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    The document provides a summary of the contents of the Digha Nikaya, one of the collections within the Sutta Pitaka. It begins with background on the Buddha and the preservation of his teachings in the Tipitaka. The Digha Nikaya contains 34 long discourses divided into three divisions. Key discourses include those on views of the universe, meditation, morality, dependent origination, and the Buddha's last days. The summary concisely outlines each discourse to give beginners an overview of the contents and stories within the Digha Nikaya collection.

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    This is the term paper of M.A 1st semester on the subject 'Buddhist Literature I'

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    A summary of Digha Nikaya from Sutta Pitaka

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    The document provides a summary of the contents of the Digha Nikaya, one of the collections within the Sutta Pitaka. It begins with background on the Buddha and the preservation of his teachings in the Tipitaka. The Digha Nikaya contains 34 long discourses divided into three divisions. Key discourses include those on views of the universe, meditation, morality, dependent origination, and the Buddha's last days. The summary concisely outlines each discourse to give beginners an overview of the contents and stories within the Digha Nikaya collection.

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    316 views6 pages

    A Summary of Digha Nikaya From Sutta Pitaka

    Uploaded by

    Pragya
    The document provides a summary of the contents of the Digha Nikaya, one of the collections within the Sutta Pitaka. It begins with background on the Buddha and the preservation of his teachings in the Tipitaka. The Digha Nikaya contains 34 long discourses divided into three divisions. Key discourses include those on views of the universe, meditation, morality, dependent origination, and the Buddha's last days. The summary concisely outlines each discourse to give beginners an overview of the contents and stories within the Digha Nikaya collection.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    A Summary of Digha Nikaya from Sutta pitaka

    In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

    MASTER’S OF APPLIED BUDDHISM

    A Term Paper

    Submitted to

    Lotus Research Center

    Affiliated to

    Lumbini Buddhist University

    Lumbini

    By

    Name:

    LBU Reg.No.

    June 2020
    A Summary of Digha Nikaya from Sutta pitaka

    Abstract: All the Buddha vacana (Buddha’s word) are preserved in the form of canonical book
    called “Tipitaka”, the three baskets. Vinaya Pitaka, the basket of discipline, Sutta Pitaka, the
    basket of discourses, and Abhidhamma Pitaka, the basket of Ultimate things. Among these three
    basket, Sutta Pitaka is divided into five Nikayas (collections) - Digha Nikaya, Majjima Nikaya,
    Samukta Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya and Khudaka Nikaya. Digha Nikaya is the collection of long
    discourse of the Buddha. This paper represents the summary of the contents of Digha Nikaya for
    the beginners or students who has just begin to study Buddhism.

    Key words: Sutta Pitaka, Digha Nikaya, and Suttas

    Introduction: 2500 years ago, the prince named Siddhatha Gotama renounced his palace and his
    family to search for the truth. After his hard work for many years, he was enlightened and
    became the Buddha (the awakened one). He taught for 45 years until his Mahaparinirvan
    (nirvana after death). His teachings are preserved in Tripitaka. Among five Nikayas of Sutta
    Pitaka, Digha Nikaya, is the collection of long discourses. It has 34 Sutta. The literal meaning of
    Sutta is ‘thread’. There are many translated books and websites of Digha Nikaya from Pali to
    English and it takes long time to read for the beginners. The objective of this paper is to give the
    summary of the contents of Digha Nikaya. As this paper gives a summary of it, one has to study
    in details to know more about this discourse from the book. The information collected in this
    paper is from the literature review of e-books, and websites.

    In Theravada Buddhism, the Sutta Pitaka is the second basket. It is a discourse or sermon by the
    Buddha or his disciples. After the Buddha’s mahaparinirvana, the suttas were passed down with
    an oral tradition. Out of five Nikayas, Ananda, one of the disciples of Buddha and his followers
    preserved Digha Nikaya in the form of oral tradition in the first council. Later, these were
    preserved in the written form at the fourth Buddhist council. It consists of 34 discourses.1 The
    first discourse is Bramhajala Sutta (DN1) and the last discourses is Dasuttara Sutta (DN34).
    Digha Nikaya is further divided into three groups:
    Division one: Silakkhanda vagga, it is about the moralities (Sila). It has 13 sutta. It is written in
    the form of prose (gadhya).
    Division two: Maha vagga, it is about the great division. It has 10 sutta.
    Division three: Patika vagga, it is about the Patika division. It has 11 sutta.

