Oct 30, 2011Craig Shoemake rated it it was amazing
Shelves: bhikkhu-bodhi, theravada-buddhism, sutta-translations
This is the most recent of several Pali-only anthologies of Buddhist texts I've read, the other two being Word of the Buddha and Path To Deliverance, both by the famous German monk Nyanatiloka. (The latter is especially good.) This one is easily the most comprehensive.
For those of you who find the suttas tough going on account of their lack of thematic organization, this book will be a godsend. As Bhikkhu Bodhi explains in the introduction, the idea for it had its genesis in a series of lectures he gave on the Majjhima Nikaya. His goal therein was to arrange materials from simplest to most profound, giving a progressive, graded course of theoretical and practical instruction. He then decided to turn that approach to the Sutta Pitaka as a whole. The result is the present work.
The specifics of this structure are as follows, where each number refers to a part of the book:
1.The Buddha's description of the human condition
2.The nature of the Buddha and his attainment
3.How to approach the Dhamma
4.How the Dhamma contributes to happiness in this life
5.How it can contribute to happiness in future rebirths
6.The Dhamma on why renunciation is the safest course to take (the perils of samsara)
7.The nature of the path to liberation
8.How to master the mind
9.The nature of transcendent wisdom
10.Stages of realization
Each of these sections is prefaced with a substantial introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi, and some of these are surprisingly good. (I have often felt a little sour toward BB's writing because he is such a slave to the Commentaries and tends to express himself with a slightly stilted, pompous air.) I was especially impressed by his introduction to part 3 ("Approaching the Dhamma"), which is, in effect, an essay on the place and nature of faith (saddha) in the Buddha's teaching. I think anyone, no matter how knowledgeable, can benefit from these pages (81ff). It is especially useful as a contrast to Christian notions of faith.
So who would benefit most from this book? I think beginning students would especially be served by it, or at least those who have until now subsisted mainly on a diet of secondary texts and haven't yet plunged into the jungle of the suttas. This book is excellent for providing an orientation, and if read two or three times so that one really becomes familiar with the passages contained therein, when the passages are finally encountered in their full form it should prove very rewarding. But then, anyone who wants a refresher, or a different manner of presentation from, say, the four noble truths and the three-fold training (sila, samadhi, pañña), will also benefit.
(less)
For those of you who find the suttas tough going on account of their lack of thematic organization, this book will be a godsend. As Bhikkhu Bodhi explains in the introduction, the idea for it had its genesis in a series of lectures he gave on the Majjhima Nikaya. His goal therein was to arrange materials from simplest to most profound, giving a progressive, graded course of theoretical and practical instruction. He then decided to turn that approach to the Sutta Pitaka as a whole. The result is the present work.
The specifics of this structure are as follows, where each number refers to a part of the book:
1.The Buddha's description of the human condition
2.The nature of the Buddha and his attainment
3.How to approach the Dhamma
4.How the Dhamma contributes to happiness in this life
5.How it can contribute to happiness in future rebirths
6.The Dhamma on why renunciation is the safest course to take (the perils of samsara)
7.The nature of the path to liberation
8.How to master the mind
9.The nature of transcendent wisdom
10.Stages of realization
Each of these sections is prefaced with a substantial introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi, and some of these are surprisingly good. (I have often felt a little sour toward BB's writing because he is such a slave to the Commentaries and tends to express himself with a slightly stilted, pompous air.) I was especially impressed by his introduction to part 3 ("Approaching the Dhamma"), which is, in effect, an essay on the place and nature of faith (saddha) in the Buddha's teaching. I think anyone, no matter how knowledgeable, can benefit from these pages (81ff). It is especially useful as a contrast to Christian notions of faith.
So who would benefit most from this book? I think beginning students would especially be served by it, or at least those who have until now subsisted mainly on a diet of secondary texts and haven't yet plunged into the jungle of the suttas. This book is excellent for providing an orientation, and if read two or three times so that one really becomes familiar with the passages contained therein, when the passages are finally encountered in their full form it should prove very rewarding. But then, anyone who wants a refresher, or a different manner of presentation from, say, the four noble truths and the three-fold training (sila, samadhi, pañña), will also benefit.
(less)
In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon 
Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
This landmark collection is the definitive introduction to the Buddha's teachings - in his own words.
The American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations have won widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into ten thematic chapters, In the Buddha's Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha's discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight. A concise, informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow.
This book contains:
Clear translations of the Buddha's original teachings
Thoughtfully curated selections from the Pali Canon
Chapters on the Buddha's life, rebirth, suffering, liberation, and practice
A foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
In the Buddha's Words allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha's contributions to our world heritage. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha's teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever-vital path. Practitioners and scholars alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable.
Dive into the world of the Buddha through these easy-to-read English translations of the Pali Canon. The Pali Canon is the literary, intellectual, and spiritual foundation of Theravada Buddhism. This volume, being organized in a progressive manner "from the simple to the difficult, from the elementary to the profound," makes it well-suited for those looking for an accessible introduction to the Theravadin scriptural corpus, as well as being a valuable resource for those familiar with the Pali Canon but wanting a more structured presentation of the materials.
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Lachlan Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Introductory Book to Buddhism AvailableReviewed in Australia on 6 April 2021
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Bhikku Bodhi breaks down Buddhism into a digestible and easy to understand, yet detail, form. This book explores Buddhism, its key concepts and the life of the Buddha through an examination of the Pali Canon, the oldest extant canonical Buddhist collection of texts.
Truly the best introductory book into Buddhism, its key concepts and the life of Gautama that's available. If I could rate it higher than 5 stars I would.
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Chris Hogben
5.0 out of 5 stars Great serviceReviewed in Australia on 13 December 2019
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My wife and I love this book. Arrived very quickly.
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YJ
5.0 out of 5 stars ReliableReviewed in Australia on 1 February 2019
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Amazing
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Mr Newman
5.0 out of 5 stars The best introduction to what the Buddha himself thought and taughtReviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 June 2016
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Want a well laid out anthology summarising what The Buddha actually said rather than other peoples well meant reinterpretations of what they think he said? Then buy this book. If you want to get as close as you can to what the Buddha actually taught to his followers and how he taught it then this is it. It is by far the best available overview of the original core Buddhist teachings from which all other strains of Buddhism developed. Discover the Buddhas actual teachings presented in his own words and introduce yourself to one of the most sensible, logical and genuinely life changing religions in existence. The philosophy outlined in this book is extraordinary and reading it will make a positive change to your outlook on life. The Pali canon is one of the oldest written records of the Buddhas words. It is also written in a language similar to that which the Buddha would have spoken. Therefore it is the most accurate record available of the words of one of the most remarkable human beings who ever lived. This is an excellent anthology of passages from the Pali Canon which gives a sound overview of its teachings organised into sections on each key theme. Buy it.
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Matt Jenkins
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fine AnthologyReviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 January 2012
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This volume is a valuable collection of teachings, arranged by theme, taken from the Pali Suttas. This work serves as both a fine introduction to the wider and voluminous Pali Suttas for those who are new to them and as a fine single volume summary for those already familiar with the work. Bhikkhu Bodhi has also, through the thematic structure he uses for his anthology, provided a helpful template and structure to aid the understanding of those who have read, or go on to read, the complete Suttas. The volume includes a useful introduction and each of the ten themed chapters is preceded by a helpful introduction/overview. The volume also includes useful notes and indices.
"A remarkable book. A gift to the world."
