Pali audio
335 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsA selection of English translations of the suttas from the Pali canon which have been professionally read and recorded.
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Episodes
MN 85 With Prince Bodhi
May 22, 2020 06:24 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBAdmitting that he used to believe that pleasure was to be gained through pain, the Buddha explains how his practice showed him the fallacy of that idea.
MN 84 At Madhurā
May 19, 2020 09:13 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBIn Madhurā, towards the north-eastern limit of the Buddha’s reach during his life, King Avantiputta asks Venerable Mahākaccāna regarding the brahmanical claim to be the highest caste.
MN 83 About King Makhādeva
May 17, 2020 07:52 - 13 minutes - 11.9 MBA rare extended mythic narrative, telling of an ancient kingly lineage and their eventual downfall.
MN 82 With Raṭṭhapāla
May 16, 2020 13:28 - 38 minutes - 34.8 MBA wealthy young man, Raṭṭhapāla, has a strong aspiration to go forth, but has to prevail against the reluctance of his parents. Even after he became a monk, his parents tried to persuade him to disrobe. The discourse ends with a moving series of teachings on the fragility of the world.
MN 81 With Ghaṭikāra
May 14, 2020 04:22 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBThe Buddha relates an unusual account of a past life in the time of the previous Buddha, Kassapa. At that time he was not interested in Dhamma, and had to be forced to go see the Buddha. This discourse is important in understanding the development of the Bodhisattva doctrine.
MN 80 With Vekhanasa
May 13, 2020 06:57 - 10 minutes - 9.48 MBStarting off similar to the previous, the Buddha goes on to explain that one is not converted to his teaching just because of clever arguments, but because you see in yourself the results of the practice.
MN 79 The Shorter Discourse With Sakuludāyī
May 12, 2020 20:49 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBA wanderer teaches his doctrine of the “highest splendor” but is unable to give a satisfactory account of what that means. The Buddha memorably compares him to someone who is in love with an idealized women who he has never met.
MN 78 With Uggāhamāna Samaṇamuṇḍika
May 08, 2020 07:07 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBA wanderer teaches that a person has reached the highest attainment when they keep four basic ethical precepts. The Buddha’s standards are considerably higher.
MN 77 The Longer Discourse with Sakkuludāyī
May 07, 2020 08:24 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBUnlike many teachers, the Buddha’s followers treat him with genuine love and respect, since they see the sincerity of his teaching and practice.
MN 76 With Sandaka
May 06, 2020 09:53 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBVenerable Ānanda teaches a group of wanderers how there are many different approaches to the spiritual life, many of which lead nowhere.
MN 75 WIth Māgandiya
May 01, 2020 16:29 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MBAccused by a hedonist of being too negative, the Buddha recounts the luxury of his upbringing, and his realization of how little value there was in such things. Through renunciation he found a far greater pleasure.
MN 74 With Dighanakha
April 29, 2020 06:56 - 8 minutes - 7.59 MBDeftly outmaneuvering an extreme skeptic, the Buddha discusses the outcomes of belief and disbelief. Rather than getting stuck in abstractions, he encourages staying close to the feelings one experiences.
MN 73 The Longer Discourse with Vacchagotta
April 25, 2020 07:59 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBIn the final installment of the “Vacchagotta trilogy”, Vacchagotta lets go his obsession with meaningless speculation, and asks about practice.
MN 72 With Vacchagotta on Fire
April 22, 2020 07:06 - 9 minutes - 9.07 MBRefusing to take a stance regarding useless metaphysical speculations, the Buddha illustrates the spiritual goal with the simile of a flame going out.
MN 71 To Vacchagotta on the Three Knowledges
April 19, 2020 07:54 - 5 minutes - 5.42 MBThe Buddha denies being omniscient, and sets forth the three higher knowledges that form the core of his awakened insight.
MN 70 At Kitagiri
April 16, 2020 13:59 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBA third discourse that presents the health benefits of eating in one part of the day, and the reluctance of some mendicants to follow this.
