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The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya
This volume offers a complete translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha , the third of the four great collections in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon. The Samyutta Nikaya consists of fifty-six chapters, each governed by a unifying theme that binds together the Buddha's suttas or discourses. The chapters are organized into five major parts.
The first, The Book with Verses, is a compilation of suttas composed largely in verse. This book ranks as one of the most inspiring compilations in the Buddhist canon, showing the Buddha in his full grandeur as the peerless "teacher of gods and humans." The other four books deal in depth with the philosophical principles and meditative structures of early Buddhism. They combine into orderly chapters all the important short discourses of the Buddha on such major topics as dependent origination, the five aggregates, the six sense bases, the seven factors of enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the Four Noble Truths.
Among the four large Nikayas belonging to the Pali Canon, the Samyutta Nikaya serves as the repository for the many shorter suttas of the Buddha where he discloses his radical insights into the nature of reality and his unique path to spiritual emancipation. This collection, it seems, was directed mainly at those disciples who were capable of grasping the deepest dimensions of wisdom and of clarifying them for others, and also provided guidance to meditators intent on consummating their efforts with the direct realization of the ultimate truth.
The present work begins with an insightful general introduction to the Samyutta Nikaya as a whole. Each of the five parts is also provided with its own introduction, intended to guide the reader through this vast, ocean-like collection of suttas.
To further assist the reader, the translator has provided an extensive body of notes clarifying various problems concerning both the language and the meaning of the texts.
Distinguished by its lucidity and technical precision, this new translation makes this ancient collection of the Buddha's discourses accessible and comprehensible to the thoughtful reader of today. Like its two predecessors in this series,
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is sure to merit a place of honour in the library of every serious student of Buddhism.
The first, The Book with Verses, is a compilation of suttas composed largely in verse. This book ranks as one of the most inspiring compilations in the Buddhist canon, showing the Buddha in his full grandeur as the peerless "teacher of gods and humans." The other four books deal in depth with the philosophical principles and meditative structures of early Buddhism. They combine into orderly chapters all the important short discourses of the Buddha on such major topics as dependent origination, the five aggregates, the six sense bases, the seven factors of enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the Four Noble Truths.
Among the four large Nikayas belonging to the Pali Canon, the Samyutta Nikaya serves as the repository for the many shorter suttas of the Buddha where he discloses his radical insights into the nature of reality and his unique path to spiritual emancipation. This collection, it seems, was directed mainly at those disciples who were capable of grasping the deepest dimensions of wisdom and of clarifying them for others, and also provided guidance to meditators intent on consummating their efforts with the direct realization of the ultimate truth.
The present work begins with an insightful general introduction to the Samyutta Nikaya as a whole. Each of the five parts is also provided with its own introduction, intended to guide the reader through this vast, ocean-like collection of suttas.
To further assist the reader, the translator has provided an extensive body of notes clarifying various problems concerning both the language and the meaning of the texts.
Distinguished by its lucidity and technical precision, this new translation makes this ancient collection of the Buddha's discourses accessible and comprehensible to the thoughtful reader of today. Like its two predecessors in this series,
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is sure to merit a place of honour in the library of every serious student of Buddhism.
2080 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2000
136 people are currently reading
1212 people want to read
About the author
Bhikkhu Bodhi
97 books281 followersBhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk from New York City. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944, he obtained a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College (1966) and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School (1972).
Drawn to Buddhism in his early 20s, after completing his university studies he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under the late Ven. Ananda Maitreya, the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk of recent times.
He was appointed editor of the Buddhist Publication Society (in Sri Lanka) in 1984 and its president in 1988. Ven. Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, either as author, translator, or editor, including the Buddha — A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (co-translated with Ven. Bhikkhu Nanamoli (1995), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha — a New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya (2000), and In the Buddha’s Words (2005).
In May 2000 he gave the keynote address at the United Nations on its first official celebration of Vesak (the day of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing away). He returned to the U.S. in 2002. He currently resides at Chuang Yen Monastery and teaches there and at Bodhi Monastery. He is currently the chairman of Yin Shun Foundation.
Drawn to Buddhism in his early 20s, after completing his university studies he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under the late Ven. Ananda Maitreya, the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk of recent times.