- Andrew Olendzki, Executive Director of the Barre Center of Buddhist Studies, in Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly
Also of interest may be Bhikkhu Bodhi's wonderful collection of the Buddha's teachings specifically focusing on conflict resolution, interpersonal and social problem-solving, and the forging of harmonious relationships. These teachings are again drawn from the Pali Canon, and organized into ten thematic chapters. The Buddha's Teaching on Social and Communal Harmony (Teachings of the Buddha)
A number of the Suttas are also available in complete translations by Bhikkhu Bodhi:
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: Samyutta Nikaya
The Middle Length Sayings: Majjhima-Nikaya
An Ancient Collection of Buddha's Discourses: The Suttanipata
The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: Anguttara Nikaya
The Long Discourses of the Buddha: Digha-Nikaya is also available in a translation by Maurice Walshe.
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Hannah
3.0 out of 5 stars Hard GoingReviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 February 2019
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Very good in its own right but hard going. An enjoyable, easier and insightful version of many of the major Sutras, in one book, is 'Awakening of the Heart' by Thich Nhat Hahn
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Kameron S
5.0 out of 5 stars BeautifulReviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2021
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Another magnificent piece of writing by Bhikkhu Bodhi, an absolute legend introducing and translating the teachings of the great teacher the Buddha to the western world, this book is a compilation and introduction to the amazing tales of the dhamma, if you are looking at this book what are you waiting for, trust me you wont regret it, it is truly amazing
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5.0 out of 5 stars Buddha VacanaReviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 November 2018
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As I am yet to master the Pali language I greatly appreciate these translations of the early Buddhist teachings.
Delivery was well ahead of schedule.
Thank you
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In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon
by
4.38 · Rating details · 2,870 ratings · 112 reviews
The works of the Buddha can feel vast, and it is sometimes difficult for even longtime students to know where to look, especially since the Buddha never explicitly defined the framework behind his teachings. Designed to provide just such a framework, In the Buddha's Words is an anthology of the Buddha's works that has been specifically compiled by a celebrated scholar and translator. For easy reference, the book is arrayed in ten thematic sections ranging from "The Human Condition" to "Mastering the Mind" to "The Planes of Realization." Each section comes with introductions, notes, and essays to help beginners and experts alike draw greater meaning from the Buddha's words. The book also features a general introduction by the author that fully lays out how and why he has arranged the Buddha's teachings in this volume. This thoughtful compilation is a valuable resource for both teachers and those who want to read the Buddha on their own. (less)
Paperback, 486 pages
Published July 28th 2005 by Wisdom Publications (first published January 1st 2005)
Original Title
In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha)
ISBN
0861714911 (ISBN13: 9780861714919)
Edition Language
English
| Review of | ISBN 9780861714919 | |
| Rating | ||
| Shelves | to-read ( 612th ) | |
| Format | Paperback edit | |
| Status | October 13, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read October 13, 2020 – Shelved | |
| Review | Write a review | |
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James Carr It can get repetitive. I enjoyed it but I confess there were several suttas that I easily fell asleep from the sheer repetition.
Showing 1-30
Researchers believe that "The Buddha" ( a term meaning "The Awakened One" ) was an actual man named Siddhartha Gautama that lived in India over 2,600 years ago.
His teachings were passed down for several centuries after his death via an oral tradition until they were written down on collections of palm leaves. These are stored in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon, the texts of the oldest surviving form of Buddhism known as Theravada. The Sutta Pitaka consists of 5 "Nikayas" or books/collections.
These collection are thousands of pages long, contain much repetitive content and have only been translated into English as of the 19th century. Translations into English are still being perfected as ancient Pali and modern English are extremely different languages.
In other words, the reader who wants to read the Buddhist message for him/herself has the daunting task of combing through several large, expensive, repetitious volumes of translations that may not be clear to a modern reader.
"In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" is an anthology of the Buddha's teachings compiled by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Bhikkhu Bodhi was born in New York City in 1944 as Jeffrey Block. He is an American Theravada Buddhist monk. Bhikkhu Bodhi has translated large portions of the Pali Canon himself and is a native English speaker.
His goal in compiling his anthology is to make the Buddha's message more accessible to the ordinary person and to encourage the ordinary person to read the Pali Canon themselves.
To this end, he has chosen what he thinks are the most essential of the Buddha's discourses. Bhikkhu Bodhi has also put these suttas ( discourses from the Buddha ) into a logical order by subject in his anthology -- something which doesn't exist in the Pali Canon, which is a scattered, repetitious collection of separate talks.
Bhikkhu Bodhi further aids the reader by reducing the repetition of phrases in the translations ( left over from the oral tradition ) and Bhikkhu Bodhi introduces each section with some extremely helpful essays on the suttas that follow.
The result is an easy to understand, scholarly anthology that gives the reader a sense of what can be found in the Sutta Pitaka in regards to the essentials of the Buddha's message - without having to make the larger investment of going through the significantly more voluminous, repetitious and expensive English translations of these collections.
This book will likely not be enjoyable to people whose exposure to Buddhism has been a mixture of inspirational poetry, psychological analysis and elements borrowed from other spiritual traditions.
People who are uncomfortable reading text that is more "religious" will find those elements in this collection.
Bhikkhu Bodhi has striven to given an honest snap shot of what someone can expect to find in translations of the Pali Canon. That snap shot includes the presence of preternatural beings, mythical realms and what is commonly known in the West as "reincarnation". If you have limited tolerance for reading such things, this book isn't for you.
This book can also be dry in many sections. It isn't a book that can be read, or understood by reading through it in many large chunks while laying on a couch after a taxing day. My recommendation would be to read it a tiny bit of time, sitting up and during your best hours to get the most out of it.
I was surprised to see that a copies of the "The Peg" (Ani Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya XX.7), "The Unconjecturable" (Acintita Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya IV.77) and "To Sivaka" (Moliyasivaka Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya XXXVI.21) suttas (discourses from the Buddha ) were not included in this anthology.
These suttas state that the Buddha knew his teachings would get distorted over time, that the
Buddha believed that ordinary people could not explain the details of their current situation by tracing their karma ( kamma ) and that not all situations a person encounters in their lives are the result of karma. These are extremely important ideas and it is a bit strange that they are not included in an anthology of essential teachings attributed to the Buddha himself.
As stated previously, a big problem for those seeking to understand Buddhism directly from the original texts is that these texts haven't been translated very well into English. English and Pali are just very different languages. The modern world is also very different from the ancient world from where the texts came.
Given that Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American and a native English speaker I had different expectations for these translations than what I read.
As an example, throughout the anthology the root causes of "suffering" are listed as being "greed, hatred and delusion". The terms in quotes are not the only possible English translations. The English translations are technically correct, but I believe the terms used hold extreme connotations to the contemporary English speaker which rob the Buddhist message of its meaning and relevance to contemporary life.
Many people interpret "suffering" as agony, "greed" as extreme desire, "hatred" as an extremely strong emotion and "delusion" as close to being insane. Other translators have stated that the Pali word "dukha", commonly translated as "suffering" really refers to any dissatisfactory feeling from a vague sense of things not being the best as they could be on one end, to flat out agony on the other end.
So, an alternate translation like this one is possible:
"The root cause of feelings of unhappiness, distress or suffering come from desire, aversion or being ignorant to the nature of life."
To me, that speaks to me much more as a modern person and seems relevant to many more of my experiences than:
"The roots of suffering are greed, hatred and delusion".
The alternative translation doesn't come off as a recycled puritanism of which I want no part of as a secular person.
There are a number of other examples of alternative translations like this one.
I'm not a scholar of any kind and Bhikkhu Bodhi is. As an expert who has devoted his life to Buddhism I wouldn't be surprised to learn Bhikkhu Bodhi is correct in his translation choices.
I'm just saying my preference would have been for the other choices and I think that will be true for many people interested in this book.
I believe this book to be a first of its kind in what does and how well it does it. I heartily encourage anyone with an interest in Buddhism to endure the shortcomings of the book. Read it in little bits every day, read the whole thing and talk to people about it. Such an investment will keep coming back to you for the rest of your life.
