcane. Whistlestop Bookshop’s holdings are relatively few but have proven durably popular and useful over the years. Basic texts are important, of course. The current Dalai Lama is prolific and eloquent, as is the recently-deceased Thich Nhat Hanh. Zen Buddhism is a fascinating manifestation — I will be adding more of the titles I have as I have time. There is Buddhist poetry and Buddhist fiction, and I will be adding that as I glean it from the shelves. A good Buddhist principle is not to wait until everything is ready but to go ahead with what is at hand.
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya
This volume offers a complete translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, the third of the four great collections in the Sutta Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon. The Saṃyutta Nikāya consists of fifty-six chapters, each governed by a unifying theme that binds together the Buddha’s suttas or discourses. The chapters are organized into five major parts.
The first, The Book with Verses, is a compilation of suttas composed largely in verse. This book ranks as one of the most inspiring compilations in the Buddhist canon, showing the Buddha in his full grandeur as the peerless “teacher of gods and humans.” The other four books deal in depth with the philosophical principles and meditative structures of early Buddhism. They combine into orderly chapters all the important short discourses of the Buddha on such major topics as dependent origination, the five aggregates, the six sense bases, the seven factors of enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the Four Noble Truths.
Among the four large Nikāyas belonging to the Pali Canon, the Saṃyutta Nikāya serves as the repository for the many shorter suttas of the Buddha where he discloses his radical insights into the nature of reality and his unique path to spiritual emancipation. This collection, it seems, was directed mainly at those disciples who were capable of grasping the deepest dimensions of wisdom and of clarifying them for others, and also provided guidance to meditators intent on consummating their efforts with the direct realization of the ultimate truth.
The present work begins with an insightful general introduction to the Saṃyutta Nikāya as a whole. Each of the five parts is also provided with its own introduction, intended to guide the reader through this vast, ocean-like collection of suttas.
To further assist the reader, the translator has provided an extensive body of notes clarifying various problems concerning both the language and the meaning of the texts.
Distinguished by its lucidity and technical precision, this new translation makes this ancient collection of the Buddha’s discourses accessible and comprehensible to the thoughtful reader of today. Like its two predecessors in this series, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is sure to merit a place of honour in the library of every serious student of Buddhism.