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The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya
This book offers a complete translation of the Digha Nikaya, the long 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, given in India two and a half thousand years ago--consists of thirty-four longer-length suttas, or discourses, distinguished as such from the middle-length and shorter suttas of the other collections.
These suttas reveal the gentleness, compassion, power, and penetrating wisdom of the Buddha. Included are teachings on mindfulness (Mahasatipatthana Sutta); on morality, concentration, and wisdom (Subha Sutta); on dependent origination (Mahanidrana Sutta); on the roots and causes of wrong views (Brahmajala Sutta); and a long description of the Buddha's last days and passing away (Mahaparinibbana Sutta); along with a wealth of practical advice and insight for all those travelling along the spiritual path.
Venerable Sumedho Thera writes in his "[These suttas] are not meant to be 'sacred scriptures' that tell us what to believe. One should read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them, and investigate the present reality, the present experience, with them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the truth beyond words."
Introduced with a vivid account of the Buddha's life and times and a short survey of his teachings, The Long Discourses of the Buddha brings us closer in every way to the wise and compassionate presence of Gotama Buddha and his path of truth.
These suttas reveal the gentleness, compassion, power, and penetrating wisdom of the Buddha. Included are teachings on mindfulness (Mahasatipatthana Sutta); on morality, concentration, and wisdom (Subha Sutta); on dependent origination (Mahanidrana Sutta); on the roots and causes of wrong views (Brahmajala Sutta); and a long description of the Buddha's last days and passing away (Mahaparinibbana Sutta); along with a wealth of practical advice and insight for all those travelling along the spiritual path.
Venerable Sumedho Thera writes in his "[These suttas] are not meant to be 'sacred scriptures' that tell us what to believe. One should read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them, and investigate the present reality, the present experience, with them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the truth beyond words."
Introduced with a vivid account of the Buddha's life and times and a short survey of his teachings, The Long Discourses of the Buddha brings us closer in every way to the wise and compassionate presence of Gotama Buddha and his path of truth.
648 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 1995
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November 10, 2025
The Digha Nikaya
This book is a modern translation of the Long Length Discourses of the Buddha, a seminal collection of early Buddhist texts. The Digha is part of the scripture of the Theravada school of Buddhism. The Theravada school is is the oldest surviving form of Buddhism and is still practiced in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and elsewhere. Together with other forms of Buddhism, Theravada has attracted a great deal of interest in the West, and this book will be invaluable in making its teachings accessible. This collection of discourses is considered canonical by all other schools of Buddhism. Subsequent understanding of the Buddha's teachings built upon it, even when they seemed to depart from it.
The Digha is a collection of 34 discourses (suttas), originally written in Pali. The form of the teaching differs from that of later Buddhist teachings in that in the Digha, the Buddha is presented as a person wandering through India and teaching his disciples, followers of other sects, kings, princes, gods, and anyone who is open to listen. The teachings are difficult but the emphasis in this collection is on psychology more than metaphysics. The Buddha described his Dhamma as designed to end suffering and to teach people how to be happy. That is the core of this volume.
Many scholars believe that the Digha was written specifically to introduce the Buddha's teaching to lay followers. Most (but not all) the suttas in the collection involve discussions between the Buddha and various lay people or followers of other sects. The suttas in the collection include a great deal of mythology and story-telling. These factors, together with the content of the discourses, tend to show it was designed for a large audience, rather than only for close followers of the Buddha's teachings. They remain an outstanding source for those wanting to make a serious effort to study the Buddha.
Many of the suttas in the collection present important expositions of the Buddha's Dhamma (teaching). The first sutta in the collection, translated here as "What the Teaching is Not" is basic but difficult. The reader coming to the Digha might want to begin with the second sutta, "The Fruits of the Homeless Life". This sutta is widely studied and is a beautiful exposition of the Buddha's teaching and its value.
Sutta 15 of the collection, the "Great Discourse on the Origination" is the most detailed single discussion in the Pali Canon of the Buddha's fundamental and uncompromisingly difficult teaching on dependent origination -- impermanence, selflessness, and interconnectedness. Sutta 22, "The Greater Discourse on the Foundation of Mindfulness" is the basic meditation sutta which should be studied by those wishing to develop a meditation practice. Sutta 16, the longest sutta in the Pali Canon, tells the story of the Buddha's last days and of his passing. In it the Buddha exhorts his followers to "strive on with diligence" to achieve their goal of enlightenment. Sutta 31, the Sigala Sutta, differs markedly from the remaining suttas in the collection in that it consists of the Buddha's rather worldy advice to a worldly young man.
I have the good fortune to belong to a Sutta Study group led by an able teacher where for the past year or so (the group has been meeting much longer) we have explored this collection in depth. We generally have one person assigned to lead the discussion of a sutta (our group averages about ten) and we all read and discuss it over a two-hour session. (The longer, more difficult suttas require several sessions.) This is an ideal way to study the text. If such a group is unavailable to you, the best way to proceed, I think, is to read the collection slowly -- do not try to rush or to do it at once -- concentrate on the sections that seem to speak to you and go back to them. This is a text that is not meant to convey history or dogma but to encourage reflection, meditation and study.
The translation of the text is by Maurice Walshe, a scholar and a distinguished Buddhist lay practitioner who also translated the German works of the Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart. Walshe wrote a useful introduction covering key Buddhist concepts, a summary of each sutta, and brief notes. His translation is homespun, colloquial, and accessible. It serves its function of allowing the reader to approach the text and the Dhamma.
Walshe and Wisdom Publications have done great service in making this volume available to interested readers in the West. (Wisdom has also published companion volumes of the Middle-Length Discourses and the Connected Discourses.) This is a difficult book but will repay the effort many times. May this book help the interested reader to understand the teachings of the Buddha.