(less)
His teachings were passed down for several centuries after his death via an oral tradition until they were written down on collections of palm leaves. These are stored in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon, the texts of the oldest surviving form of Buddhism known as Theravada. The Sutta Pitaka consists of 5 "Nikayas" or books/collections.
These collection are thousands of pages long, contain much repetitive content and have only been translated into English as of the 19th century. Translations into English are still being perfected as ancient Pali and modern English are extremely different languages.
In other words, the reader who wants to read the Buddhist message for him/herself has the daunting task of combing through several large, expensive, repetitious volumes of translations that may not be clear to a modern reader.
"In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" is an anthology of the Buddha's teachings compiled by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Bhikkhu Bodhi was born in New York City in 1944 as Jeffrey Block. He is an American Theravada Buddhist monk. Bhikkhu Bodhi has translated large portions of the Pali Canon himself and is a native English speaker.
His goal in compiling his anthology is to make the Buddha's message more accessible to the ordinary person and to encourage the ordinary person to read the Pali Canon themselves.
To this end, he has chosen what he thinks are the most essential of the Buddha's discourses. Bhikkhu Bodhi has also put these suttas ( discourses from the Buddha ) into a logical order by subject in his anthology -- something which doesn't exist in the Pali Canon, which is a scattered, repetitious collection of separate talks.
Bhikkhu Bodhi further aids the reader by reducing the repetition of phrases in the translations ( left over from the oral tradition ) and Bhikkhu Bodhi introduces each section with some extremely helpful essays on the suttas that follow.
The result is an easy to understand, scholarly anthology that gives the reader a sense of what can be found in the Sutta Pitaka in regards to the essentials of the Buddha's message - without having to make the larger investment of going through the significantly more voluminous, repetitious and expensive English translations of these collections.
This book will likely not be enjoyable to people whose exposure to Buddhism has been a mixture of inspirational poetry, psychological analysis and elements borrowed from other spiritual traditions.
People who are uncomfortable reading text that is more "religious" will find those elements in this collection.
Bhikkhu Bodhi has striven to given an honest snap shot of what someone can expect to find in translations of the Pali Canon. That snap shot includes the presence of preternatural beings, mythical realms and what is commonly known in the West as "reincarnation". If you have limited tolerance for reading such things, this book isn't for you.
This book can also be dry in many sections. It isn't a book that can be read, or understood by reading through it in many large chunks while laying on a couch after a taxing day. My recommendation would be to read it a tiny bit of time, sitting up and during your best hours to get the most out of it.
I was surprised to see that a copies of the "The Peg" (Ani Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya XX.7), "The Unconjecturable" (Acintita Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya IV.77) and "To Sivaka" (Moliyasivaka Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya XXXVI.21) suttas (discourses from the Buddha ) were not included in this anthology.
These suttas state that the Buddha knew his teachings would get distorted over time, that the
Buddha believed that ordinary people could not explain the details of their current situation by tracing their karma ( kamma ) and that not all situations a person encounters in their lives are the result of karma. These are extremely important ideas and it is a bit strange that they are not included in an anthology of essential teachings attributed to the Buddha himself.
As stated previously, a big problem for those seeking to understand Buddhism directly from the original texts is that these texts haven't been translated very well into English. English and Pali are just very different languages. The modern world is also very different from the ancient world from where the texts came.
Given that Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American and a native English speaker I had different expectations for these translations than what I read.
As an example, throughout the anthology the root causes of "suffering" are listed as being "greed, hatred and delusion". The terms in quotes are not the only possible English translations. The English translations are technically correct, but I believe the terms used hold extreme connotations to the contemporary English speaker which rob the Buddhist message of its meaning and relevance to contemporary life.
Many people interpret "suffering" as agony, "greed" as extreme desire, "hatred" as an extremely strong emotion and "delusion" as close to being insane. Other translators have stated that the Pali word "dukha", commonly translated as "suffering" really refers to any dissatisfactory feeling from a vague sense of things not being the best as they could be on one end, to flat out agony on the other end.
So, an alternate translation like this one is possible:
"The root cause of feelings of unhappiness, distress or suffering come from desire, aversion or being ignorant to the nature of life."
To me, that speaks to me much more as a modern person and seems relevant to many more of my experiences than:
"The roots of suffering are greed, hatred and delusion".
The alternative translation doesn't come off as a recycled puritanism of which I want no part of as a secular person.
There are a number of other examples of alternative translations like this one.
I'm not a scholar of any kind and Bhikkhu Bodhi is. As an expert who has devoted his life to Buddhism I wouldn't be surprised to learn Bhikkhu Bodhi is correct in his translation choices.
I'm just saying my preference would have been for the other choices and I think that will be true for many people interested in this book.
I believe this book to be a first of its kind in what does and how well it does it. I heartily encourage anyone with an interest in Buddhism to endure the shortcomings of the book. Read it in little bits every day, read the whole thing and talk to people about it. Such an investment will keep coming back to you for the rest of your life.
(less)
So, reviewing and assigning stars to the words of the Buddha, is kind of like pronouncing judgement on the prophecies of Christ, Moses, or Muhammad. It's a bit presumptuous. However, I'm not really evaluating the Buddha's thoughts, per se (that would take a lot longer to do than I have available here), but rather this book, including the translation and selection of these words by Bhikkhu Bodhi (an American Buddhist monk). In fact, in front of each section, there is a bit of commentary and explanation by Bodhi himself, partly to explain some of the content, and partly also to explain his choices in translation.
There are a lot of tricky choices, here, for a translator. First, these were handed down in an oral tradition for centuries before they were ever written down, so (like much else that was preserved orally) there is a LOT of repetition. How much of this to preserve, and how much to elide?
Second, there are terms like "karma", which has entered the English language but with not exactly the same meaning as the Buddha intended when he used that word. There are also words, like "dukkha", whose traditional translation of "suffering" is, to say the least, debatable. Bodhi chooses a fairly traditional route in the choices he makes, but he does a cogent and coherent job of explaining what those choices were.
Third, there are a lot of metaphors here which were clearly aimed at people living in a different technological era. An analogy that helps someone living in the 5th century B.C. to understand, may obscure more than it explains to a 21st century reader. One could, in theory, have justified a "translation" that substituted analogies with smartphones and automobiles and social networks, but (thankfully?) Bodhi does not do this. He does, however, do a decent job of explaining to us what the metaphors and analogies were intended to explain.
This is, perhaps obviously but I'll point it out anyway, not necessarily a read-it-in-one-go kind of book. I put it by the bed, reading it a few pages most nights, which makes me a literal "bedside table buddhist". It could probably have done as well as a first-thing-when-you-wake-up book. Each piece was interesting to read, and think about, and try to decipher and decrypt. It seems to be part of the nature of the Buddha's thought that it is not instantly approachable; it requires you to think for a while on each bit before you get anywhere, because it is not intended to be just intellectual understanding.
Also, one has to wonder how similar any of this was to what the historical figure now known as the Buddha, actually said. The language used in conversations between himself and his followers and questioners, cannot be a remotely accurate reflection of how the original conversations went. It is rather like hearing a folk tale, and trying to imagine what the original story was. The monks who passed it down, generation after generation, may have been extraordinarily diligent and faithful, and still the sheer quantity of time (something like 120 generations) would make it implausible that it has not changed at least a little. But perhaps, like DNA which mutates much more in the non-coding sections than the ones which encode fundamental metabolic reactions, the essence of his thought might be there. It is fun to think about.
You could spend lifetimes doing it. (less)
There are a lot of tricky choices, here, for a translator. First, these were handed down in an oral tradition for centuries before they were ever written down, so (like much else that was preserved orally) there is a LOT of repetition. How much of this to preserve, and how much to elide?