He was appointed editor of the Buddhist Publication Society (in Sri Lanka) in 1984 and its president in 1988. Ven. Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, either as author, translator, or editor, including the Buddha — A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (co-translated with Ven. Bhikkhu Nanamoli (1995), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha — a New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya (2000), and In the Buddha’s Words (2005).
In May 2000 he gave the keynote address at the United Nations on its first official celebration of Vesak (the day of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing away). He returned to the U.S. in 2002. He currently resides at Chuang Yen Monastery and teaches there and at Bodhi Monastery. He is currently the chairman of Yin Shun Foundation.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 27, 2011
I think Bhikkhu Bodhi read and considered every criticism levelled at his previous offering, The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, and determined to make darn sure he didn't have to hear those criticisms again. The result of his enterprise is an extremely detailed and careful treatment of the second largest collection in the Sutta Pitaka, the Samyutta Nikaya. For this review I'll first discuss briefly the place of the SN in Pali literature, and then give an overview of how BB has treated it.
Along with the Digha, Majjhima, Anguttara and parts of the Khuddhaka Nikayas, the Samyutta Nikaya comes from the oldest strand of Buddhist texts, and is thus critical if one wants to have any hope of determining what the historical Buddha actually taught. It got its name from the fact that its various parts (called vaggas) are made up of suttas that tie directly to one another in terms of their format (the particular pattern or "template" they display) and subject matter. The resulting vaggas are characterized by their focus on, for example, verse sayings, or discourses on dependent arising, the aggregates, the sense bases, the eightfold path, or some other critical doctrinal point. There are also sections devoted to talks by and with certain individuals, famous and not so famous, such as Anuruddha or Channa or Samandaka.
The Samyutta Nikaya is thus at once very heterogeneous in the range of topics it covers, but also much more systematically organized than, say, the Majjhima or Digha Nikayas, where subject matter takes a back seat to other concerns. This makes it very easy to locate suttas on specific issues one is interested in, but it also has the effect of making many of the suttas sound monotonously similar, to the point where it's often tempting to skip ahead upon encountering--for the umpteenth time--the same iteration of terms one just read through a few pages back. As a result, BB has had to do a lot of condensing and made extensive use of ellipses, and indeed, because the suttas seem to bleed into and repeat one another, the tradition itself does not have a solid count of how many individual suttas make up the nikaya. The consensus seems to be around 2,900, give or take a couple dozen.
As noted, BB's translation is thorough. To give you an idea how thorough, I counted about 480 pages of endnotes! Now many of these are of interest only to philologists, but many more add significantly to the text in the form of traditional commentarial materials, as well as BB's own insights into the text. He also is careful to note which sources he is using, as the various redactions from Burma, Sri Lanka or the PTS don't always agree with one another. This is something he was specifically criticized for not doing on the Majjhima Nikaya, so I think scholars in the audience will have fewer bones to pick this time around. In addition to the general introduction, each vagga also gets its own intro, where its particular themes are further discussed; I especially found his intro to the Khandhavagga illuminating. All in all Bhikkhu Bodhi has put an enormous amount of effort into this project and I'm starting to think that Buddhists all over the world owe him a medal or something.
Regarding the text proper: as I've said with previous reviews of translations, I am not a Pali scholar so am not in a position to critique him on specific word choices--except, perhaps, important doctrinal terms. In most cases his translations of such terms are quite standard and unexpected, though I was pleasantly surprised by his rendering of sakkaya not by the traditional "personality," but as "identity." I think this is an improvement and brings increased clarity and accuracy to important terms like sakkayanirodha or sakkayaditthi. The text, as a whole, is highly readable, beautifully presented, and does the best it can with the already noted copious repetitions. Any translator of Pali has to deal with this issue and there are only so many ways of doing it. I think BB has respected the text's integrity by preserving what needed to be preserved, by artful use of ellipses, and by leaving enough so one can reconstruct any particular passage from the clues on hand. And yet, we still have two weighty volumes!
