The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya (Teachings of the Buddha) [Hardcover]

Maurice Walshe (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Teachings of the Buddha | Publication Date: June 15, 1995

The Long Discourses of the Buddha is an invaluable collection of the teachings of the Buddha, revealing his gentleness, compassion, and penetrating wisdom. These thirty-four discourses are among the oldest records of the Buddha's original teachings. This book is a companion to The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha, and The Connected Discourses of the Buddha.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This translation of the Digha Nikaya, a collection of 34 sutras and a companion volume to The Middle Length Discourses (below), deals with a variety of topics such as the rewards of monastic life, early Buddhist philosophy, and the duties of laypersons.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications; 2nd edition (June 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0861711033
• ISBN-13: 978-0861711031
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Digha Nikaya, January 31, 2004

By 

Robin Friedman (Washington, D.C. United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya (Teachings of the Buddha) (Hardcover)

This book is a modern translation of the Long Length Discourses of the Buddha, a seminal collection of early Buddhist texts. The Digha is part of the scripture of the Theravada school of Buddhism. The Theravada school is is the oldest surviving form of Buddhism and is still practiced in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and elsewhere. Together with other forms of Buddhism, Theravada has attracted a great deal of interest in the West, and this book will be invaluable in making its teachings accessible. This collection of discourses is considered canonical by all other schools of Buddhism. Subsequent understanding of the Buddha's teachings built upon it, even when they seemed to depart from it.

The Digha is a collection of 34 discourses (suttas), originally written in Pali. The form of the teaching differs from that of later Buddhist teachings in that in the Digha, the Buddha is presented as a person wandering through India and teaching his disciples, followers of other sects, kings, princes, gods, and anyone who is open to listen. The teachings are difficult but the emphasis in this collection is on psychology more than metaphysics. The Buddha described his dhamma as designed to end suffering and to teach people how to be happy. That is the core of this volume.

Many scholars believe that the Digha was written specifically to introduce the Buddha's teaching to lay followers. Most (but not all) the suttas in the collection involve discussions between the Buddha and various lay people or followers of other sects. The suttas in the collection include a great deal of mythology and story-telling. These factors, together with the content of the discourses, tend to show it was designed for a large audience, rather than only for close followers of the Buddha's teachings. They remain an outstanding source for those wanting to make a serious effort to study the Buddha.

Many of the Suttas in the collection present important expositions of the Buddha's dhamma (teaching). The first sutta in the collection, translated here as "What the Teaching is Not" is basic but difficult. The reader coming to the Digha might want to begin with the second sutta, "The Fruits of the Homeless Life". This sutta is widely studied and is a beautiful exposition of the Buddha's teaching and its value.

Sutta 15 of the collection, the "Great Discourse on the Origination" is the most detailed single discussion in the Pali Canon of the Buddha's fundamental and uncompromisingly difficult teaching on dependent origination -- impermanence, selflessness, and interconnectedness. Sutta 22, "The Greater Discourse on the Foundation of Mindfulness" is the basic meditation sutta which should be studied by those wishing to develop a meditation practice. Sutta 16, the longest sutta in the Pali Canon, tells the story of the Buddha's last days and of his passing. In it the Buddha exhorts his followers to "strive on with diligence" to achieve their goal of enlightenment. Sutta 31, the Sigala Sutta, differs markedly from the remaining suttas in the collection in that it consists of the Buddha's rather worldy advice to a worldly young man.

I have the good fortune to belong to a Sutta Study group led by an able teacher where for the past year or so (the group has been meeting much longer) we have explored this collection in depth. We generally have one person assigned to lead the discussion of a Sutta (our group averages about ten) and we all read and discuss it over a two-hour session. (The longer, more difficult suttas require several sessions.) This is an ideal way to study the text. If such a group is unavailable to you, the best way to proceed, I think, is to read the collection slowly -- do not try to rush or to do it at once -- concentrate on the sections that seem to speak to you and go back to them. This is a text that is not meant to convey history or dogma but to encourage reflection, meditation and study.

The translation of the text is by Maurice Walshe, a scholar and a distinguished Buddhist lay practioner who also translated the works of the Christian mystic, Meister Eckhardt. Walshe wrote a useful introduction covering key Buddhist concepts, a summary of each sutta, and brief notes. His translation is homespun, colloquial, and accessible. It serves its function of allowing the reader to approach the text and the Dhamma.

Walshe and Wisdom Publications have done great service in making this volume available to interested readers in the West. (Wisdom has also published companion volumes of the Middle-Length Discourses and the Connected Discourses.) This is a difficult book but will repay the effort many times. May this book help the interested reader to understand the teachings of the Buddha.

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly indispensible, December 18, 1999

By 

Roger H. Fisher - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya (Teachings of the Buddha) (Hardcover)

Superlatives alone serve to describe this great achievement of scholarship, translation and dedication to fundamental Buddhism. Walshe was not only a master of languages but a practicing Buddhist -- and it certainly shows. This particular product of his knowledge and his faith is one of the most inspiring and elucidating volumes of Buddhist text available to the English-speaking reader.

I will leave it to others to describe the wonderful prose into which Walshe turns the complexities of the Pali language, and the clarity with which he manages to capture in readable English the most arcane Buddhist concepts. I prefer instead to recommend this book because of my own favorite part: The dozens of witty, insightful notes and asides which Walshe buries throughout, waiting for the reader to stumble upon them and have them explode like intellectual land-mines, bursting with clarity, erudition -- and gentle humor.

I find myself turning to this book all the time simply to consult its remarkable introduction and ample appendices. Walshe is consistently the most accurate and reliable source of basic information about tbe Buddha, Buddhism, the Pali language and Pali literature I have encountered. In my awe at his ability to teach, I can only assume that Walshe took as his model the Buddha himself. Deprived of the opportunity to have had first-hand contact as a student of either one, I content myself with the belief that Walshe's book represents the second-best chance to study at the feet of both.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once youve read the basics, this one should be next, February 25, 2002

By 

M. Dillon "Just A Reviewer" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya (Teachings of the Buddha) (Hardcover)

Maurice Walsh's work is amazing. He has taken several volumes from the Pali Canon, and by editing down the repetitions, (which you can reference back to if you so desire) condensed these important teachings into a very user-friendly book.

Like Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation of The Middle Length Discourse of the Buddha, this book is probably not best for a beginner, but, once you have a little interest and background into the Buddha's teachings, this is a must have resource. If I could only have a few books on Buddhism/the Buddha's teachings, this would be one of them. The suttas, as the title informs, tend to be long, but they don't need to be read in one short sitting. You might find it helpful to read a few passages, contemplate them for a day or so and then return and read more. This way you can begin to apply them in your life. The Buddha didn't lay down a gospel to follow. He simply pointed A Way. We can read his words, try them in our life, and see if they are true though our direct experience. There is no need for `faith' or `belief' in the words, try them and see for yourself.

This book starts off with a short background into the Buddha's life, the times in which he was alive, and his basic teachings. Each sutta, (Discourse) is summarized to give you an overview of the topic however, the majority of this enormous book consists of the Discourses of the Buddha.

I hope you find great pleasure in reading what is arguably, the closest we can come to the actual words of the Buddha.