Second, there are terms like "karma", which has entered the English language but with not exactly the same meaning as the Buddha intended when he used that word. There are also words, like "dukkha", whose traditional translation of "suffering" is, to say the least, debatable. Bodhi chooses a fairly traditional route in the choices he makes, but he does a cogent and coherent job of explaining what those choices were.
Third, there are a lot of metaphors here which were clearly aimed at people living in a different technological era. An analogy that helps someone living in the 5th century B.C. to understand, may obscure more than it explains to a 21st century reader. One could, in theory, have justified a "translation" that substituted analogies with smartphones and automobiles and social networks, but (thankfully?) Bodhi does not do this. He does, however, do a decent job of explaining to us what the metaphors and analogies were intended to explain.
This is, perhaps obviously but I'll point it out anyway, not necessarily a read-it-in-one-go kind of book. I put it by the bed, reading it a few pages most nights, which makes me a literal "bedside table buddhist". It could probably have done as well as a first-thing-when-you-wake-up book. Each piece was interesting to read, and think about, and try to decipher and decrypt. It seems to be part of the nature of the Buddha's thought that it is not instantly approachable; it requires you to think for a while on each bit before you get anywhere, because it is not intended to be just intellectual understanding.
Also, one has to wonder how similar any of this was to what the historical figure now known as the Buddha, actually said. The language used in conversations between himself and his followers and questioners, cannot be a remotely accurate reflection of how the original conversations went. It is rather like hearing a folk tale, and trying to imagine what the original story was. The monks who passed it down, generation after generation, may have been extraordinarily diligent and faithful, and still the sheer quantity of time (something like 120 generations) would make it implausible that it has not changed at least a little. But perhaps, like DNA which mutates much more in the non-coding sections than the ones which encode fundamental metabolic reactions, the essence of his thought might be there. It is fun to think about.
You could spend lifetimes doing it. (less)
So far, I'm having a really really hard time with this book. Each chapter is set up with the author/editor telling you HIS interpretation of the sutras and then finally giving you the sutras at the end of the chapter. Which seems a totally bass-aackward way of doing it, because you don't have a clue what the hell he's talking about most of the time (unless you want to flip back and forth in the book).
The other thing that really bothers me about the book is the dogmatic view on cosmology. I know, it's because I'm a westerner who has some pretty serious hangups when it comes to cosmological dogmas. I haven't decided what I believe about past lives and what happens after death, because that is SO unknowable. And unprovable theories about life after death is one of the things I think is utter bullshit about western religions, so I'm not particularly open to more theories on the subject.
And yes, I realize this is one of many reasons why Buddhism is taught so entirely differently in the west than it is in the east.
The way I feel myself reacting to this book is the same feeing of retreat and shutting down that I get when faced with Judeo-Christian viewpoints.
I guess the only way to put it is that this isn't 'my Buddhism.' And this is highly likely to be one of those books that I never finish. (less)
The other thing that really bothers me about the book is the dogmatic view on cosmology. I know, it's because I'm a westerner who has some pretty serious hangups when it comes to cosmological dogmas. I haven't decided what I believe about past lives and what happens after death, because that is SO unknowable. And unprovable theories about life after death is one of the things I think is utter bullshit about western religions, so I'm not particularly open to more theories on the subject.
And yes, I realize this is one of many reasons why Buddhism is taught so entirely differently in the west than it is in the east.
The way I feel myself reacting to this book is the same feeing of retreat and shutting down that I get when faced with Judeo-Christian viewpoints.
I guess the only way to put it is that this isn't 'my Buddhism.' And this is highly likely to be one of those books that I never finish. (less)
Oct 30, 2011Craig Shoemake rated it it was amazing
Shelves: bhikkhu-bodhi, theravada-buddhism, sutta-translations
This is the most recent of several Pali-only anthologies of Buddhist texts I've read, the other two being Word of the Buddha and Path To Deliverance, both by the famous German monk Nyanatiloka. (The latter is especially good.) This one is easily the most comprehensive.
For those of you who find the suttas tough going on account of their lack of thematic organization, this book will be a godsend. As Bhikkhu Bodhi explains in the introduction, the idea for it had its genesis in a series of lectures he gave on the Majjhima Nikaya. His goal therein was to arrange materials from simplest to most profound, giving a progressive, graded course of theoretical and practical instruction. He then decided to turn that approach to the Sutta Pitaka as a whole. The result is the present work.
The specifics of this structure are as follows, where each number refers to a part of the book:
1.The Buddha's description of the human condition
2.The nature of the Buddha and his attainment
3.How to approach the Dhamma
4.How the Dhamma contributes to happiness in this life
5.How it can contribute to happiness in future rebirths
6.The Dhamma on why renunciation is the safest course to take (the perils of samsara)
7.The nature of the path to liberation
8.How to master the mind
9.The nature of transcendent wisdom
10.Stages of realization
Each of these sections is prefaced with a substantial introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi, and some of these are surprisingly good. (I have often felt a little sour toward BB's writing because he is such a slave to the Commentaries and tends to express himself with a slightly stilted, pompous air.) I was especially impressed by his introduction to part 3 ("Approaching the Dhamma"), which is, in effect, an essay on the place and nature of faith (saddha) in the Buddha's teaching. I think anyone, no matter how knowledgeable, can benefit from these pages (81ff). It is especially useful as a contrast to Christian notions of faith.
So who would benefit most from this book? I think beginning students would especially be served by it, or at least those who have until now subsisted mainly on a diet of secondary texts and haven't yet plunged into the jungle of the suttas. This book is excellent for providing an orientation, and if read two or three times so that one really becomes familiar with the passages contained therein, when the passages are finally encountered in their full form it should prove very rewarding. But then, anyone who wants a refresher, or a different manner of presentation from, say, the four noble truths and the three-fold training (sila, samadhi, pañña), will also benefit.
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For those of you who find the suttas tough going on account of their lack of thematic organization, this book will be a godsend. As Bhikkhu Bodhi explains in the introduction, the idea for it had its genesis in a series of lectures he gave on the Majjhima Nikaya. His goal therein was to arrange materials from simplest to most profound, giving a progressive, graded course of theoretical and practical instruction. He then decided to turn that approach to the Sutta Pitaka as a whole. The result is the present work.
The specifics of this structure are as follows, where each number refers to a part of the book:
1.The Buddha's description of the human condition
2.The nature of the Buddha and his attainment
3.How to approach the Dhamma
4.How the Dhamma contributes to happiness in this life
5.How it can contribute to happiness in future rebirths
6.The Dhamma on why renunciation is the safest course to take (the perils of samsara)
7.The nature of the path to liberation
8.How to master the mind
9.The nature of transcendent wisdom
10.Stages of realization
Each of these sections is prefaced with a substantial introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi, and some of these are surprisingly good. (I have often felt a little sour toward BB's writing because he is such a slave to the Commentaries and tends to express himself with a slightly stilted, pompous air.) I was especially impressed by his introduction to part 3 ("Approaching the Dhamma"), which is, in effect, an essay on the place and nature of faith (saddha) in the Buddha's teaching. I think anyone, no matter how knowledgeable, can benefit from these pages (81ff). It is especially useful as a contrast to Christian notions of faith.
So who would benefit most from this book? I think beginning students would especially be served by it, or at least those who have until now subsisted mainly on a diet of secondary texts and haven't yet plunged into the jungle of the suttas. This book is excellent for providing an orientation, and if read two or three times so that one really becomes familiar with the passages contained therein, when the passages are finally encountered in their full form it should prove very rewarding. But then, anyone who wants a refresher, or a different manner of presentation from, say, the four noble truths and the three-fold training (sila, samadhi, pañña), will also benefit.
