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

This is a powerful collection of Buddhist Suttas, (also referred to as Suttras in some traditions). Whether you are a practicing Buddhist of any tradition or a student wanting to learn more about Buddhism these Suttas are treasures of Buddhism. There are 152 Suttas in this volume that cover a broad range of teachings. These Suttas are all translated from the Pali Cannon.I initially purchased this because I wanted translations of specific Suttas to help me study better how to meditate and to deepen my concentration. There are several key Suttas here which give great instructions and enlightening guidance on these topics. One of the most important Suttas in the Theravada tradition, and also written about by Thich Nhat Hahn is the Satipatthana Sutta, on the Foundations of Mindfulness. This is a powerful Sutta on establishing mindfulness. Another important one is Anapanasati Sutta on the Mindfulness of Breathing. There is a Sutta on the Mindfulness of the Body, called the Kayagatasati Sutta. A Sutta on the Removal of Distracting Thoughts, called the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, and one on Right View called the Sammaditthi Sutta, and others on concentration, as well as many other topics of the Buddha’s teachings.It is a hardcover book and nicely bound. This is a book to use for many years of studying. Since there isn’t commentary on these Suttas, you may wish instead to purchase individual books some of these Suttas, such as Satipatthana by Analayo on the Satipatthana Sutta. Or perhaps the wonderful book, Breathe You Are Alive, which has the Anapanasati Sutta along with great commentary by the venerable Thich Nhat Hahn. But, this particular collection of Suttas has so many and offers a wonderful chance to read so many of these treasured teachings, all translated from the Pali Cannon.

When I first started to practice, I was told that the Buddha's discourses were repetitive and boring, and that I should not bother with them. For years I followed that advice, but eventually I got frustrated at being told what the Buddha said. I really didn't want to hear about it second hand. One year I bought a copy of the Majjhima Nikaya. Life has never been the same since. What I found was that a great deal of what I was being told was wrong, and a great deal was being omitted.The Majjhima Nikaya is my answer to "the book you would want to have if stranded on a desert island". Of all the Nikayas, this is the one to read (although lately I know that many people start with "In the Buddha's Words", which is Bhikkhu Bodhi's version of "The Buddha's Greatest Hits").I admit that the canonical literature is not exactly a quick read (!). But I strongly suggest to anyone who is seriously interested in the Buddha's teachings that they take the time and effort and read it for themselves. It is the closest thing we have to the true words of the Buddha, and whatever its faults the canon has been quite carefully preserved for over 2400 years. I took a year to read the Majjhima Nikaya. I read a discourse or two a day. I savored it. And it was worth every moment.There is some basic misunderstanding about the Pali canon. Many consider the Pali canon to be "Theravada Buddhism", as opposed to "Mahayana Buddhism" (like Zen and Tibetan Buddhism). In the first millennium in India, when India was nominally a Buddhist country, all of the schools of Buddhism studied the same texts. Where the schools diverged was not in their basic source material, but in how they interpreted them, and in what aspects of Buddhist practice they chose to emphasize. To be sure, we also have Chinese versions (the Agamas) and two partial Tibetan versions (the Tengyur and the Kangyur), but they all came from essentially the same original Sanskrit texts. So to characterize the Pali canon as Theravadan is not really accurate. Thus I think a reading of at least the Majjhima Nikaya is worthwhile for any Buddhist, if for no other reason than to see how their own tradition has diverged from the original teachings.(To be sure, Theravadan Buddhism has evolved from the original teachings almost as much. And that is not in any way to disparage such developments. It is only, I think, useful to know what is original and what came later.)Bhikkhu Bodhi (who is an American) humbly credits Bhikkhu Nanamoli as a co-author. Bhikkhu Nanamoli was Bhikkhu Bodhi's teacher in Sri Lanka. But I think at this point the work is largely that of Bhikkhu Bodhi's, and a remarkable work it is. He is, I think, clearly the master Pali to English translator of all time. He not only has a masterful grasp of both languages, he is also a master of the subtleties and nuances of the Buddha's teachings. This is the only way one can truly translate not only the literal meaning of the texts, but the substance as well. You will find his footnotes are required reading as you go through the discourses. It's the only way to really make sense of documents that have been preserved across time and vastly different cultures for so many centuries.(Also note that Bhikkhu Bodhi has given several years of in-depth talks on the Majjhima Nikaya, all of which are available on the Internet.)The Pali canon is, I believe, the greatest literary treasure in the world. It has been carefully preserved, century after century, by dedicated monastics. As a result we have access to this astonishing tradition. We are profoundly fortunate to be able, with a click of a mouse, to order such a volume from Amazon. When I am reading works like the Majjhima Nikaya, I am often struck by what a privilege it is to have access to such a great gift, and how many hundreds and thousands of people over the centuries were involved in making it available. It is very humbling.