Along with the Digha, Majjhima, Anguttara and parts of the Khuddhaka Nikayas, the Samyutta Nikaya comes from the oldest strand of Buddhist texts, and is thus critical if one wants to have any hope of determining what the historical Buddha actually taught. It got its name from the fact that its various parts (called vaggas) are made up of suttas that tie directly to one another in terms of their format (the particular pattern or "template" they display) and subject matter. The resulting vaggas are characterized by their focus on, for example, verse sayings, or discourses on dependent arising, the aggregates, the sense bases, the eightfold path, or some other critical doctrinal point. There are also sections devoted to talks by and with certain individuals, famous and not so famous, such as Anuruddha or Channa or Samandaka.
The Samyutta Nikaya is thus at once very heterogeneous in the range of topics it covers, but also much more systematically organized than, say, the Majjhima or Digha Nikayas, where subject matter takes a back seat to other concerns. This makes it very easy to locate suttas on specific issues one is interested in, but it also has the effect of making many of the suttas sound monotonously similar, to the point where it's often tempting to skip ahead upon encountering--for the umpteenth time--the same iteration of terms one just read through a few pages back. As a result, BB has had to do a lot of condensing and made extensive use of ellipses, and indeed, because the suttas seem to bleed into and repeat one another, the tradition itself does not have a solid count of how many individual suttas make up the nikaya. The consensus seems to be around 2,900, give or take a couple dozen.
As noted, BB's translation is thorough. To give you an idea how thorough, I counted about 480 pages of endnotes! Now many of these are of interest only to philologists, but many more add significantly to the text in the form of traditional commentarial materials, as well as BB's own insights into the text. He also is careful to note which sources he is using, as the various redactions from Burma, Sri Lanka or the PTS don't always agree with one another. This is something he was specifically criticized for not doing on the Majjhima Nikaya, so I think scholars in the audience will have fewer bones to pick this time around. In addition to the general introduction, each vagga also gets its own intro, where its particular themes are further discussed; I especially found his intro to the Khandhavagga illuminating. All in all Bhikkhu Bodhi has put an enormous amount of effort into this project and I'm starting to think that Buddhists all over the world owe him a medal or something.
Regarding the text proper: as I've said with previous reviews of translations, I am not a Pali scholar so am not in a position to critique him on specific word choices--except, perhaps, important doctrinal terms. In most cases his translations of such terms are quite standard and unexpected, though I was pleasantly surprised by his rendering of sakkaya not by the traditional "personality," but as "identity." I think this is an improvement and brings increased clarity and accuracy to important terms like sakkayanirodha or sakkayaditthi. The text, as a whole, is highly readable, beautifully presented, and does the best it can with the already noted copious repetitions. Any translator of Pali has to deal with this issue and there are only so many ways of doing it. I think BB has respected the text's integrity by preserving what needed to be preserved, by artful use of ellipses, and by leaving enough so one can reconstruct any particular passage from the clues on hand. And yet, we still have two weighty volumes!
December 16, 2023
The Samyutta Nikaya
The Samyutta Nikaya -- Connected Discourses of the Buddha -- is an integral work of the Pali Canon of Buddhism, the Scripture of Theravada Buddhism. This work is also considered canonical by later schools of Buddhism. The Connected Discourses is a lengthy, difficult work which focuses on philosophical teachings and on meditation practice. It was probably written for advanced students unlike its companion volumes, the Mid-Length Discourses, (Majhima Nikaya) and the Long-Length Discourses (Digha Nikaya) also available in translation from Wisdom Publications.
This work has been lucidly and beautifully translated by the American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi who also edited the Majhima. Students of Buddhism are forever in his debt. The Connected Discourses consists of five separate, lengthy books, each of which, except for the first book, concentrates on a specific aspect of the Buddha's teachings. All the teachings in the book center upon understanding of the four noble truths. Each book is arranged in chapters with the suttas generally, but not always, presented in groups of ten. The suttas are generally short and dense and lack the quality of story-telling found in the Long and Middle Discourses. Bikkhu Bodhi has laboriously translated the text and prepared a general introduction to the entire book and an introduction to each of the five parts. There are extensive footnotes, some of which are for the specialist and some of which are for the general reader, which draw in many cases upon the ancient commentaries to the text, together with a concordance and a bibliography. It is an inspiration to have this volume available for study.
