The Early Buddhist Texts
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The Buddha’s life and teachings as they’ve been passed down to us.

A 2nd c. Gandharan statue of the Buddha in the Walters Art Museum. The Buddha is seated in lotus position and his hands are in a mudra of instruction. The large, plain halo (along with the rest of the statue) would have originally been painted in bold color.
Table of Contents
- Articles (14)
- Audio/Video (9)
- Booklets (6)
- Canonical Works (12)
- Essays (7)
- Excerpts (2)
- Monographs (5)
- Papers (1)
- Reference Shelf (2)
- Subtopics (6)
Articles (14)
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🥇 Featured
On separating out early from later Buddhism and why it matters.
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About the Buddha of the Early Texts compared with the later hagiographies… and our own materialistic assumptions.
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Argues against an improvisational oral transmission and shows why we should think of the texts as having been recited verbatim
31 pages
Audio/Video (9)
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An introductory lecture by Ajahn Brahmali in which he shares with us his love and enthusiasm for the Buddha’s teachings.
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An excellent introduction to the Early Buddhist Texts.
4h 8m -
Bhante Yuttadhammo reminds us to not get too bogged down in scholarship, even though some scholarship is necessary, and encourages us to never forget to put into practice what we learn.
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Bhikkhu Bodhi’s own lectures on his classic anthology from the Pāli Canon.
Booklets (6)
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⭐ Recommended
Canonical Works (12)
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A Bhikkhu gives rise to a pernicious view, which the Buddha criticizes before giving a deep analysis of the aggregates.
Essays (7)
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The Buddha was the first religious teacher who meant his message to be proclaimed to all humankind and who made a concrete effort to do this.
Excerpts (2)
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Bhikkhu Bodhi explains the history and structure of the Pāli Canon.
14 pages -
On the form of the Buddha’s words and on the formation of the Buddhist canon.
Monographs (5)
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⭐ Recommended485 pages