    Division one: Silakkhanda vagga.


    DN 1. Bramhajala Sutta (The supreme Net of views): It describes and compares the point of
    view of Buddha and other ascetics about the universe and time. He listed 62 different types of
    wrong view, all of which are based on contact of the six sense-bases and their objects2. All of
    these views are trapped in his net.
    DN 2. Samannaphala Sutta (The Fruits of the Homeless Life)3: King Ajatsattu of Magadha, asks
    question about the fruits of the life of renunciation. The Buddha tells him about various
    meditative states and finally true liberation.
    DN 3. Ambattha Sutta (About Ambattha): Ambattha, the bramhin asks his pupil to find if ‘ascetic
    Gotama’ has 32 marks of a Great man because he was born as Brahmin. He behaves arrogantly
    towards the Buddha. He realizes that the Chettrias (the warrior caste) are superior to the
    Brahmins and convert himself.
    DN 4. Sonadanda Sutta (About Sonadanda): Qualities of a True Brahmin. The Buddha asks
    Sonadanda the Brahmin what are the qualities of a Brahmin. Snadanda gives five, but the
    Buddha admits that these can be reduce to two: wisdom and morality.4,5
    DN 5. Kutadanta Sutta (About Kutadanta): A bloodless sacrifice. Kutadandanta the Brahmin
    asks the Buddha how to perform a great sacrifice with the slaughter of hundreds of bulls,

    1
    Translated from the Pali by Maurice Walshe. A translation of the Digha Nikaya. The teachings of the Buddha, The
    long discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publication Boston 1987, 1995
    2
    Translated from the Pali by Maurice Walshe. A translation of the Digha Nikaya. The teachings of the Buddha, The
    long discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publication Boston 1987, 1995
    3
    Translated from the Pali by Maurice Walshe, A translation of the Digha Nikaya. The teachings of the Buddha,
    Samannaphala Sutta, The long discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publication Boston 1987, 1995
    4
    Translated from the Pali by Maurice Walshe, A translation of the Digha Nikaya, The teachings of the Buddha,
    Sonadandanta Sutta, The long discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publication Boston 1987, 1995
    5
    Digha Nikaya, Wikipedia, The Free Encylopedia. Retrieved on June 5, 2020
    bullocks and so on. The Buddha replies from his past lives, when he was a chaplain of a king,
    without killing animals, they performed a symbolic, bloodless sacrifice.
    DN 6. Mahali Sutta (About Mahali): The Licchavi asks the Buddha about why some people see
    heavenly sound but cannot hear divine sound. The Buddha explains that it is because of their
    practice of one-sided meditation (Samadhi).
    DN 7. Jaliya Sutta (About Jaliya): Two Brahmins asks whether the soul and the body are the
    same or different, the Buddha responses the path to wisdom and asks whether one who has
    fulfilled it would both with such questions.
    DN 8. Mahasihanada Sutta (The Great Lion’s Roar of Kassapa): This discourse is related with
    asceticism.
    DN 9. Patthapada Sutta (States of consciousness): The Buddha lists the various jhana states to
    show how perception can be controlled. Then the discussion moves to the self and the
    unanswered questions.
    DN 10. Subha Sutta (Morality, Concentration, Wisdom): After the Buddha’s death, Ananda tells
    about morality, concentration and wisdom to the young Brahmin Subha.
    DN 11. Kevaddha Sutta (About Kevaddha): Kevaddha asks the Buddha why he does not gain
    disciples by working miracles; the Buddha tells that the real miracle is the training of his
    followers.
    DN 12. Lohicca Sutta (Good and Bad teachers):
    DN 13. Tevijja Sutta (The Threefold Knowledge): The way to Brahma. The Buddha explains two
    Brahmins about the Buddhist path, and instruct them in the Brahmaviharas to reach the goal.