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As a Tantric practitioner for years it was wonderful to discover so many of my personal realizations in this book. If you aren't Buddhist and/or have no interest in Buddhism, obviously this book won't mean much to you.
If you are Buddhist, this is a very enlightening read. (Sorry, I couldn't resist. :) ...more
If you are Buddhist, this is a very enlightening read. (Sorry, I couldn't resist. :) ...more
Jan 16, 2014Marla rated it it was amazing
I pick this book up again and again. It's just the end all book on Buddhism for me (if there could be an end all book). There's so much in here, you could spend a lifetime studying this one book. I heard Bhikkhu Bodhi speak last year, and he seemed so quiet and easygoing, such an unassuming man. But what a scholar. That an American monk has written such a definitive book on Buddhism is fantastic (Although I suppose a lot is translation, not commentary). I will never tire of this book.
I've read several reviews that said this book is excellent for beginners. I would disagree. I would not consider myself a beginner (no more than we ALL are beginners, just to go a little Zen on you) and this book is difficult. Easy to read, but heavy stuff and challenging concepts. There are many better books for the beginner. (less)
I've read several reviews that said this book is excellent for beginners. I would disagree. I would not consider myself a beginner (no more than we ALL are beginners, just to go a little Zen on you) and this book is difficult. Easy to read, but heavy stuff and challenging concepts. There are many better books for the beginner. (less)
Feb 23, 2021Anmol rated it really liked it
This is a fantastic introduction to Early Buddhist Sutras, but not to Buddhism itself. I also really like how the 10 chapters are almost like 10 levels of Buddhism, from basic lay practice to galaxy-brain metaphysics (which is still built on the 4 Noble Truths). Some things that I appreciate are how agnostic the Buddha was: maybe agnostic isn't the right term, but what I mean is that he didn't talk about a lot of the things people expect from systems of belief. He limited his teaching, in his own words, to the origin and cessation of suffering and other empirical concerns:
So too, monks, the things I have directly known but have not taught you are numerous, while the things I have taught you are few. And why, monks, have I not taught those many things? Because they are without benefit, irrelevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life, and do not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna. Therefore I have not taught them
Another aspect that I really appreciated was this idea of Buddhist logic which is built on dependent origination: "if X, then Y; if no X, then no Y". This is used by the Buddha to argue that truths are only established based on the assumptions on which they rest:
If a person has faith, Bhāradvāja, he preserves truth when he says: ‘My faith is thus’; but he does not yet come to the definite conclusion: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong.’ In this way, Bhāradvāja, there is the preservation of truth; in this way he preserves truth; in this way we describe the preservation of truth. But as yet there is no discovery of truth
From this book, I also finally got a glimpse into the Buddha's refutation of Vedantic eternalism (the belief in an eternal soul as opposed to contingent maya). But not just that, the Buddha, again in a determinedly agnostic fashion, negates both materialism and eternalism as obstructing the empirical practice of Buddhism, ie. the observance of the inherent suffering in existence:
Māluṅkyāputta, if there is the view ‘the world is eternal,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived; and if there is the view ‘the world is not eternal, ’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view ‘the world is eternal’ or the view ‘the world is not eternal,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there are sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair, the destruction of which I prescribe here and now.
This is continued by the Buddhist doctrine of sunyata(nothingness), which I found very interesting, though I'm not completely convinced by it as of now:
“The four great elements, monk, are the cause and condition for the manifestation of the form aggregate. Contact is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the feeling aggregate, the perception aggregate, and the volitional formations aggregate. Name-and-form is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the consciousness aggregate
To me, the last sentence ^ seems to turn the logic of consciousness (which I hitherto believed) upside down. While Advaita (and most other nondualism I’m familiar with), says that consciousness is pure without names and forms (it is being-consciousness-bliss when consciousness is not adulterated by names and forms), the Buddha maintains that consciousness without names and forms ceases to exist. But if this is so, what does the meditator experience when his mind is stilled? It appears to me that that is consciousness without names and forms. But then who experiences it? There is no “I” in that state. Perhaps the Buddha is right. None the less, this debate on the nature of consciousness between Buddhism and Vedanta is central to contemporary questions on the philosophy of mind.
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So too, monks, the things I have directly known but have not taught you are numerous, while the things I have taught you are few. And why, monks, have I not taught those many things? Because they are without benefit, irrelevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life, and do not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna. Therefore I have not taught them
Another aspect that I really appreciated was this idea of Buddhist logic which is built on dependent origination: "if X, then Y; if no X, then no Y". This is used by the Buddha to argue that truths are only established based on the assumptions on which they rest:
If a person has faith, Bhāradvāja, he preserves truth when he says: ‘My faith is thus’; but he does not yet come to the definite conclusion: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong.’ In this way, Bhāradvāja, there is the preservation of truth; in this way he preserves truth; in this way we describe the preservation of truth. But as yet there is no discovery of truth
From this book, I also finally got a glimpse into the Buddha's refutation of Vedantic eternalism (the belief in an eternal soul as opposed to contingent maya). But not just that, the Buddha, again in a determinedly agnostic fashion, negates both materialism and eternalism as obstructing the empirical practice of Buddhism, ie. the observance of the inherent suffering in existence:
Māluṅkyāputta, if there is the view ‘the world is eternal,’ the spiritual life cannot be lived; and if there is the view ‘the world is not eternal, ’ the spiritual life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view ‘the world is eternal’ or the view ‘the world is not eternal,’ there is birth, there is aging, there is death, there are sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair, the destruction of which I prescribe here and now.
This is continued by the Buddhist doctrine of sunyata(nothingness), which I found very interesting, though I'm not completely convinced by it as of now:
“The four great elements, monk, are the cause and condition for the manifestation of the form aggregate. Contact is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the feeling aggregate, the perception aggregate, and the volitional formations aggregate. Name-and-form is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the consciousness aggregate
To me, the last sentence ^ seems to turn the logic of consciousness (which I hitherto believed) upside down. While Advaita (and most other nondualism I’m familiar with), says that consciousness is pure without names and forms (it is being-consciousness-bliss when consciousness is not adulterated by names and forms), the Buddha maintains that consciousness without names and forms ceases to exist. But if this is so, what does the meditator experience when his mind is stilled? It appears to me that that is consciousness without names and forms. But then who experiences it? There is no “I” in that state. Perhaps the Buddha is right. None the less, this debate on the nature of consciousness between Buddhism and Vedanta is central to contemporary questions on the philosophy of mind.
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Sep 18, 2019Peter Crofts rated it it was amazing
The title says it all. This is as close as you will get to what the Buddha actually said. That may seem like an odd comment, but there is a lot of material out there that offers little to no reference to the initial building blocks of Buddhism.
The suttas are somewhat like Socratic dialogues, though the ultimate conclusion of each is predetermined.
If you are looking for an introductory text to early Buddhism you might want to start with the Dhammapada, or a primer like Glenn Wallis' "The Sayings of Buddha" (which is superb), as this is a much more demanding, austere tome.
When you encounter some of the initial sources of the Dharma you will understand why some describe it as a psychological discipline, rather than a religion. You will also realize how rigorous and demanding it really is, something that seems to get lost in a lot of present day Western Buddhist self help manuals, which try to peddle it as some sort of exotic version of the power of positive thinking. (less)
The suttas are somewhat like Socratic dialogues, though the ultimate conclusion of each is predetermined.
If you are looking for an introductory text to early Buddhism you might want to start with the Dhammapada, or a primer like Glenn Wallis' "The Sayings of Buddha" (which is superb), as this is a much more demanding, austere tome.