This is a book to read and save her slowly, to meditate on, come back to year after year. Anyone who practices Buddhism is encouraged to immerse themselves in the Pali canon. As a Mahayana practitioner, I am struck by the fact that they’re truly is no conflict between the Theravada and Mahayana paths and teaching. And it is wonderful to feel so close to Buddha by reading the teaching he gave during his lifetime. Some reviews of these books have complained that these translations don’t retain All of the constant repetitions in the original text. But the translation makes it clear where those repetitions should be found with ellipses, And the reader is given what they need to fill in the blanks and Make the repetition themselves. This is a wonderful, amazing, holy book.

Not being fluent in Pali, I am not the best person to ask about the translation itself, but it seems excellent to me. I've read some of these suttas in other translations and passages that made no sense to me at all then are crystal clear in this one. When there are uncertainties or disputes about a word or a phrase, this is clearly explained in the footnotes--which, by the way, are voluminous. The footnotes are so numerous and detailed that you almost have a commentary here along with the suttas. The book is of excellent quality physically and it's well-edited (I don't think I've found two errors in over 1,000 pages).If you are thinking of working your way through the entire canon, I'd actually suggest you start with this volume. I couldn't find any direction on that and so began with the DN kind of on the toss of a coin, but find the MN stuffed with practical advice on meditation, on living ethically, and more. I really think it's easier and more useful for a beginner.

I'm sure you'll definitely find it beneficial for your mind if you spend time reading it.

Tudo ótimo!

The words of Buddha being given to readers like us from the most authentic Pali Canon and it's translation is a tremendous and wonderful job done by authors. Sutras compilation seems very authoritative in terms of translation and compilation and also the descriptions given for some rare words is commendable.This Majjhima Nikaya is one of the most truthful and sacred texts on Planet as these are the words of fully enlightened one, the Samyak Sambuddha

Das MajjhimaNikāya ist mit seinen wiederholungen und den verschiedenen Betrachtungsweisen, des Erhabenen, als "meditative Geistesschulung" zu verstehen.Wer darin nach etwas verborgenen sucht, weilt noch in Begierde und Unwissenheit.Wer jedoch alles loslassen will und kann, wer bereit ist, die Lehre des Erhabenen anzunehmen, von der ersten Sutta bis zur letzten, wieder und wieder.Wer nicht darauf hört, was der eigene Geist sagt, wenn die nächste Wiederholung (scheinbar uninteressant) gelesen wird.Sondern, wer einfach weiterleiten und dabei den Geistsinn betrachtet;Wer, die letzte Seite des Buches nicht als Ende sieht, sondern wieder von vorne beginnt, uneingenommen, grenzenlos, allem fern;Wer bereit ist sein Leben gemäß dem Dhamma zu leben, uneingeschränkt, kompromisslos dem Glück und Wohl aller Wesen denkt;Wer Begierde, Hass, Unwissenheit hat abgelgt;* Wer weiß, dass es hier nichts zu erreichen gibt, nur das Loslassen aller Weltlichkeit es gilt.Wer immerzu, gemäß dem Dhamma, dem Frieden im eigenen Herzen entgegenstrebt,dem wird dieses Buch der beste Lehrer sein.------,Man sollte Weisheit nicht vernachlässigen, man sollte die Wahrheit aufrecht erhalten, man sollte Verzicht pflegen, und man sollte für den Frieden üben.‘MN.140.12Weisheit gilt es zu entfalten, Bewußtsein gilt es vollständig zu durchschauen.“Mn43.13Wo sie auch sein mögen, ob groß oder klein, mit Füßen oder ohne, im Himmel, auf Erden oder in der Nieder-Welt,mögen alle Wesen glücklich sein.

This is as part of the Dhamma the teaching of the great teacher the Buddha, covering the Majjhima-Nikaya, translated with the most amazing accuracy by one of the most well known Buddhist authors Bhikkhu Bodhi, the teachings are told as a large collection of stories taken from the many lives of the Buddha, these stories are Inspirational, Emotional and very thought provoking, and all of the teaching have at least some application in the modern day with some more then others. I do recommend however reading the book In The Buddha's Words, An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, this is a good introduction to reading the Dhamma and the returning to one of the massive collections of teachings such as this one.

I am not much of an expert on the Buddha and his teaching, and despite finishing this book, I would say that I still don't know anything about Buddhism.I am writing this review as a warning though, and that is, don't take Buddha's words or rather this book to it's literal. Buddha himself in the book stated that the first step towards enlightenment *is to become homeless* and without this first pre-requisite it's not possible to be enlightened.What I also find strange however is that, the Buddha advocated his followers to be constantly moving around from place to place and never remaining situated to one area, as it might make one fond of that place. I see Buddhist monks situated in buddhist temples, contrary to what Buddha advocated, but I suppose this is the older version of buddhism and am not much to aware of the newer versions.