MN 69 With Gulissāni
April 15, 2020 05:09 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBA monk comes down to the community from the wilderness, but doesn’t behave properly. Venerable Sāriputta explains how a mendicant should behave, whether in forest or town.
MN 68 At Nalakapana
April 14, 2020 08:33 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBThose who practice do so not because they are failures, but because they aspire to higher freedom. When he speaks of the attainments of disciples, the Buddha does so in order to inspire.
MN 67 Discourse at Catuma
April 11, 2020 07:52 - 18 minutes - 17 MBAfter dismissing some unruly monks, the Buddha is persuaded to relent, and teaches them four dangers for those gone forth.
MN 66 The Simile of the Quail
April 09, 2020 10:13 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBAgain raising the rule regarding eating, but this time as a reflection of gratitude for the Buddha in eliminating things that cause complexity and stress. The Buddha emphasizes how attachment even to little things can be dangerous.
MN 65 With Bhaddali
April 07, 2020 10:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MBA monk refuses to follow the rule forbidding eating after noon, but is filled with remorse and forgiven.
MN 64 The Greater Discourse to Malunkyaputta
April 05, 2020 06:31 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBA little baby has no wrong views or intentions, but the underlying tendency for these things is still there. Without practicing, they will inevitably recur.
MN 63 The Short Dialogue with Malunkya
March 29, 2020 06:28 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBThe sutta focuses on the “unexplained” or “undetermined” questions and explains why these are not answered – because they are not connected with the goal of the Buddhist path, namely the cessation of suffering.
MN 62 The Longer Advice to Rahula
March 28, 2020 07:36 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBThe Buddha tells Rāhula to meditate on not-self, which he immediately puts into practice. Seeing him, Venerable Sāriputta advises him to develop breath meditation, but the Buddha suggests a wide range of different practices first.
MN 61 Advice to Rahula at Amballattika
March 26, 2020 09:01 - 9 minutes - 8.76 MBUsing the “object lesson” of a cup of water, the Buddha explains to his son, Rāhula, the importance of telling the truth and reflecting on one’s motives.
MN 60 The Incontrovertible Teaching
March 24, 2020 08:02 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBThe Buddha teaches a group of uncommitted householders how to use a rational reflection to arrive at practices and principles that are guaranteed to have a good outcome, even if we don’t know all the variables
MN 59 The Many Kinds of Feeling
March 22, 2020 08:02 - 8 minutes - 7.94 MBThe Buddha resolves a disagreement on the number of kinds of feelings that he taught, pointing out that different ways of teaching are appropriate in different contexts, and should not be a cause of disputes. He goes on to show the importance of pleasure in developing higher meditation.
MN 58 With Prince Abhaya
March 21, 2020 08:00 - 7 minutes - 6.62 MBThe leader of the Jains, Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta, gives his disciple Prince Abhaya a dilemma to pose to the Buddha, supposing that this will show his weakness. Things don’t go quite as planned.
MN 57 The Ascetic who behaved like a Dog
March 08, 2020 08:56 - 10 minutes - 9.84 MBSome ascetics in ancient India undertook extreme practices, such as a vow to behave like an ox or a dog. The Buddha meets two such individuals, and is reluctantly pressed to reveal the kammic outcomes of such practice.
MN 56 With Upāli
March 07, 2020 08:21 - 33 minutes - 30.2 MBThe Buddha disagrees with a Jain ascetic on the question of whether physical or metal deeds are more important. When he hears of this, the Jain disciple Upāli decides to visit the Buddha and refute him, and proceeds despite all warnings
MN 55 With Jīvaka
March 04, 2020 14:47 - 7 minutes - 6.98 MBThe Buddha’s personal doctor, Jīvaka, hears criticisms of the Buddha’s policy regarding eating meat, and asks him about it.
MN 54 With Potaliya the Wanderer
March 03, 2020 07:04 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBWhen Potaliya got upset at being referred to as “householder”, the Buddha quizzed him as to the true nature of attachment and renunciation.