Robin Friedman
This book is a modern translation of the Long Length Discourses of the Buddha, a seminal collection of early Buddhist texts. The Digha is part of the scripture of the Theravada school of Buddhism. The Theravada school is is the oldest surviving form of Buddhism and is still practiced in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and elsewhere. Together with other forms of Buddhism, Theravada has attracted a great deal of interest in the West, and this book will be invaluable in making its teachings accessible. This collection of discourses is considered canonical by all other schools of Buddhism. Subsequent understanding of the Buddha's teachings built upon it, even when they seemed to depart from it.
The Digha is a collection of 34 discourses (suttas), originally written in Pali. The form of the teaching differs from that of later Buddhist teachings in that in the Digha, the Buddha is presented as a person wandering through India and teaching his disciples, followers of other sects, kings, princes, gods, and anyone who is open to listen. The teachings are difficult but the emphasis in this collection is on psychology more than metaphysics. The Buddha described his Dhamma as designed to end suffering and to teach people how to be happy. That is the core of this volume.
Many scholars believe that the Digha was written specifically to introduce the Buddha's teaching to lay followers. Most (but not all) the suttas in the collection involve discussions between the Buddha and various lay people or followers of other sects. The suttas in the collection include a great deal of mythology and story-telling. These factors, together with the content of the discourses, tend to show it was designed for a large audience, rather than only for close followers of the Buddha's teachings. They remain an outstanding source for those wanting to make a serious effort to study the Buddha.
Many of the suttas in the collection present important expositions of the Buddha's Dhamma (teaching). The first sutta in the collection, translated here as "What the Teaching is Not" is basic but difficult. The reader coming to the Digha might want to begin with the second sutta, "The Fruits of the Homeless Life". This sutta is widely studied and is a beautiful exposition of the Buddha's teaching and its value.
Sutta 15 of the collection, the "Great Discourse on the Origination" is the most detailed single discussion in the Pali Canon of the Buddha's fundamental and uncompromisingly difficult teaching on dependent origination -- impermanence, selflessness, and interconnectedness. Sutta 22, "The Greater Discourse on the Foundation of Mindfulness" is the basic meditation sutta which should be studied by those wishing to develop a meditation practice. Sutta 16, the longest sutta in the Pali Canon, tells the story of the Buddha's last days and of his passing. In it the Buddha exhorts his followers to "strive on with diligence" to achieve their goal of enlightenment. Sutta 31, the Sigala Sutta, differs markedly from the remaining suttas in the collection in that it consists of the Buddha's rather worldy advice to a worldly young man.
I have the good fortune to belong to a Sutta Study group led by an able teacher where for the past year or so (the group has been meeting much longer) we have explored this collection in depth. We generally have one person assigned to lead the discussion of a sutta (our group averages about ten) and we all read and discuss it over a two-hour session. (The longer, more difficult suttas require several sessions.) This is an ideal way to study the text. If such a group is unavailable to you, the best way to proceed, I think, is to read the collection slowly -- do not try to rush or to do it at once -- concentrate on the sections that seem to speak to you and go back to them. This is a text that is not meant to convey history or dogma but to encourage reflection, meditation and study.
The translation of the text is by Maurice Walshe, a scholar and a distinguished Buddhist lay practitioner who also translated the German works of the Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart. Walshe wrote a useful introduction covering key Buddhist concepts, a summary of each sutta, and brief notes. His translation is homespun, colloquial, and accessible. It serves its function of allowing the reader to approach the text and the Dhamma.
Walshe and Wisdom Publications have done great service in making this volume available to interested readers in the West. (Wisdom has also published companion volumes of the Middle-Length Discourses and the Connected Discourses.) This is a difficult book but will repay the effort many times. May this book help the interested reader to understand the teachings of the Buddha.
Robin Friedman
October 30, 2011
Originally published as Thus Have I Heard, this careful and very readable translation of the first of the four major nikayas was a much needed replacement for the outdated, three volume, overpriced and generally inaccessible Pali Text Society version by the husband and wife team of Rhys-Davids. In its reissue, it became the first of what presumably will be retranslations of the first four nikayas coming out of Wisdom Publications in Boston. Thank the devas for Wisdom! It was about time. Now all we need is the Anguttara Nikaya (Bhikkhu Bodhi has promised it!) and we can sit back and sing a song of thanks to Brahma Sahampati.
This translation (as well as those of the Majjhima and Samyutta Nikayas) abridges the endless repetitions, renders the suttas in modern day English (as opposed to stilted Victorian), and packages it all in one handsome, affordable volume. There are extensive endnotes and it is obvious that Mr. Walshe (1911-1988) did his homework. The only real complaint I have about the book is that the introduction is somewhat lame--very basic--so if you've read a few introductory books on Buddhism and know something about the traditional cosmology, you could just as well skip this part.
Regarding the text proper: the Digha Nikaya is a collection of thirty-four of the Buddha's "long discourses" (digha means "long") and is typically listed first among the nikayas. Much of the material is mythological; many of the suttas have a fabulistic feel to them--visits to the gods, stories of past lives, past Buddhas and the like. Some are heavy on fluff and light on Dhamma, and for the serious sort may wear upon the patience. They are important, nonetheless, for they have informed the worldview of Buddhists since the beginning, and if they are not so vital doctrinally, they are still important from an aesthetic and cultural standpoint. That said, some of the most important suttas in the canon can be found here, among them the Brahmajala Sutta (#1), the Samaññaphala Sutta (#2), the Mahasihanada Sutta (#8), the Potthapada Sutta (#9), the Kevaddha Sutta (#11)--important especially for its characterization of nibbana, the Mahanidana Sutta (#15), the Mahaparinibbana Sutta (#16)--the story of the Buddha's last days and passing, the Mahasatipatthana Sutta (#22)--possibly the single richest sutta in the canon from the standpoint of practice, the Pasadika Sutta (#29), and, for laypeople especially, the Sigalaka Sutta (#31).
