Pali Suttas in English

Each sutta records a teaching given by the Buddha or one of his close disciples, usually opening with a note on where it was given and who was listening. Passed down orally for centuries before being written in Pali, these discourses are the oldest record we have of the Buddha's teaching. They are organized into five collections, or Nikāyas: the long discourses, the middle-length, two collections of shorter suttas arranged by theme and by number, and a final miscellany that includes well-known texts like the Dhammapada.

The same sutta can read very differently depending on the translator, so we host several side by side. You can also browse by audience, individual, or location. Many suttas also have parallels preserved in Chinese — see the Āgamas section.