Samyutta Nikaya

Pali Canon



Vinaya Pitaka











Sutta-
vibhanga
Khandhaka Pari-
vara












Sutta Pitaka














Digha
Nikaya
Majjhima
Nikaya
Samyutta
Nikaya
























;



Anguttara
Nikaya
Khuddaka
Nikaya


















Abhidhamma Pitaka















Dhs. Vbh. Dhk.
Pug.
Kvu. Yamaka Patthana





















The Samyutta Nikaya (Saṃyutta Nikāya SN, "Connected Discourses") is a Buddhist scripture, the third of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism. Because of the abbreviated way parts of the text are written, the total number of suttas is unclear. The editior of the Pali Text Society edition of the text made it 2889, Bodhi in his translation has 2904, while the commentaries give 7762. A forthcoming study by Dr Rupert Gethin[1] gives the totals for the Burmese and Sinhalese editions as 2854 and 7656, respectively, and his own calculation as 6696; he also says the total in the Thai edition is unclear. The suttas are grouped into five vaggas, or sections. Each vagga is further divided into samyuttas, or chapters, each of which in turn contains a group of suttas on a related topic.

A similar collection, apparently translated from an earlier Sanskrit version, appears in the Chinese Buddhist canon. This is known as the Samyuktāgama or Zá Ahánjīng (雜阿含經); the Chinese name means "the mixed agama"।

Translations

  • The Book of the Kindred Sayings, tr C. A. F. Rhys Davids & F. L. Woodward, 1917-30, 5 volumes, Pali Text Society, Lancaster
  • The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, tr Bhikkhu Bodhi, 2000, Wisdom Publications, Somerville, MA, ISBN 0-86171-331-1; the Pali Text Society also issues a private edition of this for members only, which is its preferred translation

Selections

  • anthology published by Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka
  • Nidana Samyutta, published in Burma; reprinted Sri Satguru, Delhi

Divisions

The vaggas contained in this nikaya are (the numbering of chapters (samyuttas) here refers to the PTS and Burmese editions; the Sinhalese and Thai editions divide the text up somewhat differently):
Part I. Sagatha-vagga (SN chapters 1-11)

a collection of suttas containing verses (Pali, sagatha), many shared by other parts of the Pali canon such as the Theragatha, Therigatha, Suttanipata, Dhammapada and the Jatakas.

Part II. Nidana-vagga (SN chapters 12-21)

a collection of suttas primarily pertaining to causation (Pali, nidana).

Part III. Khandha-vagga (SN chapters 22-34)

a collection of suttas primarily pertaining to the five aggregates (Pali, khanda).

Part IV. Salayatana-vagga (SN chapters 35-44)

a collection of suttas primarily pertaining to the six sense bases (Pali, salayatana), including the "Fire Sermon" (Adittapariyaya Sutta).

Part V. Maha-vagga (SN chapters 45-56)

the largest – that is, great (Pali, maha) – collection consists of the following chapters:
Ch 45. the Noble Eightfold Path
Ch 46. the Seven Factors of Enlightenment
Ch 47. the Four Establishment of Mindfulness
Ch 48. the Faculties
Ch 49. the Four Right Striving
Ch 50. the Five Powers
Ch 51. the Four Bases for Spiritual Power
Ch 52. Anuruddha discourses
Ch 53. the Jhanas
Ch 54. Mindfulness of Breathing
Ch 55. Factors of Stream-entry
Ch 56. the Truths