This translation (as well as those of the Majjhima and Samyutta Nikayas) abridges the endless repetitions, renders the suttas in modern day English (as opposed to stilted Victorian), and packages it all in one handsome, affordable volume. There are extensive endnotes and it is obvious that Mr. Walshe (1911-1988) did his homework. The only real complaint I have about the book is that the introduction is somewhat lame--very basic--so if you've read a few introductory books on Buddhism and know something about the traditional cosmology, you could just as well skip this part.
Regarding the text proper: the Digha Nikaya is a collection of thirty-four of the Buddha's "long discourses" (digha means "long") and is typically listed first among the nikayas. Much of the material is mythological; many of the suttas have a fabulistic feel to them--visits to the gods, stories of past lives, past Buddhas and the like. Some are heavy on fluff and light on Dhamma, and for the serious sort may wear upon the patience. They are important, nonetheless, for they have informed the worldview of Buddhists since the beginning, and if they are not so vital doctrinally, they are still important from an aesthetic and cultural standpoint. That said, some of the most important suttas in the canon can be found here, among them the Brahmajala Sutta (#1), the Samaññaphala Sutta (#2), the Mahasihanada Sutta (#8), the Potthapada Sutta (#9), the Kevaddha Sutta (#11)--important especially for its characterization of nibbana, the Mahanidana Sutta (#15), the Mahaparinibbana Sutta (#16)--the story of the Buddha's last days and passing, the Mahasatipatthana Sutta (#22)--possibly the single richest sutta in the canon from the standpoint of practice, the Pasadika Sutta (#29), and, for laypeople especially, the Sigalaka Sutta (#31).
May 9, 2015
Apr 14, 2012: it has been more than 2 weeks since i could stomach the idea of opening this book and reading another calcified recitation of the same stock phrases, so i decided that i officially give up.
50% seems like a safe (i.e., under-)estimate for the amount of text in this book that is repeated. The most egregious examples (in the ~25% of the pages i've read) are the entirety of Sutta 7 and the vast majority of Sutta 9. If it weren't for the translator's myriad merciful ellipses, i would've given up sooner. Despite their aid, however, i had to switch to Shantideva's The Way of the Bodhisattva.
Other thinking points along my obdurate stroll through the suffering of samsara:
Walshe's introduction leads me to believe he has an alien mind. Perhaps to me "the Buddhist mind" = "an alien mind." Methinks he doth protest too much about the absence of similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism. Maybe i should've tried to read Dhammapada or Bodhicharyavatara. prior to this: they might not talk about the Buddhist 3-worlds cosmology, which i dismiss as frivolous.
There might be only one thing i've learned about Shakyamuni (aka The Buddha): he is indisputably the very most humble person who has ever been or ever will be. aka Siddhartha and/or his monks dub the first discourse, "The Incomparable Victory in Battle." If that's not enough to lead a sensible person to assess the Buddha's arrogance, come to the long discourses not already in thrall to him and most readers will have no grounds upon which to strongly refute any such assessment.
"The Fruits of the Homeless Life" directly contradicts what i considered to be Gandhi's main and best idea regarding The Bhagavad Gita, namely that renouncing the fruits of one's endeavors is a primary goal of living right. Do you really need to dangle the carrot of beatific next-lives as the carrot to induce followers to do the right thing? If so, how noble is anything done by such a person?
"Pride Humbled" is less a discourse of the Buddha's ideas than an anecdote painting a negative portrait of Brahmins. Olcott's and Walshe's claims of Buddhism's scientific basis are unfounded: the Buddha utters statements and thereby his proclamations become Truth. If he doesn't want to expound upon the reasons underpinning his assertions, he falls back on the anecdote of the man shot by the arrow.
Ah, finally, i think i see the disconnect between me and Buddhism.
A) The man shot by a poisoned arrow in the story says he will not accept treatment for his injuries until a string of irrelevant questions are answered, such as: who shot the arrow? was the bow made of wood or metal? how many feathers are on the arrow's shaft? what kind of feathers are they?
B) The Buddha equates this man's situation and behavior with that of any human who asks questions of him such as: is the universe infinite or finite? will the Buddha exist or not exist after his body perishes?
C) The Buddha says his analogy is sound because (1) we are all effectively suffering in the same way as the anecdotal man (we're perpetually, inevitably, inexorably faced with pain and death) and (2) asking questions such as asked in B above is irrelevant to alleviating our pain or reducing the likelihood of death.
D) Do i really have to spell out the disconnect between the one situation and the other?
Even if these are analogous situation, when The Awakened One ducks the ultimate questions of life, the universe, and everything, how can that not undermine our ability to believe he is truly The Awakened One?
I contend that ducking such questions is done because The Bud had no sufficient answers to those questions. As storytellers, the monks who "memorized" Bud's discourses (long, short, medium, connected, etc.) would've served the sangha better by fictionalizing an unheard-by-others answer whispered in the ear of the questioner followed by awe-stricken prostration and perpetual silence. If scary enough, other questioners might be dissuaded and Shakyamuni could retain plausible deniability regarding his status as being Fully Enlightened. As written, though, i cannot help but exhort others to distrust anyone who claims to know everything but who then avoids answering our questions, especially if they do so by saying "you're incapable of understanding," "that question is irrelevant," etc.
(I like to picture the scene thusly. In the presence of The Buddha, a man asks whether the universe is infinite or finite. In response he gets the anecdote of the man shot by a poisoned arrow. The man says, "C'mon, nobody else has to hear." Buddy calmly assents and whispers so that none else may hear, "Act like i've told you the holiest of holies, or i'll destroy everything you love as brutally as possible." He feigns a faint and for the rest of his life, when people ask him to share The Answer, he says that The Truth was too powerful for an unenlightened one to retain.