When you encounter some of the initial sources of the Dharma you will understand why some describe it as a psychological discipline, rather than a religion. You will also realize how rigorous and demanding it really is, something that seems to get lost in a lot of present day Western Buddhist self help manuals, which try to peddle it as some sort of exotic version of the power of positive thinking. (less)
Aug 01, 2013Mohammad Ali Abedi rated it really liked it
I did not want to read a Buddhist book as envisioned by a self-help guru written primary for housewives, so I decided to read the original material. The book, "In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon", has organized material from the Pali Canon, which is material supposed to be directly from Buddha himself. The Pali Canon is one of the earliest material and if I understand correctly, it’s something like 40+ volumes, so the book I am reading is a small introduction to it.
Aside from being an introduction, the book has also few important changes. First, it organizes the material in categories (the original Pali Canon has no specific framework) making it easier to read and it shortens the text sometimes, because the way it is originally written (well, originally recited), there is a lot of repetition. I know that sounds confusing, and that sounds confusing, but I will try to make it less to sound confusing by using this sentence which is going to make it less to sound confusing and by organizing the material in categories (the original Pali Canon has no specific framework) making it easier to read and it shortens the text sometimes which makes it sound less confusing which initially it was more confusing.
Something like that but for 80 lines, so the author just does a … on repetitions make it easier to read. Each section is introduced with commentary on the following material, but I would first read the sutras (the scriptures, like Quranic suras) and then once I finished the section, I would go back and read the commentary. I wanted to see my first reaction to the original text with as little outside influence as possible. Not that there isn’t any outside influence, given that first there is translation to English, but also translation to Sri Lankan before that, and that the written form was hundreds of years after Buddha, but at least I’m trying.
Now my opinion. I don’t know how much of the material is actually Buddha’s words and how much is post-Buddha dogma and certainly reading one book on Buddha does not make me Nirvana PHD maestro but I have a feeling that a lot of material is not Buddha’s. Because sometimes he sounds like a nice old chap, not sounding dogmatic, superstitious, or specific, but other times he sounds majestic, lavishing praise on his own brilliant Enlightened knowledge. I feel the latter was added by his followers and my gut (which is always wrong, but might be right here) tells me that Buddha was the sort of sage that used many of contemporary beliefs of his time and wrapped them around simple ways to improve one’s life. I almost feel like he himself did not believe many of it, but no prophet can come and teach the people from his area from a blank canvas. They all have to use material the people are familiar and comfortable with and try to slowly mold it into something else.
There is some wonderful material in Buddha’s statements, such as the allegory of the elephant to show that all diverging opinions on religion are not necessarily wrong but incomplete so no one should claim full authority on the subject. Or the one where he talks about being good and if we get rewarded for it by going to heaven (as some say) or rebirth (as others say) then great, but if neither exist, then we still haven’t lost anything, because at least we led a good life here on earth.
All these material is good, but I’m not so won over by the emphasis on life being a sort of suffering on earth and our goal is to escape from it. Than in itself is no problem, but it is the outcome of such an ideology that does not sit well with me. First of all, I don’t like the idea of the monks. Buddha places them on a higher level than the rest of the people, but monks don’t earn their own food, which irritates me a bit. The teachings show that people should ward off materialism, but the people who have given up materialism have to beg food from people who haven’t. This in turn means that the religion has made it beneficial to the hard-working materialistic layman to give his food and resources to these monks in exchange of gaining good points for his next life.
Which brings me to my next issue with the whole dogma. The concept of doing good and being reborn into a better life has meant that the rich and successful in the present life are born into that life due to the good deeds they did in the previous life and the sick, poor, and diseased are being punished. This creates a fatalistic, caste system, of which countries that were heavily influenced by reincarnation religions have the most of.
All in all, I’d hang out with Buddha himself, but probably not his followers. (less)
Aside from being an introduction, the book has also few important changes. First, it organizes the material in categories (the original Pali Canon has no specific framework) making it easier to read and it shortens the text sometimes, because the way it is originally written (well, originally recited), there is a lot of repetition. I know that sounds confusing, and that sounds confusing, but I will try to make it less to sound confusing by using this sentence which is going to make it less to sound confusing and by organizing the material in categories (the original Pali Canon has no specific framework) making it easier to read and it shortens the text sometimes which makes it sound less confusing which initially it was more confusing.
Something like that but for 80 lines, so the author just does a … on repetitions make it easier to read. Each section is introduced with commentary on the following material, but I would first read the sutras (the scriptures, like Quranic suras) and then once I finished the section, I would go back and read the commentary. I wanted to see my first reaction to the original text with as little outside influence as possible. Not that there isn’t any outside influence, given that first there is translation to English, but also translation to Sri Lankan before that, and that the written form was hundreds of years after Buddha, but at least I’m trying.
Now my opinion. I don’t know how much of the material is actually Buddha’s words and how much is post-Buddha dogma and certainly reading one book on Buddha does not make me Nirvana PHD maestro but I have a feeling that a lot of material is not Buddha’s. Because sometimes he sounds like a nice old chap, not sounding dogmatic, superstitious, or specific, but other times he sounds majestic, lavishing praise on his own brilliant Enlightened knowledge. I feel the latter was added by his followers and my gut (which is always wrong, but might be right here) tells me that Buddha was the sort of sage that used many of contemporary beliefs of his time and wrapped them around simple ways to improve one’s life. I almost feel like he himself did not believe many of it, but no prophet can come and teach the people from his area from a blank canvas. They all have to use material the people are familiar and comfortable with and try to slowly mold it into something else.
There is some wonderful material in Buddha’s statements, such as the allegory of the elephant to show that all diverging opinions on religion are not necessarily wrong but incomplete so no one should claim full authority on the subject. Or the one where he talks about being good and if we get rewarded for it by going to heaven (as some say) or rebirth (as others say) then great, but if neither exist, then we still haven’t lost anything, because at least we led a good life here on earth.
All these material is good, but I’m not so won over by the emphasis on life being a sort of suffering on earth and our goal is to escape from it. Than in itself is no problem, but it is the outcome of such an ideology that does not sit well with me. First of all, I don’t like the idea of the monks. Buddha places them on a higher level than the rest of the people, but monks don’t earn their own food, which irritates me a bit. The teachings show that people should ward off materialism, but the people who have given up materialism have to beg food from people who haven’t. This in turn means that the religion has made it beneficial to the hard-working materialistic layman to give his food and resources to these monks in exchange of gaining good points for his next life.
Which brings me to my next issue with the whole dogma. The concept of doing good and being reborn into a better life has meant that the rich and successful in the present life are born into that life due to the good deeds they did in the previous life and the sick, poor, and diseased are being punished. This creates a fatalistic, caste system, of which countries that were heavily influenced by reincarnation religions have the most of.
All in all, I’d hang out with Buddha himself, but probably not his followers. (less)
A very approachable, very readable survey of early Buddhism through a selection of suttas from the Pāli Canon and accompanying commentary and explication by Bhikkhu Bodhi. The writing style was clear and easy to follow, definitions concise, and concepts well contextualized. Topics were often treated from several different angles, which not only helped elucidate subtle ideas, but also gave the impression that this anthology is a truly broad, representative slice of the teachings; and though the writing style of the original suttas was extreme in the use of repetition, Bhikkhu Bodhi wielded ellipsis systematically but judiciously to the effect that they were comfortably readable, and their finer points not lost in a swamp of redundancy.
The book is arranged in a logical structure that makes for an easy to follow progression of concepts from start to finish. As a reference work, this structure, along with the several indices and tables, also make it easy to find any given topic. Each chapter is comprised of an essay by Bhikkhu Bodhi, followed by translations of the suttas discussed in the essay. The essays introduce the topic of the chapter and discuss the suttas that follow in simple linear sequence, so the book is best read with two bookmarks, the two halves of each chapter in parallel.
This book answered a basketful of questions that I had about the Buddha's teachings, sparked my curiosity for some further lines of research, and introduced me to the truly strange subject of Buddhist cosmology, which figured more prominently than I expected. Very glad that I took the time to read this — it was, among other qualities, eye-opening — and I know that I will count it as a valuable reference in future.