There are many famous discourses in this collection, and I will mention some briefly. The first book of the Connected Discourses consists of verses spoken by an interlocutor of the Buddha, frequently a deva or other supernatural being, and the Buddha himself. These cover a range of subjects. Probably the best-known Sutta in this part is the Sutta of Rahitassa, 2:26, in which the Buddha teaches that the end of the world can never be reached by walking but can only be understood through reflection on "this fathom-high carcass endowed with perception and mind." Bikkhu Bodhi comments on this sutta that it "may well be the most profound proposition in the history of human thought."
The second book of the Connected Discourses deals in detail with the difficult doctrine of Dependent Origination which is basic to understanding the four noble truths and to the doctrines of non-self and impermanence. Sutta 12:23, sometimes titled "Transcendental Dependent Origination", is an important part of this collection which adds a component to the doctrine not found elsewhere in the texts. It applies the teachings of Dependent Origination to the pursuit of enlightenment itself rather than only to the explanation of why people ordinarily remain emeshed in a web of delusion and ignorance. This is a profound and important teaching.
The third book of the Connected Discourses includes teachings on the five aggregates (form, feeling, perceptions, volitional formations, consciousness) which are the components of sentient existence. The Buddha presents an understanding of the aggregates as necessary to an understanding of the path of liberation. One of the three earliest "cardinal discourses of the Buddha" delivered just after his Enlightenment is included in this book, at 22:59 which includes the Buddha's first exposition of the doctrine of nonself.
The fourth book deals with the nature of the six sense bases (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, consciousness) which are the means through which people understand physical reality. This book includes another of the three cardinal discourses, the famous fire sermon, 35:28, which shows how people are emeshed in sense and need reflection and the Buddha's teachings for awakening.
The final book is the longest of the collection and discusses the path to liberation. It culminates in a discussion of the four noble truths and also includes lengthy treatments of meditation the seven factors of enlightenment, the role of faith in Buddhism, and practices for laymen. This book includes the earliest of the Buddha's teachings delivered to his five original disciples, 56:11, in which the Buddha explained the four noble truths and turned the wheel of Dhamma to make the principles of enlightenment known to the world.
This is an inexhaustible and difficult collection that requires patience and reflection to read. It probably is not suitable for the beginning student of Buddhism because of its spare, philosophical character and because of its length and manner of exposition, which new readers will find hard to follow. The book is not for casual reading but will appeal to those wanting to deepen their understanding of Buddhism's basic teachings and to develop their own practice. As with the suttas as a whole, the book is less an exposition of doctrine than a means for reflection. It is a gift to have these teachings available in English in Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation and guide.
Robin Friedman
The Samyutta Nikaya -- Connected Discourses of the Buddha -- is an integral work of the Pali Canon of Buddhism, the Scripture of Theravada Buddhism. This work is also considered canonical by later schools of Buddhism. The Connected Discourses is a lengthy, difficult work which focuses on philosophical teachings and on meditation practice. It was probably written for advanced students unlike its companion volumes, the Mid-Length Discourses, (Majhima Nikaya) and the Long-Length Discourses (Digha Nikaya) also available in translation from Wisdom Publications.
This work has been lucidly and beautifully translated by the American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi who also edited the Majhima. Students of Buddhism are forever in his debt. The Connected Discourses consists of five separate, lengthy books, each of which, except for the first book, concentrates on a specific aspect of the Buddha's teachings. All the teachings in the book center upon understanding of the four noble truths. Each book is arranged in chapters with the suttas generally, but not always, presented in groups of ten. The suttas are generally short and dense and lack the quality of story-telling found in the Long and Middle Discourses. Bikkhu Bodhi has laboriously translated the text and prepared a general introduction to the entire book and an introduction to each of the five parts. There are extensive footnotes, some of which are for the specialist and some of which are for the general reader, which draw in many cases upon the ancient commentaries to the text, together with a concordance and a bibliography. It is an inspiration to have this volume available for study.