Y'know, even better, just don't ever make it known that anybody ever asked your leader questions he couldn't answer. Yeah. That's the ticket.)
{Why am i not giving this 1 star?}
50% seems like a safe (i.e., under-)estimate for the amount of text in this book that is repeated. The most egregious examples (in the ~25% of the pages i've read) are the entirety of Sutta 7 and the vast majority of Sutta 9. If it weren't for the translator's myriad merciful ellipses, i would've given up sooner. Despite their aid, however, i had to switch to Shantideva's The Way of the Bodhisattva.
Other thinking points along my obdurate stroll through the suffering of samsara:
Walshe's introduction leads me to believe he has an alien mind. Perhaps to me "the Buddhist mind" = "an alien mind." Methinks he doth protest too much about the absence of similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism. Maybe i should've tried to read Dhammapada or Bodhicharyavatara. prior to this: they might not talk about the Buddhist 3-worlds cosmology, which i dismiss as frivolous.
There might be only one thing i've learned about Shakyamuni (aka The Buddha): he is indisputably the very most humble person who has ever been or ever will be. aka Siddhartha and/or his monks dub the first discourse, "The Incomparable Victory in Battle." If that's not enough to lead a sensible person to assess the Buddha's arrogance, come to the long discourses not already in thrall to him and most readers will have no grounds upon which to strongly refute any such assessment.
"The Fruits of the Homeless Life" directly contradicts what i considered to be Gandhi's main and best idea regarding The Bhagavad Gita, namely that renouncing the fruits of one's endeavors is a primary goal of living right. Do you really need to dangle the carrot of beatific next-lives as the carrot to induce followers to do the right thing? If so, how noble is anything done by such a person?
"Pride Humbled" is less a discourse of the Buddha's ideas than an anecdote painting a negative portrait of Brahmins. Olcott's and Walshe's claims of Buddhism's scientific basis are unfounded: the Buddha utters statements and thereby his proclamations become Truth. If he doesn't want to expound upon the reasons underpinning his assertions, he falls back on the anecdote of the man shot by the arrow.
Ah, finally, i think i see the disconnect between me and Buddhism.
A) The man shot by a poisoned arrow in the story says he will not accept treatment for his injuries until a string of irrelevant questions are answered, such as: who shot the arrow? was the bow made of wood or metal? how many feathers are on the arrow's shaft? what kind of feathers are they?
B) The Buddha equates this man's situation and behavior with that of any human who asks questions of him such as: is the universe infinite or finite? will the Buddha exist or not exist after his body perishes?
C) The Buddha says his analogy is sound because (1) we are all effectively suffering in the same way as the anecdotal man (we're perpetually, inevitably, inexorably faced with pain and death) and (2) asking questions such as asked in B above is irrelevant to alleviating our pain or reducing the likelihood of death.
D) Do i really have to spell out the disconnect between the one situation and the other?
Even if these are analogous situation, when The Awakened One ducks the ultimate questions of life, the universe, and everything, how can that not undermine our ability to believe he is truly The Awakened One?
I contend that ducking such questions is done because The Bud had no sufficient answers to those questions. As storytellers, the monks who "memorized" Bud's discourses (long, short, medium, connected, etc.) would've served the sangha better by fictionalizing an unheard-by-others answer whispered in the ear of the questioner followed by awe-stricken prostration and perpetual silence. If scary enough, other questioners might be dissuaded and Shakyamuni could retain plausible deniability regarding his status as being Fully Enlightened. As written, though, i cannot help but exhort others to distrust anyone who claims to know everything but who then avoids answering our questions, especially if they do so by saying "you're incapable of understanding," "that question is irrelevant," etc.
(I like to picture the scene thusly. In the presence of The Buddha, a man asks whether the universe is infinite or finite. In response he gets the anecdote of the man shot by a poisoned arrow. The man says, "C'mon, nobody else has to hear." Buddy calmly assents and whispers so that none else may hear, "Act like i've told you the holiest of holies, or i'll destroy everything you love as brutally as possible." He feigns a faint and for the rest of his life, when people ask him to share The Answer, he says that The Truth was too powerful for an unenlightened one to retain.
Y'know, even better, just don't ever make it known that anybody ever asked your leader questions he couldn't answer. Yeah. That's the ticket.)
{Why am i not giving this 1 star?}
July 9, 2014
The Pali Canon is like life itself: it is the same stuff over and over; it is mostly boring, but can be amazing if you pay attention; it goes on and on and seems like it is never going to end (until it does).
The Pali Canon and the commentaries constitute an immense work. I have been reading a few Suttas a day for years, and am only now nearing the end of my final Nikaya. Let’s be honest: the work as a whole is really long, very repetitive, and mostly boring. Having been passed down by a verbal tradition, it is full of stock phrases easy for monastics to memorize, and after reading these over and over for years, I can usually anticipate the form and message of a new Sutta a few words in.
My interest in and enthusiasm for Buddhism has fluctuated over the years (ranging on a spectrum from fanatical to loosely affiliated) but the one constant has been this text. As a historical document, it is really a remarkable thing to consider. Reading it is sort of like an alternative form of meditation – the phrases repeat ad nauseam and go largely unnoticed until the conditions are right and they become imbued with a new meaning. The text is prescriptive, and for a religious text there is remarkably little mysticism, and few miracles. It reads like a dry accounting of earthly problems and an earnest, systematic search for their roots. I’m not sure that the discourses of the Buddha were meant to be read as a single work (they are certainly not arranged in any logical order), but as I come to the “end” I am left wondering what to do next.
The Pali Canon and the commentaries constitute an immense work. I have been reading a few Suttas a day for years, and am only now nearing the end of my final Nikaya. Let’s be honest: the work as a whole is really long, very repetitive, and mostly boring. Having been passed down by a verbal tradition, it is full of stock phrases easy for monastics to memorize, and after reading these over and over for years, I can usually anticipate the form and message of a new Sutta a few words in.
