The Wisdom of Buddha Book

Contents: Introduction. 1. Beginnings. 2. The early order. 3. The short section. 4. Teachings. 5. The tongue. 6. The stability of societies. 7. In time of sickness. 8. Charity. 9. Happiness in the world. 10. Advice, mostly to laymen. 11. Life, death and after. 12. The path of holiness. 13. Devadatta. 14. Doctrines true and false. 15. The Buddhas show the way. 16. The guide. 17. Nibbana defined. 18. Last days.

"This collection consists of passages from the Vinaya Pitaka, the four great Nikayas (Digha-Majjhima-, Samyutta and Anguttara-Nikayas), and those parts of the short Nikaya, such as Dhammapada, Itivuttaka, Udana and Sutta Nipata (the last-named contains some of the oldest parts of the Pali Canon), where the Buddha is represented as speaking, both in prose and verse. The author has included the whole of the Khuddaka-Patha, which tradition has regarded as containing ‘the whole duty’ of the Buddhist.

How much of this is the genuine utterance of the Buddha, and how much is worked up and put into the master’s mouth (especially in the case of the verse passages), cannot be accurately decided.

In the use of terms the author has generally adopted those evolved, during the labours of many years, by the late professor and Dr. C.A. Rhys Davids. The references are to the editions of the Pali text society, except in the case of Vinaya." (jacket)