There are many famous discourses in this collection, and I will mention some briefly. The first book of the Connected Discourses consists of verses spoken by an interlocutor of the Buddha, frequently a deva or other supernatural being, and the Buddha himself. These cover a range of subjects. Probably the best-known Sutta in this part is the Sutta of Rahitassa, 2:26, in which the Buddha teaches that the end of the world can never be reached by walking but can only be understood through reflection on "this fathom-high carcass endowed with perception and mind." Bikkhu Bodhi comments on this sutta that it "may well be the most profound proposition in the history of human thought."
The second book of the Connected Discourses deals in detail with the difficult doctrine of Dependent Origination which is basic to understanding the four noble truths and to the doctrines of non-self and impermanence. Sutta 12:23, sometimes titled "Transcendental Dependent Origination", is an important part of this collection which adds a component to the doctrine not found elsewhere in the texts. It applies the teachings of Dependent Origination to the pursuit of enlightenment itself rather than only to the explanation of why people ordinarily remain emeshed in a web of delusion and ignorance. This is a profound and important teaching.
The third book of the Connected Discourses includes teachings on the five aggregates (form, feeling, perceptions, volitional formations, consciousness) which are the components of sentient existence. The Buddha presents an understanding of the aggregates as necessary to an understanding of the path of liberation. One of the three earliest "cardinal discourses of the Buddha" delivered just after his Enlightenment is included in this book, at 22:59 which includes the Buddha's first exposition of the doctrine of nonself.
The fourth book deals with the nature of the six sense bases (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, consciousness) which are the means through which people understand physical reality. This book includes another of the three cardinal discourses, the famous fire sermon, 35:28, which shows how people are emeshed in sense and need reflection and the Buddha's teachings for awakening.
The final book is the longest of the collection and discusses the path to liberation. It culminates in a discussion of the four noble truths and also includes lengthy treatments of meditation the seven factors of enlightenment, the role of faith in Buddhism, and practices for laymen. This book includes the earliest of the Buddha's teachings delivered to his five original disciples, 56:11, in which the Buddha explained the four noble truths and turned the wheel of Dhamma to make the principles of enlightenment known to the world.
This is an inexhaustible and difficult collection that requires patience and reflection to read. It probably is not suitable for the beginning student of Buddhism because of its spare, philosophical character and because of its length and manner of exposition, which new readers will find hard to follow. The book is not for casual reading but will appeal to those wanting to deepen their understanding of Buddhism's basic teachings and to develop their own practice. As with the suttas as a whole, the book is less an exposition of doctrine than a means for reflection. It is a gift to have these teachings available in English in Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation and guide.
Robin Friedman
April 6, 2008
Extremely well translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi this collection of texts is a gold mine for any Buddhist. As usual Bodhi footnotes everything so that one can be very clear on what technical terms are being used, get insights into the commetarial tradition regarding most texts, and be aware of difficult and alternate readings of passages.
For a taste of some of the wonderfully varied material in the Saṃyutta you could read my write up of the "Anger Eating Yakkha".
This is not a collection to read cover to cover, it is far to repetitious for that, but if you are interested in a particular subject then is can be very useful. A few key dialogues are in here: for instance the Upanisa Sutta which is the locus classicus for Transcendental Dependent Arising (see also Bikkhu Bodhi's essay on this sutta.)
For a taste of some of the wonderfully varied material in the Saṃyutta you could read my write up of the "Anger Eating Yakkha".
This is not a collection to read cover to cover, it is far to repetitious for that, but if you are interested in a particular subject then is can be very useful. A few key dialogues are in here: for instance the Upanisa Sutta which is the locus classicus for Transcendental Dependent Arising (see also Bikkhu Bodhi's essay on this sutta.)
June 10, 2021
"Which do you think, disciples, is more: the water that is in the four oceans or the tears that have flowed and that you shed while on the long journey you were wandering from existence to existence, lamenting and crying because you could enjoy what you hated and did not have what you loved?"
This passage is from the Samyutta Nikaya, one of the first Buddhist texts we were made to read in college. This is actually in Pali, while we read it in Sanskrit (retranslated? Maybe). Yesterday I picked up the book again, in fact it sort of jumped into my hands, leaving me with swarms of dust. So many good memories.
The "Discourses in Groups" is the third of the five Nikayas, or collections, of the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "Three Pillars" that make up the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism, the Buddhist canon in Pali. It was definitely composed before Christ.