My interest in and enthusiasm for Buddhism has fluctuated over the years (ranging on a spectrum from fanatical to loosely affiliated) but the one constant has been this text. As a historical document, it is really a remarkable thing to consider. Reading it is sort of like an alternative form of meditation – the phrases repeat ad nauseam and go largely unnoticed until the conditions are right and they become imbued with a new meaning. The text is prescriptive, and for a religious text there is remarkably little mysticism, and few miracles. It reads like a dry accounting of earthly problems and an earnest, systematic search for their roots. I’m not sure that the discourses of the Buddha were meant to be read as a single work (they are certainly not arranged in any logical order), but as I come to the “end” I am left wondering what to do next.
October 3, 2017
I'm reading this for a reading group, regardless it is useful to read in full some things I have previously only read referenced.
The introduction is excellent, a clear, brief overview of the times and the main ideas of Buddhism.
Now, also it is true, the full texts came to be what they are as a result of an oral (repeated and memorized) tradition, not a reading one. This is the reason for the many repetitions that occur (which are usefully elided in this text). What I am pulling from this reading is: 1) the fascinating similarity between some of the Suttas and Platonic Dialogue, 2) how much salesmanship occurs, 3) a sense of the lives of religious seekers in India during the early centuries BCE.
1) Hurray for conspiracy theories (and Popper's 'Axial Age') which note the simultaneous appearance of various levels of culture spreadyy widely across the globe ! Of course, cultural dissemination pretty well explains this as well.
2) Many of the suttas are filled with denials of Brahminical beliefs and replies with the teaching of the Buddha. Certainly these are present in order to provide early monks with means of out-arguing their competing religious seekers.
3) As with the similarity to dialectic, it seems to me that the logical, reasoned approach of the Buddha (Buddhism is a science of the mind, not a religion) was a shocking, innovative approach.
The introduction is excellent, a clear, brief overview of the times and the main ideas of Buddhism.
Now, also it is true, the full texts came to be what they are as a result of an oral (repeated and memorized) tradition, not a reading one. This is the reason for the many repetitions that occur (which are usefully elided in this text). What I am pulling from this reading is: 1) the fascinating similarity between some of the Suttas and Platonic Dialogue, 2) how much salesmanship occurs, 3) a sense of the lives of religious seekers in India during the early centuries BCE.
1) Hurray for conspiracy theories (and Popper's 'Axial Age') which note the simultaneous appearance of various levels of culture spreadyy widely across the globe ! Of course, cultural dissemination pretty well explains this as well.
2) Many of the suttas are filled with denials of Brahminical beliefs and replies with the teaching of the Buddha. Certainly these are present in order to provide early monks with means of out-arguing their competing religious seekers.
3) As with the similarity to dialectic, it seems to me that the logical, reasoned approach of the Buddha (Buddhism is a science of the mind, not a religion) was a shocking, innovative approach.
February 9, 2009
I didn't read this cover to cover (just selections) but of all the translations from the Pali Canon that I've looked at, this one is the best. The English is very very clear, and in spots where the Pali is tricky Walshe explains his rationale, usually backed up by auxiliary sources. The introduction is straightforward and focuses on key concepts for the reader new to Buddhist thought and early Buddhist (Theravada)practice.
June 20, 2019
What an epic task to translate these texts. Very interesting content, albeit with considerable repetition, presumably arising from the texts being passed down orally for several centuries before they were written down. Well worth the read.
July 17, 2019
What an epic task to translate these texts. Very interesting content, albeit with considerable repetition, presumably arising from the texts being passed down orally for several centuries before they were written down. Well worth the read.
June 23, 2012
A reference document for the seekers.
Includes some of the main sutras like Mahâparanibbhâna Sutta and Mahâsatipatthâna Sutta
Includes some of the main sutras like Mahâparanibbhâna Sutta and Mahâsatipatthâna Sutta
October 8, 2015
Mind-blowing. Once you get past the idiom the reader uncovers an unmatched world of cosmic size and timeless wisdom. And a must read for all Buddhists.
January 29, 2022
I made a commitment to complete reading this cover to cover, and finally did. I took my time with this, as I was also reading other books and topics.
Most regard the collection in the Digha Nikaya suitable for a broad audience of lay Buddhist. I find that the 34 suttas interesting, and instructive on how we can live our life and choose our path well.
Among all these 34 suttas is the Mahasattipattana sutta- regarded by most Buddhists as the most important sutta in the Pali canon. It is also known as The Greater Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness. The Chinese Chan Buddhist tradition and the Japanese Zen tradition are the closest to the teachings in this sutta. I realise that this sutta actually strongly emphasizes the link between mindfulness practice with reflections on The Four Noble Truths, which is the core of Buddhism doctrine. And my view is that this link is missing in a lot of modern day casual understanding of Zen. Many people don't really understand Zen very well, and think that it is only about being mindful or taking a minimalist approach to your surroundings or lifestyle.
Zen really is about awareness, and seeing things as they are - the true reality of things and existence. Which is really about impermanence, non-self, and our delusional thinking that there is permanence and an eternal and permanent self.
Another very important sutta is the Mahanidana sutta or The Great Discourse on Origination, which discusses in detail the doctrine of dependent origination.
One sutta that I really like and find very cute is the Sakkapanha Sutta or Sakka's Questions, where Sakka, who is the King of the devas wanted to approach Buddha to talk to him, and sent an advanced party in the form of a gandhaba who sang a love song to Buddha to get his attention. It is so charming.
Most regard the collection in the Digha Nikaya suitable for a broad audience of lay Buddhist. I find that the 34 suttas interesting, and instructive on how we can live our life and choose our path well.