    Division two: Maha vagga, it is about the great division.


    DN 14 Mahapadana Sutta: The last seven Buddhas. The life of the Vipassi Buddha is similar to
    that of the life of Gotama. It mentions that all Buddhas go through the same experiences in their
    last earthly life.
    DN 15 Mahanidana Sutta: The great discourses on law of dependent origination.
    DN 16 Mahaparinibbana Sutta : The story of the Buddha’s last days, his death and funeral, and
    distribution of the ashes in eight portions.
    DN 17. Mahasudassana Sutta: The story of the Buddha’s past lives as a king and renunciation to
    lead a life of meditation.
    DN 18. Janavasabha Sutta: King Bimbisara reborn as the god named Janavasabha, who tells the
    Buddha that his teaching has resulted in people being born as gods.
    DN 19. MahaGovinda Sutta: A Past life of Gotama
    DN 20 Mahasamaya Sutta: The Great Gathering. List of gods in verses coming to meet the
    Buddha.
    DN 21. Sakkapanha Sutta: The Buddha answers questions of Sakka (Indra), the ruler of 33 gods.
    DN 22. Mahasatipatthana Sutta: The Greater discourse on the foundations of mindfulness.
    DN 23 Payasi Sutta: The dialogue between the Prince Payasi and a monk.

    Division Three: Patika vagga


    DN 24. Patika Sutta (About Patikaputta): The ascetic Patikaputta challenges the Buddha to a
    contest of miracles. The Buddha waits for him to appear, but as the Buddha prophesied, he
    cannot even rise from his seat to meet the Buddha.
    DN 25. Udumbarika-Sihanada Sutta: Discourse on asceticism.
    DN 26. Cakkavatti-Sihanada Sutta: Story of declination of humanity from a golden age in the
    past, and finally improves when another Buddha (Metteyya) will appear.
    DN 27. Agganna Sutta: Another story of humanity’s decline.
    DN 28. Sampasadaniya Sutta: Sariputta praises the Buddha.
    DN 29. Pasadika Sutta : The delightful discourse. A discussion of good and bad teachers.
    DN 30. Lakkhana Sutta: 32 bodily mark of the Buddha from the action done in his previous
    lives.
    DN 31. Sigalaka Sutta: Advice to the layman Sigalaka on morality.
    DN 32. Atanatiya Sutta: A poem (verse) to protect from evil spirits for monastic and lay people.
    DN 33. Sangiti Sutta: The first Sutta to chant together created at the Second Council.
    DN 34. Dasuttara Sutta: Similar material to Sutta 33 but with a fixed format; there are ten
    categories.

    Conclusion:
    Digha Nikaya is the collection of one of the long discourses among five Nikayas of Sutta Pitaka.
    It has been grouped in 3 divisions and it is further divided into 34 discourses. It has stories of
    past lives of the Buddha, last days to death of the Buddha, the sermons to Bhikkhus, lay people
    and kings, qualities of good and bad teachers. This paper has presented all the 34 Discourses of
    Digha Nikaya in a summary for the beginners of Buddhism. However, one has to study each
    Sutta in details to learn more in the book of Digha Nikaya.

    Bibliography
     Kutadanta Sutta, A bloodless sacrifice.
    http://www.buddhasutra.com/files/kutadanta_sutta.htm. Retrieved on June 8, 2020.
     Three Baskets (Tipitaka) in Buddhism,
    https://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/PDF_BuddhismCourse/18_%20Three%20Baskets%20
    _Tipitaka_%20in%20Buddhism.pdf.
     Translated from the Pali by Maurice Walshe, A translation of the Digha Nikaya, The
    teachings of the Buddha, The long discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publication Boston
    1987, 1995
     1
    Wikipedia The Free Encylopedia, Digha Nikaya. Retrieved on June 5, 2020.

    Pragya Shrestha
    MA 1st Semester
    [email protected]

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