Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, An Anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya,
translated by Nyanaponika Thera and Bhikkhu Bodhi, AltaMira Press, 1999, ISBN : 0742504050
Handful of Leaves, Volume Three, An Anthology from the Anguttara Nikaya,
translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff), Sati Center for Buddhist Studies, 2003
An on-line version of the complete Anguttra Nikaya,
translated by Sister Upalavanna, is available from the metta.lk/tipitaka website.
The Anguttara Nikaya, the fourth division of the Sutta Pitaka, consists of several thousand suttas arranged in eleven books (nipatas) according to numerical content. At first glance this may seem a rather pedantic classification scheme, but in fact it often proves quite useful. For example, if you dimly recall having heard something about the five subjects worthy of daily contemplation and you'd like to track down the original passage in the Canon, a good place to begin your search is the Book of the Fives in the Anguttara. The 2 anthologies above contain most of the important suttas, and the complete Anguttara is available on-line.
What follows is a list, with a single line of notes, of the suttas I found the most interesting and helpful while reading the Anguttra Nikaya:
| I v 9.10; I vi 1,2 | the Luminous Mind - see especially this note |
| I vi 6,7 | Mind is the forerunner of both the wholesome & the unwholesome |
| I vi 9 | importance of diligence |
| I xv 1-3 | right view and the 3 characteristics |
| II i 5 | (bio) don't be content with good mindstates, have unremitting diligence |
| II i 9 | the 2 Guardians of the world |
| II iii 1 | the fools and the wise - seeing transgressions and forgiving transgressions |
| II iii 10 | how tranquility (samatha) and insight (vipassana) function together to uproot passion and ignorance |
| II iv 1-2 | Gratitude; Repaying one's parents |
| III 25 | 3 types of persons |
| III 32 | No I-making, mine-making or conceit; references Sn 1106-7 |
| III 33 | Karmma: Bad actions ripen, Good actions don't ripen; rebirth (ripening) can take place in this life, the next life or a future life |
| III 35 | The 3 messengers: old age, sickness and death |
| III 38 | (bio) 3 palaces plus old age, sickness and death |
| III 47 | Conditioned and Unconditioned |
| III 57 | Vacchagotta - giving |
| III 60 | Miracle of Instruction; Benefiting others via the holy life; Also on miracles: "miracle of psychic power (the miracle of telepathy) ... is a miracle experienced only by him who does it; it belongs only to him who does it. It seems to me to be of the nature of an illusion." |
| III 61 | The 4 Noble Truths are equivalent to Dependent Origination; dukkha is caused by ignorance |
| III 65 | The Kalama Sutta |
| III 68 | Greed, Hatred and Delusion |
| III 70 | the Roots of the Uposatha - 8 precepts, etc. |
| III 71 | the drawbacks of greed, hatred and delusion |
| III 76 | Kamma leads to becoming |
| III 83 | If 250 precepts are too many for you, train in heightened virtue, heightened mind (concentration) & heightened wisdom |
| III 93 | you can't force results |
| III 99 | The Salt Crystal; "Why do bad things happen to good people?" |
| III 100: 9-15 | the need to balance concentration, energy and equanimity |
| III 101: 1 & 2 | Gratification, Danger, Escape |
| III 129 | No Secrets |
| 2 suttas about Anurudddha, including instructions from Sariputta that helped him to become Enlightened | |
| IV 21 | (bio) Reverence for the Dhamma |
| IV 24 | non-dual: there is no seen, there is no seer |
| IV 36 | (bio) Dana - will you be a deva? |
| IV 41 | 4 Developments of Concentration; references Sn 1048 |
| IV.42 | 4 ways of answering a question |
| IV 45 | "...within this fathom-long body, with its perception & intellect, ... there is the cosmos..." |
| IV 77 | the 4 imponderables: range of a Buddha, range of a person in jhana, threads of kamma, origin of the world |
| IV 96, 99 | Living for one's own good and for anothers - early Bodhisattva idea |
| IV 113 | The horse whip |
| IV 192 | knowing a person's traits |
| IV 198 | short version of the Graduated training |
| IV 232 | 4 kinds of Kamma |
| IV 246 | The Growth of Wisdom |
| V 14-15 | The 5 Powers |
| V 25 | 5 Helpers of Right View |
| V 49 | on Grief - see especially the verses at the end of this sutta |
| V 51 | the 5 hindrances - with river simile |
| V 53 | 5 factors for exertion |
| V 57 | The 5 Daily Reflections |
| V 73-74 | Practice! Don't just learn and teach |
| V 75-76 | the battle to guard celibacy; short version of graduated training |
| V 77-80 | 77: dangers of living in the wilderness; 78: dangers of society and sangha; 79: more dangers (including flowery poems [Rumi poems in Dharma talks?]) |
| V 121 | advice to a sick monk; sickness and spiritual practice |