Among all these 34 suttas is the Mahasattipattana sutta- regarded by most Buddhists as the most important sutta in the Pali canon. It is also known as The Greater Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness. The Chinese Chan Buddhist tradition and the Japanese Zen tradition are the closest to the teachings in this sutta. I realise that this sutta actually strongly emphasizes the link between mindfulness practice with reflections on The Four Noble Truths, which is the core of Buddhism doctrine. And my view is that this link is missing in a lot of modern day casual understanding of Zen. Many people don't really understand Zen very well, and think that it is only about being mindful or taking a minimalist approach to your surroundings or lifestyle.
Zen really is about awareness, and seeing things as they are - the true reality of things and existence. Which is really about impermanence, non-self, and our delusional thinking that there is permanence and an eternal and permanent self.
Another very important sutta is the Mahanidana sutta or The Great Discourse on Origination, which discusses in detail the doctrine of dependent origination.
One sutta that I really like and find very cute is the Sakkapanha Sutta or Sakka's Questions, where Sakka, who is the King of the devas wanted to approach Buddha to talk to him, and sent an advanced party in the form of a gandhaba who sang a love song to Buddha to get his attention. It is so charming.
July 12, 2024
Since I had transformative experience, when I read some of the suttas (discourses) in the Buddhist scriptures, I feel that there is an opportunity for more stable and suitable transformation compared to prior experiences. There are 2 suttas that have had a significant impact on me.
The Brahmajāla Sutta (The Net of Brahma) shows me the importance of speaking the truth, so when I speak, I either speak the truth or remain silent. Speaking the truth means I don't have to worry about praise or criticism from others, because I know myself clearly.
The Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (The Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness) provides specific guidance on "contemplation" and meditation, diligent practice to expand my transformative experiences.
The Brahmajāla Sutta (The Net of Brahma) shows me the importance of speaking the truth, so when I speak, I either speak the truth or remain silent. Speaking the truth means I don't have to worry about praise or criticism from others, because I know myself clearly.
The Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (The Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness) provides specific guidance on "contemplation" and meditation, diligent practice to expand my transformative experiences.
November 16, 2019
So hard to know how to use a "star rating" system on major works of world spiritual literature! In the end I have gone with my gut and with my overall sense of enjoyment of the book, even though enjoyment was not and is not really the object of the exercise.
This is a well-produced labor of love by translator Maurice Walshe, who also wrote an excellent 35-page introduction, as well as a pithy summary of the contents of the 34 suttas or sutras. There is also clarification of the texts via 1163 end notes, plus a few charming illustrations in the form of black-and-white photos of traditional Buddhist art. All in all, the book is a handsome, robust volume that can take a prominent position in any library of dharma books; it will in mine.
I've been a (Vajrayana) Buddhist since 1987, but I had never read any of the sutras until now. It's interesting to discover what's actually in there: an eclectic mix of condensed dharma teachings and seemingly fabulous tales, such as the Buddha's dialogues with gods, and so on. For the Buddhist this is a key source document, and very much worth reading. Along with the other nikayas or collections of sutras, this is the closest thing Buddhism has to a Bible.
The translation itself is very readable and carefully done. This is a valuable addition to a Buddhist library, or indeed the cornerstone with which to start one.
This is a well-produced labor of love by translator Maurice Walshe, who also wrote an excellent 35-page introduction, as well as a pithy summary of the contents of the 34 suttas or sutras. There is also clarification of the texts via 1163 end notes, plus a few charming illustrations in the form of black-and-white photos of traditional Buddhist art. All in all, the book is a handsome, robust volume that can take a prominent position in any library of dharma books; it will in mine.
I've been a (Vajrayana) Buddhist since 1987, but I had never read any of the sutras until now. It's interesting to discover what's actually in there: an eclectic mix of condensed dharma teachings and seemingly fabulous tales, such as the Buddha's dialogues with gods, and so on. For the Buddhist this is a key source document, and very much worth reading. Along with the other nikayas or collections of sutras, this is the closest thing Buddhism has to a Bible.
The translation itself is very readable and carefully done. This is a valuable addition to a Buddhist library, or indeed the cornerstone with which to start one.
January 3, 2009
An excellent translation. This book is, to my knowledge an unabridged translation of the Digha Nikaya. There are some minor omissions in that sections that are repeated verbatim (traditionally done to help memorization when Buddhist texts passed along as an entirely verbal tradition) are indicated by an ellipsis instead of recapitulating the entire passage twice or more; but that is for most reader a blessing and a minor technical issue.
Walshe does an excellent job to give background information and includes all kinds of "reference" material (such as listing all the various realms, types of beings discussed in the text, general explanation of karma) to help the reader follow along. There is a substance amount of end notes to help understand the text, and personally I would have preferred footnotes to ease reading, but that's a minor issue.
There are probably better, simpler texts to start with for an introduction to Buddhism (such as Old Path White Clouds, but for a direct translation this is remarkably accessible and straight-forward. To my knowledge no one has since written a comparable translation.
Walshe does an excellent job to give background information and includes all kinds of "reference" material (such as listing all the various realms, types of beings discussed in the text, general explanation of karma) to help the reader follow along. There is a substance amount of end notes to help understand the text, and personally I would have preferred footnotes to ease reading, but that's a minor issue.
There are probably better, simpler texts to start with for an introduction to Buddhism (such as Old Path White Clouds, but for a direct translation this is remarkably accessible and straight-forward. To my knowledge no one has since written a comparable translation.
July 15, 2007
This is one of the many books of original Buddhist scriptures.
There is tons of it.
Fortunately, unlike Christianity, Buddhism does not depend on belief. It does not depend on knowing the story. It is a practice, not a religion. (OK, lots of Buddhist sects and popular versions are VERY religious -- OK, most)
So, no need to read the original. Or at least it helps to have guidance.
