Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas (Oxford World's Classics)

Rupert Gethin’s translation of selections from the Nikayas allows the Buddha to shine in his full glory. As one of the great Axial Age figures, Buddha’s teaching both transcended and transformed the cultures of his time and became the centerpiece of much of Asian civilization.Containing both similarities and differences with Western religious figures, Buddha did not base his ethical or other practical teachings on a notion of the divine. Instead, he taught a way of virtuous action and meditation which could lead one out of the world of suffering and into nirvana.The key insight of the Buddha is that suffering is the result of desire. Only when one ceases from desire, ceasing even to desire positive emotions, the health of the body, etc. can one find true happiness. Finally, one achieves enlightenment in which one realizes that individuality itself is an illusion leading one to realize the oneness of all being and escape from the pattern of births and rebirths into the oneness of the universe.Whether one regards the Buddha’s teachings as divine, simply interesting or even slightly mad I would strongly recommend encountering this figure who so shaped world history. Using parables, repetition and dialogue the Buddhist understanding of civilization and the larger cosmos is forcefully brought home in this volume. With the world increasingly growing smaller, I highly recommend The Sayings of the Buddha to all those with an interest in understanding the source of much of East Asian culture.

I am absolutely not familiar with Buddhism. But this book offers a good introduction. The explanatory notes at the beginning of each chapter help to understand what the different sayings are about. The Buddhist texts themselves are translated in clear English, but that does nit mean they are always easy to understand. However, the persistent reader is rewarded with a sense of what Buddhism is about. Therefore, four stars.

Having a copy of Gethin's Foundations of Buddhism, I knew I could rely on his selection of Buddhist Sutras. It's a good selection for times when you don't want to lug along printed copies of the Sutras, i.e., travelling. Readable translation, with good notes. I got it for my Kindle Fire.

Granted this is a significant body of literature.I will eventually read through some part of this book.However, I expected pithy quotations, and instead got paragraph after paragraph of repetitive moralizing.This venerable sage / buddha has something to teach, but whether I will learn depends on the presentation.

IMO, if you are a Buddhist practitioner, you must read this book over and over and over again to really understand the teachings of the Buddha, no matter what school of Buddhist thoughts in which you were trained, Mahayana or Theravada. Highly recommended.

Very good indeed!

Excellent survey of early Pali works- very inspiring. Wish there were an audiobook too- it would read so well out loud.

Great!

A few chapters in, I am very glad to have purchased this book. Just came off a great Vipasana course in the UK and wanted to understand the historical background of Buddha and incites into the religion. Well worth while.

this is a very good translation and presentation of the text. on many points i couldnt have wished for a better translation. but the original sayings are still tough going. if you are just getting into buddhism start somewhere else. this is mostly for scholars working with buddhism and for advanced buddhists