The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya

Book Overview

This book offers a complete translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, or Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha , one of the major collections of texts in the Pali Canon, the authorized scriptures of Theravada Buddhism. This collection--among the oldest records of the historical Buddha's original teachings--consists of 152 suttas or discourses of middle length, distinguished as such from the longer and shorter suttas of the other collections. The Majjhima Nikaya might be concisely described as the Buddhist scripture that combines the richest variety of contextual settings with the deepest and most comprehensive assortment of teachings. These teachings, which range from basic ethics to instructions in meditation and liberating insight, unfold in a fascinating procession of scenarios that show the Buddha in living dialogue with people from many different strata of ancient Indian society: with kings and princes, priests and ascetics, simple villagers and erudite philosophers. Replete with drama, reasoned argument, and illuminating parable and simile, these discourses exhibit the Buddha in the full glory of his resplendent wisdom, majestic sublimity, and compassionate humanity. The translation is based on an original draft translation left by the English scholar-monk Bhikkhu Nanamoli, which has been edited and revised by the American monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, who provides a long introduction and helpful explanatory notes. Combining lucidity of expression with accuracy, this translation enables the Buddha to speak across twenty-five centuries in language that addresses the most pressing concerns of the contemporary reader seeking clarification of the timeless issues of truth, value, and the proper conduct of life. Winner of the 1995 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book Award, and the Tricycle Prize for Excellence in Buddhist Publishing for Dharma Discourse.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 086171072X
• ISBN13: 9780861710720
• Release Date: November 1995
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Length: 1424 Pages
• Weight: 2.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.3" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

By arousing true knowledge one can end suffering here & now.

I bought this book back in 1995 when it first came out. After reading the first 10 pages or so and tackling a few of the suttas, I set it back on the shelf unread and left it there for 7 years. For various reasons, i.e. more lessons in humility, this Summer about mid July 2002, I dusted it off and started reading again. Wow-what a blast, a direct shot from the Buddha to me! It was clear, simple and unmistakable. "If you do and think this way, you will receive that kind of result." Across the centuries and millenia flew the dhamma! As they say when the student is ready the teacher will appear. Maybe I needed to suffer another 7 years before I'd consent to read the dhamma in its original form. Yeah the Mayahana cannon is brillant too. As other reviewers have mentioned this is not a book for the faint hearted. If you buy it be prepared to read something like the King James version of the Bible, but with one important difference--the Majjhima Nikaya (MN) reveals the Ultimate and realtive truth about you and your immediate situation. Its actually a little more readable than the King James. I can only say "ditto" to all the other reviewers who have mentioned "why only read the second hand information from contemporary authors when the real dirt is right here". If you wanted to keep a secret from an Amercian Buddhist the best place to hide it would be somewhere in the Majjhima Nikaya! That's the last place they'll ever look. Sure I've had Buddhist teachers suggest to the group that we read the suttas but somehow Rumi or Mary Oliver always seemed a lot more inspiring. And Rumi and Mary Oliver are great writers of the universal dhamma. I hope this doesn't sound angry or cynical because I'm smiling and joyful as I write it. But in reading the MN I find myself feeling that practicing and living the Buddha Dharma is a lot more simple and reachable here and now than I ever got from reading recent authors. If you buy it, try reading the simple suttas first. Jump around and read whatever topic catches your eye. Use the summaries and subject index. In fact, read through all 152 summaries first and then pick the discourse that seems most interesting to you. By the way, I'm only about 2/3 of the way through the book right now. I still have another 40 discourses or so to go. I'm grateful to Bhikkus Bodhi, Nanamoli and Wisdom Publications for having provided me with the original and best teachings directly written for my benefit right in the palms of my hands. I'll come back and add another note when I get through the next 40 discourses. Metta to you friends.

A wonderful reference guide

Hard work, diligent effort, and a commitment to share the Dharma, all combine into this one book. This is an extensive piece of work. Bhikkhu Bodhi has compiled the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha into a fine reference guide for us all to enjoy.The discourses, which are talks that the Buddha gave, were chanted for over a hundred years after the passing of the Buddha and were eventually written down. They were written in the same form as the chants, which offer many repetitions, which like any song/chant, makes it easier to remember.I would not suggest this to be the first book on Buddhism or the Buddha's teachings for most people unless you are a scholarly type. There are numerous wonderful books available that would benefit most people before delving into such a comprehensive book. That being said, once you have done some reading and want to explore the teachings of the Buddha in more depth, this is the perfect book. For me, I feel this is as close to the original teachings of the Buddha as we can get, now some 2,500+ years later.I find myself returning to this book often. Reading a discourse, and then contemplating and seeing how it applies in my life, brings much happiness and joy.