Heck, try reading the Old Testament without a little help.
Old writing styles and logic when mixed with dead cultures make readings like this tough.
But I like the old stuff.
There is tons of it.
Fortunately, unlike Christianity, Buddhism does not depend on belief. It does not depend on knowing the story. It is a practice, not a religion. (OK, lots of Buddhist sects and popular versions are VERY religious -- OK, most)
So, no need to read the original. Or at least it helps to have guidance.
Heck, try reading the Old Testament without a little help.
Old writing styles and logic when mixed with dead cultures make readings like this tough.
But I like the old stuff.
February 16, 2013
I have down-rated this from five to four stars only because I enjoyed the translations, notes, and (especially) the introductions by Thomas Rhys Davids so much more. This is a crucial collection of the long suttas of the Pali Canon including the Brahmajala, the Samaññaphala, the Potthapada, the Kevaddha Sutta, and the marvelous Mahaparinibbana Sutta. For reviews of several of these see my blog: http://notesfrommylibrary.wordpress.c....
November 13, 2008
A good start towards hearing what the buddha was trying to say. A lot of repetition that Mr. Walsh seems either annoyed by or reservedly leaves out due to the already massive length of this volume. Not sure what to do with this, but the Buddha apparently has perfect taste...
April 13, 2013
Essential for any library.
September 16, 2025
#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads # Buddhism, Foundational Texts & Scriptures
Reading this is like stepping into a spacious hall where the Buddha holds forth at length on themes both cosmic and intimate. Whereas the Majjhima Nikāya offers middle-length, tightly focused teachings, the Dīgha Nikāya collects 34 suttas that unfold like full symphonies—carefully structured, layered, and expansive.
In these texts, we see the Buddha engaging with kings, Brahmins, sceptical wanderers, and devoted disciples in settings that often combine philosophical depth, ethical instruction, and dramatic narrative. It is the most “public” of the Nikāyas, with discourses that feel like they were delivered not just for monks but for the wider society of his time.
What strikes one first is the sheer range. Some suttas, such as the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, narrate the Buddha’s final days with vivid detail—his last journey, his instructions to the sangha, and the moments of his passing into parinibbāna. Others, like the Sāmaññaphala Sutta, describe the fruits of the contemplative life with psychological precision and ethical sweep. There are grand cosmological discourses—the Aggañña Sutta’s playful yet profound origin story of society, or the Mahāsamaya Sutta’s vision of a vast assembly of deities.
Together they show the Buddha not only as a master of meditative and ethical training but also as a teacher who could situate human life within an immense cosmic and moral order, making the path intelligible to diverse audiences.
Maurice Walshe’s translation gives these discourses a dignity and readability that makes them accessible without flattening their complexity. His introductions to each sutta offer background on the setting, doctrinal themes, and key Pāli terms. The English flows clearly but retains a formal cadence appropriate to the grandeur of the material.
This balance is important: the Dīgha Nikāya’s style is inherently repetitive and ritualistic, as suited to oral transmission. Walshe preserves this rhythm, so one hears the echo of a living oral tradition rather than a polished, modernised paraphrase.
Compared with the Majjhima Nikāya, the Dīgha’s suttas are more ceremonial, more often framed as dialogues or debates with outsiders, and more prone to mythic or symbolic flourishes. For example, where the Majjhima might explain meditation stages in a practical way to a monk, the Dīgha will present the same themes embedded in a majestic dialogue with a king or ascetic, making the teaching resonate on a societal scale.
This expansiveness also gives it historical value: we see how the Buddha’s teachings intersected with Vedic ritualism, Brahmanical cosmology, and political power. The text thus serves as a window onto the intellectual and cultural life of ancient India.
For a modern reader, these “long discourses” are both a challenge and a reward. Their length and repetitions can be daunting at first; they invite a slower, more contemplative approach. However, the payoff is that one begins to feel how the teachings breathe: how ethical precepts, meditative instructions, and insights into reality were woven together as living discourse rather than isolated doctrines.
The Mahāparinibbāna Sutta alone is worth the journey—reading it feels like accompanying the Buddha on his final tour, hearing his counsel, and watching the sangha prepare to carry the Dhamma forward. It’s a narrative both intimate and cosmic.
The Dīgha Nikāya stands out as the grand, public face of the early canon. It complements the Majjhima’s middle-length dialogues and the Saṃyutta’s connected themes.
Together, these collections form a portrait of a teacher who could speak with kings and farmers alike, situating the path to awakening in both the everyday and the infinite. For anyone serious about encountering the Buddha’s teaching in its early form—not as a set of aphorisms, but as living speech—Walshe’s translation of The Long Discourses is indispensable.
Reading this is like stepping into a spacious hall where the Buddha holds forth at length on themes both cosmic and intimate. Whereas the Majjhima Nikāya offers middle-length, tightly focused teachings, the Dīgha Nikāya collects 34 suttas that unfold like full symphonies—carefully structured, layered, and expansive.
In these texts, we see the Buddha engaging with kings, Brahmins, sceptical wanderers, and devoted disciples in settings that often combine philosophical depth, ethical instruction, and dramatic narrative. It is the most “public” of the Nikāyas, with discourses that feel like they were delivered not just for monks but for the wider society of his time.
What strikes one first is the sheer range. Some suttas, such as the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, narrate the Buddha’s final days with vivid detail—his last journey, his instructions to the sangha, and the moments of his passing into parinibbāna. Others, like the Sāmaññaphala Sutta, describe the fruits of the contemplative life with psychological precision and ethical sweep. There are grand cosmological discourses—the Aggañña Sutta’s playful yet profound origin story of society, or the Mahāsamaya Sutta’s vision of a vast assembly of deities.
Together they show the Buddha not only as a master of meditative and ethical training but also as a teacher who could situate human life within an immense cosmic and moral order, making the path intelligible to diverse audiences.
