Dharma Pearls

Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

1. The Aggregates

This group of sūtras has the common theme of describing the five aggregates and how they relate to Buddhist practice. These aggregates are form, feeling, perception, intention, and consciousness. The five aggregates represent the things that people can identify with as a self, and they are the basic constituents of everyday experience and identity. When they come together, they form sentient beings, which in Buddhist thought includes animals, humans, and other beings like spirits, demons, and gods.

The Aggregates group consists of 110 full sūtras plus 68 abbreviated sūtra variants for a total of 178. The material spans fascicles 1, 10, 3, 2, and 5 of Taisho No. 99, which have been reordered according to Yinshun’s reconstruction.

For a table of parallels with other Buddhist sources, see the Dharma Pearls Wiki. Below is a list of the English translations currently available.

Please note that:

Titles for SĀ sūtras are supplied by the translator; the originals were neither titled nor numbered.
Sūtra numbering follows Yinshun’s reconstruction, which is substantially different than the Taisho numbering. I’ve placed Taisho sūtra numbers in () throughout. For example, “1-4 (1)” means “sūtras 1-4 in Yinshun’s edition (sūtra 1 in the Taisho edition)”.
When a sūtra variant is described by the Chinese translator, I’ve reconstituted it whenever possible and placed the resulting sūtras after the original abbreviated sūtra in the table below.
Existing public domain translations are included as external links to SuttaCentral until a Dharma Pearls translation is released. I indicate the translator in ().
Wiki icons () link to discussion and analysis of individual sūtras at Dharma Pearls Wiki.

i.

1-4 (1). Impermanent, Painful, Empty, and Not Self

ii.

11-14 (8). The Past Is Impermanent, Painful, Empty, and Not Self

iii.

21 (15). Tendencies
22 (16). Proliferation
23 (17). Discourse on Not Belonging to Oneself (Anālayo)
24 (18). Discourse on Not Belonging to Another (Anālayo)
25 (19). Discourse on Being Bound by Fetters (Anālayo)
26 (20). Discourse on Being Defiled (Anālayo)
27 (21). Discourse on Being Agitated (Anālayo)
28 (22). Discourse on Kappa’s Question (Anālayo)
29 (23). First Discourse on Rāhula’s Question (Anālayo)
30 (24). Second Discourse on Rāhula’s Question (Anālayo)

iv.

31 (25). Discourse on Being Learned (Anālayo)
32 (26). Discourse on Teaching the Dharma Well (Anālayo)
33 (27). Discourse on Proceeding in the Dharma (Anālayo)
34 (28). Discourse on Nirvāṇa (Anālayo)
35 (29). Discourse on Samiddhi Asking How to Speak as a Dharma Teacher (Anālayo)
36 (30). First Discourse to Soṇa (Anālayo)
37 (31). Second Discourse to Soṇa (Anālayo)
38 (32). Third Discourse to Soṇa (Anālayo)
39 (256). First Discourse on Ignorance (Anālayo)
40 (257). Second Discourse on Ignorance (Anālayo)
41 (258). Third Discourse on Ignorance (Anālayo)
42 (259). Direct Realization
43 (260). Discourse on Cessation (Anālayo)
44 (261). Discourse on Puṇṇa (Anālayo)
45 (262). Discourse to Channa (Anālayo)

v.

46 (263). Discourse on What Should be Said (Anālayo)
47 (264). Discourse on a Small Ball of Earth (Anālayo)
48 (265). Discourse on Bubbles and Foam (Anālayo)
49 (266). First Discourse on Not Knowing (Anālayo)
50 (267). Second Discourse on Not Knowing (Anālayo)
51 (268). Discourse on the Flowing River (Anālayo)
52 (269). Discourse on Jeta’s Grove (Anālayo)
53 (270). Discourse on the Tree (Anālayo)
54 (271). Discourse on Admonishing Tissa (Anālayo)
55 (272). Discourse on Perceptions (Anālayo)

vi.

56 (59). Discourse on Arising and Ceasing (Anālayo)
57 (60). Discourse on Not Delighting (Anālayo)
58 (61). Discourse on Analysis (Anālayo)
59 (62). Discourse on Lustful Attachment (Anālayo)
60 (63). Discourse on Types of Contemplation (Anālayo)
61 (64). Discourse on an Inspired Utterance (Anālayo)

vii.

62-73 (65). Discourse on Feeling (Anālayo)
74-85 (66). Discourse on Arising (Anālayo)
86-97 (67). Discourse on Delighting (Anālayo)
98-109 (68). Discourse on the Six Sense-spheres (Anālayo)
110-112 (69). Discourse on the Path (Anālayo)
113-115 (70). Discourse on True Realization (Anālayo)
116-125 (71). Discourse on Identity (Anālayo)

viii.

126 (72). Discourse on Understanding Things (Anālayo)
127 (73). Discourse on the Heavy Burden (Anālayo)
128 (74). Discourse on Approaching (Anālayo)
129 (75). Discourse on Contemplation (Anālayo)
130 (76). Discourse on Desire (Anālayo)
131 (77). Discourse on Greed (Anālayo)
132 (78). Discourse on Arising (Anālayo)
133-136 (79). Discourse on Brief Teaching (Anālayo)
137 (80). Discourse on the Seal of Dharma (Anālayo)
138 (81). Pūraṇa

ix.

139 (82). Discourse at the Bamboo Park (Anālayo)
140 (83). Discourse at Vesalī (Anālayo)
141 (84). Discourse on Purification (Anālayo)
142 (85). Discourse on Pūraṇa (Anālayo)
143 (86). Impermanent
144 (87). Discourse on Dukkha (Anālayo)
145 (33). Not Self
146 (34). Five Monks
147 (35). Three Gentlemen
148 (36). Sixteen Who Were Liberated

x.

149 (37). I Myself
150 (38). Lowly
151 (39). Seeds
152 (40). Involvement
153-156 (41). Five Turns
157 (45). Considering Self (Smith)
158 (46). Worldly Food

xi.

159 (47). Faithful
160 (48). Faithful (2)
161 (49). Ānanda
163 (51). What’s Destroyed

xii.

171 (103). Discourse to Khemaka (Anālayo)
172 (104). Yamaka
173 (105). Discourse to Seniya (Anālayo)
174 (106). Discourse to Anurādha (Anālayo)
175 (107). Discourse to a Householder (Anālayo)
176 (108). Discourse on the West (Anālayo)
177 (109). Discourse on the Tip of a Hair (Anālayo)
178 (110). Discourse to Saccaka (Anālayo)