When I read it I was so interested in the big questions and wise answers of life. This was perfect, easy and full of good advice. I was a teenager when I started college so it was good enough for me. For those approaching this religion is a great book, light, fresh, non-technical, a typical early Buddhist text. I recommend it both to those who know about Buddhism and those who simply want to find some good guidelines for life.
Now I live more for the day. I haven't asked myself any big questions for a long time, maybe because I'm not interested in the answers, I don't know. I live in a light and bright, cheerful dimension. I would say childlike - or childish, depending on how you want to look at it. Because you know, it takes many years to become young.
But if you want to read an early, easy Buddhist text, that's the one.
This passage is from the Samyutta Nikaya, one of the first Buddhist texts we were made to read in college. This is actually in Pali, while we read it in Sanskrit (retranslated? Maybe). Yesterday I picked up the book again, in fact it sort of jumped into my hands, leaving me with swarms of dust. So many good memories.
The "Discourses in Groups" is the third of the five Nikayas, or collections, of the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "Three Pillars" that make up the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism, the Buddhist canon in Pali. It was definitely composed before Christ.
When I read it I was so interested in the big questions and wise answers of life. This was perfect, easy and full of good advice. I was a teenager when I started college so it was good enough for me. For those approaching this religion is a great book, light, fresh, non-technical, a typical early Buddhist text. I recommend it both to those who know about Buddhism and those who simply want to find some good guidelines for life.
Now I live more for the day. I haven't asked myself any big questions for a long time, maybe because I'm not interested in the answers, I don't know. I live in a light and bright, cheerful dimension. I would say childlike - or childish, depending on how you want to look at it. Because you know, it takes many years to become young.
But if you want to read an early, easy Buddhist text, that's the one.
March 2, 2016
Outstanding , Bhikkhu Bodhi does a superb job at translating these Discourses .
November 26, 2022
Incredible how the basis of mindfulness and much more was founded already way before the common era... And in what scope of width and depth! Humbles the reader century after century. 🙏🏻
September 16, 2025
#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads # Buddhism, Foundational Texts & Scriptures
Reading Bhikkhu Bodhi’s monumental The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is like opening a vast treasury of the Buddha’s own voice, preserved in a form that is at once rigorous, textured, and surprisingly intimate. This massive volume—more than 1800 pages in the Pali Text Society edition—is the first complete English translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya, one of the four great Nikāyas of the Sutta Piṭaka.
What distinguishes it from the other early Buddhist texts is its thematic organization: suttas are grouped into “connected discourses” (saṃyuttas) on a single topic—the five aggregates, dependent origination, the six sense bases, Nibbāna, Māra, the Devas, the Bhikkhunis, and many more. In Bhikkhu Bodhi’s hands, this structure becomes a powerful way of entering the Buddha’s thought: rather than a chronological biography or random aphorisms, we get an almost kaleidoscopic view of how central concepts are repeated, reframed, and deepened across hundreds of dialogues.
The translation itself is a triumph of clarity and scholarship. Bhikkhu Bodhi has a rare ability to preserve the Pali’s directness without letting it ossify into academic stiffness. His English is precise yet warm, almost transparent, which matters enormously with texts like these.
You can feel the oral origins of the suttas—the rhythm of repetition, the memorable similes, the urgency of teaching and exhortation—without the prose ever sounding archaic. At the same time, the footnotes and introductions are a goldmine. Each major saṃyutta begins with a lucid overview explaining the doctrinal context, and key terms are carefully unpacked rather than left as unexplained Pali. For readers who have wrestled with more fragmentary or outdated translations, Bodhi’s work feels like stepping into clear daylight.
What becomes striking as you move through the volume is how the Saṃyutta Nikāya presents the Buddha’s teachings not as a static doctrine but as a living, dialogic process. We see him answering devas, kings, monks, nuns, and wanderers, sometimes with patient exposition, sometimes with pointed similes or even silence.
The same core ideas — impermanence, not-self, dependent origination, the path to Nibbāna — are hammered repeatedly from different angles. This is pedagogy as sculpture: carving away the illusions of permanence and ego bit by bit. Reading it continuously also reveals a far more emotionally complex Buddha than popular images allow. He is compassionate but also uncompromising; he debates Māra and even his own monks with a razor-sharp wit. The inclusion of discourses with bhikkhunis is another reminder of the diversity and dynamism of the early saṅgha.