Maurice Walshe’s translation gives these discourses a dignity and readability that makes them accessible without flattening their complexity. His introductions to each sutta offer background on the setting, doctrinal themes, and key Pāli terms. The English flows clearly but retains a formal cadence appropriate to the grandeur of the material.
This balance is important: the Dīgha Nikāya’s style is inherently repetitive and ritualistic, as suited to oral transmission. Walshe preserves this rhythm, so one hears the echo of a living oral tradition rather than a polished, modernised paraphrase.
Compared with the Majjhima Nikāya, the Dīgha’s suttas are more ceremonial, more often framed as dialogues or debates with outsiders, and more prone to mythic or symbolic flourishes. For example, where the Majjhima might explain meditation stages in a practical way to a monk, the Dīgha will present the same themes embedded in a majestic dialogue with a king or ascetic, making the teaching resonate on a societal scale.
This expansiveness also gives it historical value: we see how the Buddha’s teachings intersected with Vedic ritualism, Brahmanical cosmology, and political power. The text thus serves as a window onto the intellectual and cultural life of ancient India.
For a modern reader, these “long discourses” are both a challenge and a reward. Their length and repetitions can be daunting at first; they invite a slower, more contemplative approach. However, the payoff is that one begins to feel how the teachings breathe: how ethical precepts, meditative instructions, and insights into reality were woven together as living discourse rather than isolated doctrines.
The Mahāparinibbāna Sutta alone is worth the journey—reading it feels like accompanying the Buddha on his final tour, hearing his counsel, and watching the sangha prepare to carry the Dhamma forward. It’s a narrative both intimate and cosmic.
The Dīgha Nikāya stands out as the grand, public face of the early canon. It complements the Majjhima’s middle-length dialogues and the Saṃyutta’s connected themes.
Together, these collections form a portrait of a teacher who could speak with kings and farmers alike, situating the path to awakening in both the everyday and the infinite. For anyone serious about encountering the Buddha’s teaching in its early form—not as a set of aphorisms, but as living speech—Walshe’s translation of The Long Discourses is indispensable.
February 25, 2025
The Long Discourses of the Buddha, translated by Maurice Walshe.
This is a translation of the Digha Nikaya, which itself is listed as the first of the four main Suttapitaka.
The Digha Nikaya contains 34 discourses of varying but generally uniform length, so no particular discourse feels too long in comparison to the length of the others.
This translation of the Digha Nikaya is separated into 3 division: The Division of Morality, The Great Division, The Patika Division. Containing a similar amount of discourses each.
An immediate observation is that the type-face of this translation is so incredibly easy to read, to the point I would say it is quite effortless to read and absorb.
Maurice Walshe has done a wonderful work in translating, and has managed an incredible task of taking the teachings of the Buddha from its ancient language, and delivering it in a way a modern day lay-person can fully comprehend.
This is a translation of the Digha Nikaya, which itself is listed as the first of the four main Suttapitaka.
The Digha Nikaya contains 34 discourses of varying but generally uniform length, so no particular discourse feels too long in comparison to the length of the others.
This translation of the Digha Nikaya is separated into 3 division: The Division of Morality, The Great Division, The Patika Division. Containing a similar amount of discourses each.
An immediate observation is that the type-face of this translation is so incredibly easy to read, to the point I would say it is quite effortless to read and absorb.
Maurice Walshe has done a wonderful work in translating, and has managed an incredible task of taking the teachings of the Buddha from its ancient language, and delivering it in a way a modern day lay-person can fully comprehend.
November 5, 2019
"Monks, be islands unto yourselves, be a refuge unto yourselves with no other refuge. Let the Dhamma be your island, let the Dhamma be your refuge, with no other refuge. And how does a monk dwell as an island unto himself, as a refuge unto himself with no other refuge, with the Dhamma as his island, with the Dhamma as his refuge, with no other refuge? Here, a monk abides contemplating the body as body, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world, he abides contemplating feelings as feelings, he abides contemplating mind as mind, he abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world." The Lion's Roar on the Turning of the Wheel.
May 21, 2020
Wow what a work. The sayings of Gotma, the improvement of my mindfulness, my lower blood pressure, my peace of mind all have improved with my improvements in meditation. A great end to my work and study of Buddhism. Study, learn and be at peace with yourself and others.
October 19, 2024
I like the translations of Bhikku bodhi better. I think Wisdom Publications should use a consistent terminology throughout the pali canon. Having different translators for different books really does a great disservice.
December 18, 2024
Very interesting read. I learned a lot about Buddhism. Some parts are quite tough to read so it's not for the faint of the heart. The translator does a good job of reducing repetition by inserting notes when texts repeat itself.
March 20, 2020
Some of the endnotes were less than helpful. Otherwise, I’d give it five stars.
August 15, 2024
Life changing wisdom
April 22, 2025
Well, it was high time to work through the complete discourses of the Buddha, just to get a grip on the original texts; be prepared for a very, very long reading/listening; in addition you will have to endure many, many repetitions in the texts and explanations of the core concepts of the teachings of the Buddha; so only make the deep dive after digesting some structuring materials such as the excellent The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation and the magisterial China Root: Taoism, Ch’an, and Original Zen.
February 12, 2019
The long discourses
This volume is an adequate translation of the long discourses. However, it does skip over large sections of the text that are repeated in each discourse. It is ok for orienting yourself to these discourses (suutas).
This volume is an adequate translation of the long discourses. However, it does skip over large sections of the text that are repeated in each discourse. It is ok for orienting yourself to these discourses (suutas).
May 30, 2020
Forgot to add when I got this...newly adopted faith (medical reasons)...treating as a reference book, not a read "start-to-finish" book...5 stars for value of content
April 3, 2022
The best! Haha. DN 29 is my new favourite.
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