Sayings of the Buddha: A Selection of Suttas from the Pali Nikāyas

The introduction explains the nature of the Pali Nikāyas, the historical Buddha, the development of Buddhist literature in India, the structure of the Pali Canon, and the cultural background of northern India at the time of the Buddha. Gethin emphasizes that the Pali suttas are among the oldest surviving Buddhist texts and represent a common ancient Buddhist heritage, not only a narrowly Theravāda tradition. The main body is arranged according to the four primary Nikāyas. It begins with selections from the Dīgha-nikāya, including teachings on ascetic life, the Buddha’s final nibbāna, cosmology, social origins, and lay ethics. It then presents selections from the Majjhima-nikāya, focusing on mindfulness, thought-control, doctrinal understanding, unanswered metaphysical questions, the Buddha’s awakening, and karma. The final sections draw from the Saṃyutta-nikāya and Aṅguttara-nikāya, presenting concise teachings organized by topic and number, followed by explanatory notes and an index.