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The book is arranged in a logical structure that makes for an easy to follow progression of concepts from start to finish. As a reference work, this structure, along with the several indices and tables, also make it easy to find any given topic. Each chapter is comprised of an essay by Bhikkhu Bodhi, followed by translations of the suttas discussed in the essay. The essays introduce the topic of the chapter and discuss the suttas that follow in simple linear sequence, so the book is best read with two bookmarks, the two halves of each chapter in parallel.
This book answered a basketful of questions that I had about the Buddha's teachings, sparked my curiosity for some further lines of research, and introduced me to the truly strange subject of Buddhist cosmology, which figured more prominently than I expected. Very glad that I took the time to read this — it was, among other qualities, eye-opening — and I know that I will count it as a valuable reference in future.
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Oct 23, 2018Jason Gregory rated it it was amazing
This is the foundational text for Buddhist studies and for those who practice Buddhism. It is the most important Buddhist text to read for any school of Buddhism because it is the original Pali Canon, the actual discourses of the historical Buddha. This book gives you an insight to early Buddhism and the Theravada school of Buddhism. Most people will likely not start with this book when they begin their Buddhist studies, but in an ideal world this book would be the first book you should read on Buddhism and the Buddha. This book will give you a taste of what it is like to read the ancient suttas (sutras) with their unique repetitive style. And Bhikkhu Bodhi has done a tremendous job with the translation and commentary which makes for an enjoyable and enlightening read. All of his translations sparkle with clarity and wisdom, but none so more than this amazing book. So if you are interested in the wisdom of the Buddha then begin here to build a solid foundation for your future studies. (less)
Feb 18, 2010van Bilderass rated it it was amazing
The dedication to clarity and careful inquiry into the Pali terms are distinct qualities of every work of Bhikkhu Bodhi.
Reading the book in two courses with a big pause in between showed me how far from the path I have strayed. Nonetheless I had a very eloquent and kind companion in the face of the compiler.
Reading the book in two courses with a big pause in between showed me how far from the path I have strayed. Nonetheless I had a very eloquent and kind companion in the face of the compiler.
This anthology is an excellent guide to the Buddha’s teachings. If you think you may be interested in studying the suttas, this is a good book to start with. The book is organized around various topics, from the human condition and how to approach the dharma to mastering the mind and planes of realization.
May 28, 2011Phillip rated it it was amazing
The perfect book if you want to get into Buddhism's scripture, the Pali Canon. It's exactly what you'd hope for: A logically categorized collection of the most interesting and useful suttas, with easy to digest introductions to each segment. If you're looking for a middle ground between simply taking your teachers' word and wading through the source material yourself, here it is. ...more
This is not a straight sit down and read. It is more a reference book for someone who is interested in Buddhist teachings and needs a reference to the canon. This is the nearesy yhing to the Buddhist Bible written in accessible language
Aug 20, 2020Samuel Saul Richardson rated it did not like it
I've had this book on my shelf forever but I don't even remember how I got it. I know that I quoted this book a few times but overall I am not a fan. Each chapter started out with a great introduction of the ideas and gave citations to where it was grabbing these ideas from but from there the rest of the chapter was long, drawn out, got away from the point, and repeated itself so many times. As an additional negative point I was looking for an introduction to Buddhism whereas this was more of a heavy doctrinal book that also didn't help with the translation to English of certain keywords.
I do not recommend.
#SelfTaughtReligion #Buddhism (less)
I do not recommend.
#SelfTaughtReligion #Buddhism (less)
"All consciousness should be seen as it really is, with correct wisdom thus: this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself." (less)
Feb 24, 2021Ross rated it it was amazing
Honestly one of the best books I read
Feb 28, 2019Zach Daniel rated it really liked it
While the texts themselves were quite difficult and dense, the introductions and organization of Bhikku Bodhi is extremely helpful.
Nov 10, 2018Jer Clarke rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Important book, but not a modern perspective
This is stating the obvious when it comes to the suttas themselves, but even the lengthy introductions to the suttas at the start of each chapter are seeped in a traditional attitude that made this book hard to read.
Bikkhu Bodhi’s immense work translating the Pali Cannon is of course to be commended, and his translations have a clarity and simplicity that is missing from a LOT of English versions of the suttas.
If your goal is to read a book with a nice, broad overview of example suttas, and clarity of the suttas themselves is important to you (it should be) this is a really valuable book! You’ll find the actual words passed down by his followers, carefully edited and condensed to avoid the droning repetition that is inherent to the oral format.
Reading these source texts can be difficult for modern Buddhists, because in so many cases (especially in Western convert Buddhist contexts such as the Insight movement in the US) what we are taught on retreat is a carefully curated subset of the actual teachings. Aspects of the cosmology which the Buddha took literally and mentioned often (gods, demons, heavens, hells) are either treated as metaphors or ignored completely. Not so in these sutta translations. You’ll find all these things and worse discussed frankly and as part of everyday life.
This was a challenge I welcomed, and something I was hoping for from the experience of reading the suttas themselves.
The issue I have is with the way the subjects are organized and explained by Bodhi, who comes off as a very conservative follower of Buddhist religion with a bit of an axe to grind with those who want to merge these teachings with modern perspectives. He regularly takes time to specifically denounce “secular” forms of Buddhism and point out how they are flawed, all the while taking seriously the wild cosmological claims of the suttas without any sense of awkwardness.
It’s his right to be a true believer of traditional Buddhism of course, and to defend it against the encroachment of modernity, but in this particular book it was a distraction. A more neutral presentation of the suttas, written to expose their contents to everyone without proselytizing, would in my opinion be a better use of the source translations themselves (which as I said above, are priceless).
Specifically, I wish the order of subjects was different. Bodhi subjects us to a series of offensively traditionalist suttas about social organization, including a lengthy section of misogynistic ideas about the appropriate role of women, before ever treating us to suttas about meditation, mindfulness or even psychological concepts like the aggregates. It almost felt like the more popular and uplifting aspects of the Dhamma were being held hostage behind a paywall of lecturing about traditional values. Was he afraid that if the “good stuff” was at the start, we’d stop reading when it got to the boring social lecturing? Maybe so, but I feel like the organization of this book probably turns a lot of people off, and results in them missing out on the suttas that would mean the most to them.
That said, having the introductions was invaluable. Without context and explanation, pulling out these sutta quotes leaves them pretty incoherent. I was happy to have him contextualize each sutta and their relationships to each other and the broader Dhamma.
If anything, I wish the explanations of each sutta and the suttas were more mixed. Reading a long introduction to 10 suttas, then all 10 suttas, left me often lost and confused.
I recommend reading the chapter introductions and suttas at the same time. Reading the introduction until it finishes explaining a particular sutta, then jumping to that sutta and reading before continuing. I switched to this method at the end of the book and while it’s a bit more effort, it helped my comprehension a lot.
I wish the Kindle version of this book would take this into account technologically, and insert links back and forth from the introductions mentioning a sutta and the sutta itself.
Finally I’ll say the footnotes are great, and I learned a lot about the nuances of translating Pali from them.
This is a really interesting book and I’m glad I read it. If you’re just starting out with Buddhism, it may be too much of a jump for you.
I’ll point out that all of these original sutta texts are available in English translation, for free, on suttacentral.net. If you want to compare translations, find other suttas etc. I recommend that site like crazy. It also has both English and Pali versions that you can read in parallel, so if you want the Pali version of texts from this book, SuttaCentral is the place to find them. (less)
This is stating the obvious when it comes to the suttas themselves, but even the lengthy introductions to the suttas at the start of each chapter are seeped in a traditional attitude that made this book hard to read.