Compared with other foundational texts like the Dīgha Nikāya or the Majjhima Nikāya, the Saṃyutta is more densely doctrinal but also, paradoxically, more intimate. It is less about grand narratives or lengthy parables and more about direct engagement with core experience. For modern readers, especially those interested in mindfulness, insight meditation, or the roots of the Dharma beyond later commentarial layers, this is an indispensable resource.
Bhikkhu Bodhi’s editorial hand makes it approachable without diluting its rigor; his introductions and glossaries act as a bridge for readers who are new to Pali Buddhism while still satisfying scholars and practitioners alike.
Ultimately, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is not just a book to read once but a lifetime companion. It invites slow, cyclical reading: to revisit a saṃyutta on the five aggregates after a retreat, or to explore Māra’s discourses when grappling with your own resistances.
The Buddha’s words here are not relics but living tools, and Bodhi’s translation allows them to resonate with the clarity and urgency they must have had 2,500 years ago.
Reading Bhikkhu Bodhi’s monumental The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is like opening a vast treasury of the Buddha’s own voice, preserved in a form that is at once rigorous, textured, and surprisingly intimate. This massive volume—more than 1800 pages in the Pali Text Society edition—is the first complete English translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya, one of the four great Nikāyas of the Sutta Piṭaka.
What distinguishes it from the other early Buddhist texts is its thematic organization: suttas are grouped into “connected discourses” (saṃyuttas) on a single topic—the five aggregates, dependent origination, the six sense bases, Nibbāna, Māra, the Devas, the Bhikkhunis, and many more. In Bhikkhu Bodhi’s hands, this structure becomes a powerful way of entering the Buddha’s thought: rather than a chronological biography or random aphorisms, we get an almost kaleidoscopic view of how central concepts are repeated, reframed, and deepened across hundreds of dialogues.
The translation itself is a triumph of clarity and scholarship. Bhikkhu Bodhi has a rare ability to preserve the Pali’s directness without letting it ossify into academic stiffness. His English is precise yet warm, almost transparent, which matters enormously with texts like these.
You can feel the oral origins of the suttas—the rhythm of repetition, the memorable similes, the urgency of teaching and exhortation—without the prose ever sounding archaic. At the same time, the footnotes and introductions are a goldmine. Each major saṃyutta begins with a lucid overview explaining the doctrinal context, and key terms are carefully unpacked rather than left as unexplained Pali. For readers who have wrestled with more fragmentary or outdated translations, Bodhi’s work feels like stepping into clear daylight.
What becomes striking as you move through the volume is how the Saṃyutta Nikāya presents the Buddha’s teachings not as a static doctrine but as a living, dialogic process. We see him answering devas, kings, monks, nuns, and wanderers, sometimes with patient exposition, sometimes with pointed similes or even silence.
The same core ideas — impermanence, not-self, dependent origination, the path to Nibbāna — are hammered repeatedly from different angles. This is pedagogy as sculpture: carving away the illusions of permanence and ego bit by bit. Reading it continuously also reveals a far more emotionally complex Buddha than popular images allow. He is compassionate but also uncompromising; he debates Māra and even his own monks with a razor-sharp wit. The inclusion of discourses with bhikkhunis is another reminder of the diversity and dynamism of the early saṅgha.
Compared with other foundational texts like the Dīgha Nikāya or the Majjhima Nikāya, the Saṃyutta is more densely doctrinal but also, paradoxically, more intimate. It is less about grand narratives or lengthy parables and more about direct engagement with core experience. For modern readers, especially those interested in mindfulness, insight meditation, or the roots of the Dharma beyond later commentarial layers, this is an indispensable resource.
Bhikkhu Bodhi’s editorial hand makes it approachable without diluting its rigor; his introductions and glossaries act as a bridge for readers who are new to Pali Buddhism while still satisfying scholars and practitioners alike.