Getting down to basics...

I love Buddhism and I adore reading books about it. Still, when I look at the endless list of books currently in print, old and new, addressed to Buddhist topics, I cannot help but think there may finally be too many of them! Can there really be a market for books devoted to such questions as What if the Buddha Dated? Or to Buddhism and Bears? Goodness.I am particularly puzzled by this mountain of books because I know that, buried deep within it, is the real bedrock of Buddhism, the ancient Sutta Pitaka, of which the Majjhima Nikaya (or Middle Length Discourses) is the second volume. Why doesn't this bedrock generate as much popular enthusiasm as that readily inspired by the less significant edifices merely erected upon it? Derived from orally transmitted texts, the Sutta Pitaka is virtually as old as the Buddha himself, and is presumed by many (though of course not all) to preserve the oldest and most authentic account of his teaching, his personality and his life. Nearly everything else we are familiar with in Buddhism springs from it. Though one might have to detour around rather a lot of unrelated material in it to find the Buddha's ideas specifically regarding dating or bears, I believe it is probably all there, neatly fitted into only a few powerfully poetic volumes.And thanks to the brilliant scholarship and profound comprehension of Buddhism possessed by many modern translators (for the Majjhima they are are Nanamoli and Bodhi), these have become thoroughly readable, easily accessible works. They teem with the sights, sounds and reality of Buddha's everyday world and the issues which concerned him most. The Sutta Pitaka is peopled by his friends and enemies, and enlivened by his ideas, his frustrations and his triumphs.I think this translation of the Majjhima lacks the warmth, charm and wit which Walshe achieved in translating the preceding volume, the Digha Nikaya (or Long Discourses). However this Majjhima is second to none in authority, scholarship and elegance of translation. Nanamoli (British by birth and education) is reputed to be among the most creative and innovative scholars ever to translate Pali literature into English, and this is one of his finest efforts. It also profits from the collaborative effort of Bikkhu Bodhi (originally an American) who has long been at the forefront of making Pali texts accessible to English-speaking readers.Wisdom Publications, which claims to publish works from all major Buddhist tradtions (but which in reality seems totally mesmerized by anything Tibetan or Tantric) deserves much credit for going far enough afield to print both the Digha and Majjhima Nikayas, and for having in press even now a long-awaited new translation by Bodhi of the Samyutta Nikaya, the third volume of the Sutta Pitaka.As much as I admire these books, it is only fair to caution the reader that, though the text is always readable and interesting, there is a quality peculiar

The closest we can come to the Buddha's actual words

If there is one book in English that all Buddhists should read, this is the one. The Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-length Discourses) is, along with the other nikayas of the Pali Canon, probably as close as we can come today to reading the actual words of the Buddha. The Mahayana sutras have their own great virtues, with their lofty vision and profound scope, but these Middle-length Discourses are on a much more human scale. What a joy and inspiration it is to walk with the Buddha through the villages of ancient India and hear his teachings to monks, royalty, peasants and members of the other religious sects of the time. Although his teachings weren't put into writing for several centuries after his death, the monks of that period put great emphasis on memorization and group recitals to ensure that nothing was lost. This lovely English translation is a great treasure for the modern world, and particularly for all Buddhists.

Inspiring and close to the source

These are sutras from the Therevadan traddition of Buddhism. This book contains many of the fundamental teachings of the Buddha. They are translated from the Pali Cannon, which is a collection of teachings initially passed on verbally by rote by the early Buddhist monks. It was spoken monk to monk, teacher to learner in the Pali language of ancient India for many years before being written down. As far as I can tell, this is a good translation (I don't speak Pali and haven't read more than one translations of most of these teachings), but it is easily readable. The book itself is very well presented - as befits a sacred text. I, as a buddhist, find it very moving. The teachings are very direct, both in terms of being passed person to person through a continuous lineage of monks from the Buddhas own disciples and in terms of the teachings are there for you to read and reflect on for yourself without a teacher/guru. However, they do contain much of the ritualistic frills and formalities common to original Buddhist sutras (eg. most of them start with "Thus I have heard...", contain much repetition and end by whoever is the subject being converted/becomming enlightenned. I sometime wish I had them as a .txt document so I could cut them down to their essence. However, I find them an Inspiring and Sacred text - And this book has made a big difference to the depth of my going for refuge :-)