| V 129 | 5 deeds leading directly to hell |
| V 159 | How to teach the Dhamma |
| V 161 | Removing Grudges |
| V 177 | 5 wrong livelihoods: Business in weapons, in living beings, in meat, in intoxicants, and in poison |
| V 193 | 5 Hindrances and the 5 similes of water |
| V 198 | Right Speech has 5 Qualities: spoken at the right time, in truth, affectionately, beneficially, with a mind of loving-kindness |
| V 202 | 5 rewards of listening to dhamma. (Teachers: do your dhamma talks generate these?) |
| VI 19 & 20 | 2 suttas on mindfulness of death |
| VI 50 | Sense control, virtue, concentration, wisdom, disenchantment, dispassion |
| VI 53 | diligence is the one thing, developed and made much that reaches up to the good, both here & now and here after |
| VI 55 | The Similes of the Lute |
| VI 63 | Penetrative Exposition: Sensuality, vedana, perception, asava, karma ("It is volition that I declare to be kamma"), dukkha all should be known |
| VI 65,66, 76,77 | Qualities needed for the supermundane |
| VI 88 | 6 obstructions to practice due to not listening well |
| VI 96 | 6 Rarities: appearance of a Tathagata, appearance of a Dhamma teacher, born where the Dhamma is available, unimpaired physical & mental faculties, absence of stupidity & dullness |
| VII 6 & 7 | 7 Treasures |
| VII 11 & 12 | 7 obsessions (or latent tendencies) |
| VII 46 | 7 Perceptions - cf. Progress of Insight |
| VII 49 | 7 reasons for giving |
| VII 56 | 7 reasons why the Dhamma declines |
| VII 58 | Dealing with Drowsiness |
| VII 60 | 7 disadvantages to being angry |
| VII 64 | seven qualities that make one a respectable and honorable individual - and able to approach the dhamma |
| VII 67 | Necessity of Mental Cultivation |
| VII 70 | Teaching of ancient teacher Araka: "Life is short; do good, live a pure life." The Buddha adds "Practice!" |
| VII 80 | The Buddha explains how to recognize authentic teachings of Dhamma |
| VIII 1 | The 8 Benefits of Metta (see also AN XI 16) |
| VIII 2 | Supporting conditions for wisdom |
| VIII 5 | The 8 Worldly Conditions in brief: loss & gain, fame & ill fame, praise & blame, pleasure & pain |
| VIII 6 | The 8 Worldly Conditions & how to work with them |
| VIII 7 & 8 | Devadatta & The 8 Worldly Conditions |
| VIII 19 | Dhamma is like the Ocean |
| VIII 26 | To Jivaka: how a lay follower can best work for the welfare of others |
| VIII 30 | Anaruddha and 8 Great Thoughts |
| VIII 31,33,35 | Giving |
| VIII 51 | The traditional story of the founding of the nuns' order |
| VIII 53 | Instructions to Mahapajapati Gotami (the Buddha's foster mother) |
| VIII 54 | Advice to a layman |
| VIII 63 | metta, karuna, mudita, and upekkha and the four foundations of mindfulness as a basis for concentration practice |
| VIII 73,74 | Mindfulness of Death; simile of "hair on fire" in #74 |
| IX 3 | 9 things to do to bring the mind towards liberation |
| IX 5 | 4 Powers; Freed from 5 Fears; includes "Dhamma is the best gift" |
| IX 29 | 9 factors that arouse anger |
| IX 36 | Using the aggregates of the Jhanas as a basis of insight (cf. MN 111 & 121) |
| IX 41 | the long road of meditation practice that culminates in Awakening begins with appreciating the value of renunciation; perfecting the jhanas leads to Awakening |
| X 6 & 7 | Meditative Experience of Nibbana |
| X 11 | one should nave 5 factors & live in a dwellings endowed with 5 factors |
| X 13 | the 10 fetters that bind us |
| X 15 | Heedfulness/Diligence is foremost of skillful qualities |
| X 60 | the 10 Perceptions - an interesting list which include the 16 steps of Mindfulness of Breathing |
| X 61,62 | Associating with good people is the basis of hearing the true Dhamma |
| X 69 | 10 suitable topics of conversation |
| X 70 | 10 recommended topics of conversation |
| X 72 | the 10 thorns, including: To one in 1st jhana, sounds are a thorn |
| X 76 | The Prerequisites for Stream Entry and Enlightenment |
| X 93 | Anathapindika instructs a group of non-Buddhist wanderers on the nature of Right View: Dependent Origination |
| X 95 | Will all beings attain liberation? |
| X 96 | The 10 undeclared points are simpily speculations |
| X 176 | To Cunda the silversmith: 10 right actions |
| X 206 | The 1st 4 Precepts in detail |
| X 208 | The 4 Sublime Emotions can lead to 3rd stage of enlightenment |
| XI 1 | cf SN 12:23 and the Progress of Insight |
| XI 2 | cf SN 12:23 and the Progress of Insight; "there is no need for an act of will" |
| XI 10 | Meditate without "perception" of the meditation object - just experience it |
| XI 12 & 13 | the 6 Recollections - see the Vissudhimagga for later details |
| XI 16 | The 11 Benefits of Metta (see also AN VIII 1) |
Back to the Study Guide to the Suttas
| Back to Leigh's Home Page | Site Map | Site Search |
/ Revised 07 Sept 10