Bikkhu Bodhi’s immense work translating the Pali Cannon is of course to be commended, and his translations have a clarity and simplicity that is missing from a LOT of English versions of the suttas.
If your goal is to read a book with a nice, broad overview of example suttas, and clarity of the suttas themselves is important to you (it should be) this is a really valuable book! You’ll find the actual words passed down by his followers, carefully edited and condensed to avoid the droning repetition that is inherent to the oral format.
Reading these source texts can be difficult for modern Buddhists, because in so many cases (especially in Western convert Buddhist contexts such as the Insight movement in the US) what we are taught on retreat is a carefully curated subset of the actual teachings. Aspects of the cosmology which the Buddha took literally and mentioned often (gods, demons, heavens, hells) are either treated as metaphors or ignored completely. Not so in these sutta translations. You’ll find all these things and worse discussed frankly and as part of everyday life.
This was a challenge I welcomed, and something I was hoping for from the experience of reading the suttas themselves.
The issue I have is with the way the subjects are organized and explained by Bodhi, who comes off as a very conservative follower of Buddhist religion with a bit of an axe to grind with those who want to merge these teachings with modern perspectives. He regularly takes time to specifically denounce “secular” forms of Buddhism and point out how they are flawed, all the while taking seriously the wild cosmological claims of the suttas without any sense of awkwardness.
It’s his right to be a true believer of traditional Buddhism of course, and to defend it against the encroachment of modernity, but in this particular book it was a distraction. A more neutral presentation of the suttas, written to expose their contents to everyone without proselytizing, would in my opinion be a better use of the source translations themselves (which as I said above, are priceless).
Specifically, I wish the order of subjects was different. Bodhi subjects us to a series of offensively traditionalist suttas about social organization, including a lengthy section of misogynistic ideas about the appropriate role of women, before ever treating us to suttas about meditation, mindfulness or even psychological concepts like the aggregates. It almost felt like the more popular and uplifting aspects of the Dhamma were being held hostage behind a paywall of lecturing about traditional values. Was he afraid that if the “good stuff” was at the start, we’d stop reading when it got to the boring social lecturing? Maybe so, but I feel like the organization of this book probably turns a lot of people off, and results in them missing out on the suttas that would mean the most to them.
That said, having the introductions was invaluable. Without context and explanation, pulling out these sutta quotes leaves them pretty incoherent. I was happy to have him contextualize each sutta and their relationships to each other and the broader Dhamma.
If anything, I wish the explanations of each sutta and the suttas were more mixed. Reading a long introduction to 10 suttas, then all 10 suttas, left me often lost and confused.
I recommend reading the chapter introductions and suttas at the same time. Reading the introduction until it finishes explaining a particular sutta, then jumping to that sutta and reading before continuing. I switched to this method at the end of the book and while it’s a bit more effort, it helped my comprehension a lot.
I wish the Kindle version of this book would take this into account technologically, and insert links back and forth from the introductions mentioning a sutta and the sutta itself.
Finally I’ll say the footnotes are great, and I learned a lot about the nuances of translating Pali from them.
This is a really interesting book and I’m glad I read it. If you’re just starting out with Buddhism, it may be too much of a jump for you.
I’ll point out that all of these original sutta texts are available in English translation, for free, on suttacentral.net. If you want to compare translations, find other suttas etc. I recommend that site like crazy. It also has both English and Pali versions that you can read in parallel, so if you want the Pali version of texts from this book, SuttaCentral is the place to find them. (less)
Apr 18, 2011Michaela rated it liked it
Made it through 300 of the 400 pages before it became too esoteric for me. Really appreciated having this broad view of the Buddha's teachings and their context. Made some of the "religious" aspects of Buddhism clearer. And I think I discovered why I couldn't embrace it as my religion. In one section it describes how Buddhism "teaches by the middle" because it avoids two extreme views. The first of eternalism which asserts that the core human identity is indestructible and eternal self. It also asserts that the world is created and maintained by a permanent entity or God. The other extreme is annihilationism, holds that at death the person is entirely annihilated. For the Buddha, both pose insuperable problems. Eternalism encourages an obstinate clinging which is impermanent. Annihilationism threatens to undermine ethics and to make suffering the product of chance.
So even Buddha couldn't live with the thought that some suffering may be random.
One more good description of right trade:
"And what , householder, is the happiness of enjoyment? Here, with the wealth acquired by energetic striving, amassed by the strength of his arms, earned by the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained, a family man enjoys his wealth and does meritorious deeds." (less)
So even Buddha couldn't live with the thought that some suffering may be random.
One more good description of right trade:
"And what , householder, is the happiness of enjoyment? Here, with the wealth acquired by energetic striving, amassed by the strength of his arms, earned by the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained, a family man enjoys his wealth and does meritorious deeds." (less)
A great collection of suttas arranged by topic, with introductions by Bhikkhu Bodhi for each section. Suitable for complete beginners and still useful as a quick-lookup resource for experienced practitioners.
If you are Buddhist, especially Theravadin, or even just curious to learn about the Pali Canon, this book is indispensible, one of the best ever put together.
See also Ven. Gunaratana's Mindfulness In Plain English and Ven Walpola Rahula's What the Buddha Taught. (less)
If you are Buddhist, especially Theravadin, or even just curious to learn about the Pali Canon, this book is indispensible, one of the best ever put together.
See also Ven. Gunaratana's Mindfulness In Plain English and Ven Walpola Rahula's What the Buddha Taught. (less)
Apr 07, 2012Deborah Welch rated it it was amazing
Sadhu Bhikkhu Bodhi. Going to the great Sala (library) at Wat Carolina, the Pali Canon is enclosed within its own book shelf, many-many volumes comprising this masterful collection. Now the same Pali Canon has been compiled with emphasis on lay folk within this single volume. For those interested in the original teachings of Shayamuni Buddha, transcribed from oral transmission of Bhikkhus, this is an important read.
Mar 17, 2018Frobeg Ochaeta rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Bikkuh Bodhi did an amazing work in gathering The Sutras in the Pali Canon in such a tightly organized book.
It's a must in every Buddhist library.
Although it sometimes feel too academic and it's quite long and heavy. It is a book for reference reading, not in one go, but from time to time letting it sink in and meditating on it. It works pretty much like a Bible. (less)
It's a must in every Buddhist library.
Although it sometimes feel too academic and it's quite long and heavy. It is a book for reference reading, not in one go, but from time to time letting it sink in and meditating on it. It works pretty much like a Bible. (less)
Jul 04, 2018Ian Joseph rated it did not like it
Just wasn’t what i was expecting, but i should have known. The title is exactly what it is, the Buddha’s words about the sacred texts. It was my first time reading about Buddhism and I should have started with a beginners guide as this was way to advanced for me. It just wasn’t interesting because i had no idea what he was talking about 80% of the time.
Jan 31, 2018Hugo Bernard rated it it was amazing
This is going straight to the source, the Pali Canon, with a clear translation by Bhikkhu Bodhi and thoughtful commentaries before each sections. I read it and re-read it. It is a meditation on its own. Highly recommended for anyone wanting the hear Buddha's Words. (less)
Feb 05, 2019Daniel Bisgaard rated it liked it
This book gets very repetative. At first i thought i was sleepy and i kept reading the same thing over and over. It does say before the book begins that its repetative and that you have to think of the suttas as a saying and not a text. It helps a bit with the read.
Dec 21, 2008Adam rated it it was amazing
Excellent and substantial summary of primary texts.
Mar 14, 2011Bruce Park rated it it was amazing
This is an anthology of the Buddha's early teachings. (less)
Jul 30, 2011Brendan rated it it was amazing
if you're interested in buddhism with a capital b, this is by far one of the best collections of source texts that exists. it should be a canon text in any comparative religion class. (less)
