Read beyond the House. Each source speaks from a particular tradition, genre or scholarly perspective.
Keep four things in your notes
- The text reference and translator.
- The community or tradition represented.
- What the source says, separated from your interpretation.
- A question for further reading or a qualified teacher.
Reference numbers such as MN 118 or SN 56:11 identify discourses. Compare translations and read the translator’s notes. Traditional narratives and metaphysical teachings are presented as teachings, not as scientifically demonstrated facts. Before sharing an attributed saying, establish its text, reference and translator.
Practice scripts on this site are original introductory adaptations. They are not quotations from the Buddha or complete transmissions. Linked translations retain their publishers’ and translators’ terms of use.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy · Buddha Scholarly context for the historical Buddha, the limits of biography and Buddhist philosophy.SN 56:11 · Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion An early discourse on the Middle Way, four truths and the tasks associated with them. Translation by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.SN 45:8 · An Analysis of the Path An early explanation of the eight factors. English choices such as “right” and “resolve” vary by translator.Bhikkhu Bodhi · The Noble Eightfold Path A Theravāda teacher’s extended explanation of ethics, concentration and wisdom.Dhammapada · Chapter 20, The Path Verses concerning the path, impermanence, stress and not-self.SN 22:59 · The Five An analysis of form, feeling, perception, formations and consciousness in relation to not-self.SN 12:2 · Dependent Co-arising The twelve-link formulation and definitions used in early Buddhist teaching.AN 6:63 · Penetrative An early discourse identifying intention as central to action and its results.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy · Madhyamaka Scholarly discussion of Nāgārjuna, emptiness, dependent arising and the two truths.MN 118 · Mindfulness of Breathing The sixteenfold contemplative framework; the short exercise here is an introductory adaptation, not the complete training.MN 10 · Establishing Mindfulness Body, feeling, mind and dhammas within a wider ethical and liberating path.AN 4:170 · In Tandem An early text presenting different relationships between tranquillity and insight.Sutta Nipāta 1:8 · Goodwill The Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta. Our suggested phrases are editorial practice prompts, not a quoted translation.AN 5:29 · Walking Early textual evidence for walking as a valued contemplative practice.SN 46:51 · Food for the Factors of Awakening Conditions that nourish hindrances and awakening qualities.Study Buddhism · Types of Buddhism A comparative introduction from Alexander Berzin’s Tibetan Buddhist educational project.Sōtō Zen · How to do Zazen Practice guidance from the Sōtō school; other Zen communities give different instructions.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy · Japanese Zen A scholarly account of Zen practice and philosophical traditions.Plum Village · Five Mindfulness Trainings A contemporary Vietnamese Zen expression of Buddhist ethics, not a universal wording for all schools.Plum Village · The Art of Mindful Living Living community guidance for sitting, walking, eating and everyday awareness.BDK America · The English Tripiṭaka Translations of texts preserved in the Chinese Buddhist canon, including major Mahāyāna scriptures.84000 · Translating the Words of the Buddha Translations from the Tibetan Buddhist canon with introductions and glossaries.UNESCO · Lumbini Heritage documentation for the birthplace associated with the Buddha in present-day Nepal.UNESCO · Mahabodhi Temple Complex Heritage documentation for the site associated with awakening at Bodh Gaya, India.The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Buddhism and Buddhist Art An art-historical introduction to Buddhist images, transmission and visual traditions.Harvard Pluralism Project · Theravāda A tradition overview, read alongside its living communities.Harvard Pluralism Project · Mahāyāna An introduction to the bodhisattva ideal and the diversity of Mahāyāna.Harvard Pluralism Project · Vajrayāna Context for esoteric Buddhist traditions.BDK · The Three Pure Land Sutras Canonical translations and their textual setting.84000 · The Heart Sūtra, Toh 21 A translation from the Tibetan canon, with introduction.Dhammapada · Introduction and chapters Translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita.Therīgāthā · Verses of the Elder Nuns Early women’s voices in canonical verse; multiple translators.Harvard Pluralism Project · Engaged Buddhism Modern Buddhist responses to social concerns.The five precepts Pāli training rules and an English rendering.Nyanaponika Thera · The Four Sublime States A Theravāda practice commentary on goodwill, compassion, joy and equanimity.MN 58 · To Prince Abhaya An early discourse on truth, benefit and timing; translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.Harvard Pluralism Project · The Saṅgha Different dimensions of Buddhist community.Harvard Pluralism Project · The Three Treasures Refuge and its religious setting.Harvard Pluralism Project · The expansion of Buddhism A broad historical orientation.UNESCO · Borobudur Temple Compounds Heritage documentation for the Central Javanese monument.UNESCO · Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi Heritage documentation for the Indian monuments.The Met · Buddha reaching enlightenment, Nalanda Object-specific interpretation of an earth-touching image.Dalai Lama · Training the Mind, verse 8 Mahāyāna commentary on wisdom and practice.Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy · Yoga Classical Yoga philosophy and the conscious seer.NCCIH · Meditation and mindfulness Evidence limits and the possibility of unwanted experiences.Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy · Yinyang Robin R. Wang’s introduction to relationality, interaction and change in Chinese philosophy.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy · Metaphysics in Chinese Philosophy Historical context for Chinese accounts of change, polarity and the development of metaphysical thought.Himalayan Art Resources · Eight Auspicious Symbols A specialist reference identifying the eight symbols and their appearance together and separately.Norbulingka Institute · The Eight Auspicious Symbols A Tibetan cultural institute’s short interpretations, accompanying its traditional craftwork.Rubin Museum · Wheel of Existence Eric Huntington’s introduction to a teaching image of saṃsāra, action and impermanence.The Met · Chakrasamvara Mandala A Nepalese ritual painting, ca. 1100, with object-specific iconographic context and a public-domain image.The Met · Recognizing the Gods How attributes and hand gestures help identify figures in South Asian religious art.BuddhaNet · Mudras of the Great Buddha An educational introduction to common gestures and their narrative associations.Rubin Museum · Vajra The symbolic relationship between the vajra, compassionate method and the bell of wisdom in tantric contexts.Study Buddhism · Six Perfections A concise definition of the six far-reaching attitudes in a Tibetan Mahāyāna presentation.Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu · The Healing Power of the Precepts A Theravāda explanation of the five precepts as part of the training in virtue.DN 16 · The Great Total Unbinding An early narrative of the Buddha’s last journey, including four places of pilgrimage.Access to Insight · What is Theravāda Buddhism? An orientation to the tradition, its texts and its historical development.United Nations · Vesak Day An introduction to the commemoration of the Buddha’s birth, awakening and passing.The Met · Bodhisattvas of Wisdom, Compassion, and Power Museum context for Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara and Vajrapāṇi in Himalayan art.Khuddakapāṭha 1 · Going for Refuge An early refuge formula naming Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.Itivuttaka 44 · Two forms of unbinding A traditional distinction concerning liberation during life and final passing.SN 36:21 · To Sīvaka An early rejection of the claim that all feeling is caused by past action alone.Nyanaponika Thera · The Four Sublime States A Theravāda explanation of goodwill, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity.Study Buddhism · What Is Tantra? Foundations, commitments and the role of empowerment in Tibetan Buddhist tantra.