Ultimately, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is not just a book to read once but a lifetime companion. It invites slow, cyclical reading: to revisit a saṃyutta on the five aggregates after a retreat, or to explore Māra’s discourses when grappling with your own resistances.
The Buddha’s words here are not relics but living tools, and Bodhi’s translation allows them to resonate with the clarity and urgency they must have had 2,500 years ago.
September 8, 2025
I appreciate that Bhikkhu Bodhi would insert a small introduction/explanation before the different chapters. This made it much easier to digest than it might have been otherwise. My only complaint is that some repetitive parts are skipped over and summarized. I think it would be more beneficial for me to hear the entire sutra. Although, I also understand that might have made the book twice or maybe even three times as long.
June 24, 2021
Good stuff...
I am trying to understand the Buddha’s teachings and I found this book very helpful. Don’t start here though. Some words are hard to understand if you are brand new to the teachings.
I am trying to understand the Buddha’s teachings and I found this book very helpful. Don’t start here though. Some words are hard to understand if you are brand new to the teachings.
February 26, 2023
Repetition is NOT the mother of learning, but IS the father of falling asleep while reading. Bhikkhu Bodhi does his best to remove redundancies but......
August 10, 2023
Very heavy reading, finally finished it :)
July 26, 2021
Some great stuff here.
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.
December 26, 2021
This is one of the four best books ever.
The other three books are: The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, and the Long Discourses of the Buddha. The Connected Discourses, Middle Length, and Numerical were all translated by Bhante Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Long Discourses was translated by Maurice Walshe. There are other translations of some or all of the contents of these books. Notable are the translations of Bhante Thanissaro Bhikkhu which are available in print and via the Internet from accesstoinsight.org.
I have read the Connected Discourses and the other three books many times. The last few times I read these books on Kindle and wrote short annotations that I can read the next time around to deepen my understanding.
Now I have begun reading the Middle Length Discourses again.
The best books ever.
The other three books are: The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, and the Long Discourses of the Buddha. The Connected Discourses, Middle Length, and Numerical were all translated by Bhante Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Long Discourses was translated by Maurice Walshe. There are other translations of some or all of the contents of these books. Notable are the translations of Bhante Thanissaro Bhikkhu which are available in print and via the Internet from accesstoinsight.org.
I have read the Connected Discourses and the other three books many times. The last few times I read these books on Kindle and wrote short annotations that I can read the next time around to deepen my understanding.
Now I have begun reading the Middle Length Discourses again.
The best books ever.
March 14, 2022
“A tangle inside, a tangle outside,
This generation is entangled in a tangle.
I ask you this, O Gotama,
Who can disentangle this tangle?”
“A man established on virtue, wise,
Developing the mind and wisdom,
A bhikkhu ardent and discreet:
He can disentangle this tangle.
“Those for whom lust and hatred
Along with ignorance have been expunged,
The arahants with taints destroyed:
For them the tangle is disentangled.
“Where name-and-form ceases,
Stops without remainder,
And also impingement and perception of form:
It is here this tangle is cut.”
This generation is entangled in a tangle.
I ask you this, O Gotama,
Who can disentangle this tangle?”
“A man established on virtue, wise,
Developing the mind and wisdom,
A bhikkhu ardent and discreet:
He can disentangle this tangle.
“Those for whom lust and hatred
Along with ignorance have been expunged,
The arahants with taints destroyed:
For them the tangle is disentangled.
“Where name-and-form ceases,
Stops without remainder,
And also impingement and perception of form:
It is here this tangle is cut.”
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October 27, 2024"Pleasant feeling should be seen as suffering. Painful feeling should be seen as a dart. Neutral feeling should be seen as impermanent."
“When an unlearned ordinary person experiences painful physical feelings they sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion. They experience two feelings: physical and mental. It’s like a person who is struck with an arrow, only to be struck with a second arrow. That person experiences the feeling of two arrows.
“When an unlearned ordinary person experiences painful physical feelings they sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion. They experience two feelings: physical and mental. It’s like a person who is struck with an arrow, only to be struck with a second arrow. That person experiences the feeling of two arrows.
January 20, 2015
Basic reference, refer to it on a regular basis.
July 11, 2025
Both the Audible audio book version, and the Wisdom Publications hardback copy.
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