MN 53 A Trainee
March 02, 2020 08:38 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBThe Buddha is invited by his family, the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu, to inaugurate a new community hall. He invites Venerable Ānanda to explain in detail the stages of spiritual practice for a lay trainee.
MN 52 The Man from the City of Aṭṭhaka
March 01, 2020 09:18 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBAsked by a householder to teach a path to freedom, Venerable Ānanda explains no less than eleven meditative states that may serve as doors to the deathless.
MN 51 With Kandarka
February 26, 2020 08:24 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBThe Buddha discusses mindfulness meditation with lay practitioners. Contrasting the openness of animals with the duplicity of humans, he explains how to practice in a way that causes no harm to oneself or others.
MN 50 The Rebuke of Mara
February 23, 2020 07:52 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBMāra, the trickster and god of death, tried to annoy Moggallāna. He not only failed but was subject to a stern sermon warning of the dangers of attacking the Buddha’s disciples.
MN 49 On the Invitation of Brahma
February 22, 2020 14:11 - 15 minutes - 14 MBThe Buddha ascends to a high heavenly realm where he engages in a cosmic contest with a powerful divinity, who had fallen into the delusion that he was eternal and all-powerful.
MN 48 The Mendicants of Kosambi
February 21, 2020 22:12 - 12 minutes - 11 MBDespite the Buddha’s presence, the monks of Kosambi fell into a deep and bitter dispute. The Buddha taught the reluctant monks to develop love and harmony, reminding them of the state of peace that they sought.
MN 47 The Inquirer
February 19, 2020 09:40 - 6 minutes - 6.33 MBWhile some spiritual teachers prefer to remain in obscurity, the Buddha not only encouraged his followers to closely investigate him, but gave them a detailed and demanding method to do so.
MN 46 The Greater Discourse on Taking up Practices
February 18, 2020 09:47 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBWhile we all want to be happy, we often find the opposite happens. The Buddha explains why.
MN 45 The Shorter Discourse on Taking up Practices
February 17, 2020 09:46 - 9 minutes - 8.43 MBThe Buddha explains how taking up different practices may have harmful or beneficial results. The memorable simile of the creeper shows how insidious temptations can be.
MN 44 The Shorter Analysis
February 09, 2020 10:17 - 15 minutes - 14 MBThe layman Visākha asks the nun Dhammadinnā about various difficult matters, including some of the highest meditation attainments. The Buddha fully endorses her answers.
MN 43 The Great Analysis
February 08, 2020 12:32 - 17 minutes - 16 MBA series of questions and answers between Sāriputta and Mahākoṭṭhita, examining various subtle and abstruse aspects of the teachings.
MN 42 Discourse to the People of Veranja
February 08, 2020 12:31 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBThis sutta is identical to the previous sutta MN 41 Sāleyyaka Sutta apart from the first two paragraphs.
MN 41 The Brahmins of Sālā
January 26, 2020 10:44 - 18 minutes - 17 MBThe Buddha explains to a group of brahmins the conduct leading to rebirth in higher or lower states, including detailed explanations of the ten core practices which lay people should undertake, and which also form the basis for liberation.
MN 40 The Shorter Discourse at Assapura
January 23, 2020 22:58 - 9 minutes - 8.67 MBThe labels of being a spiritual practitioner don’t just come from external trappings, but from sincere inner change.
MN 39 The Longer Discourse at Assapura
January 21, 2020 07:36 - 26 minutes - 24 MBThe Buddha encourages the mendicants to live up to their name, by actually practicing in a way that meets or exceeds the expectations people have for renunciants.
MN 38 The Longer Discourse on the Ending of Craving
January 20, 2020 11:26 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBTo counter the wrong view that a self-identical consciousness transmigrates from one life to the next, the Buddha teaches dependent origination, showing that consciousness invariably arises dependent on conditions.
MN 37 The Shorter Discourse on the Ending of Craving
January 14, 2020 23:52 - 10 minutes - 9.5 MBMoggallāna visits the heaven of Sakka, the lord of gods, to see whether he really understands what the Buddha is teaching.
MN 36 The Longer Discourse with Saccaka
January 04, 2020 08:58 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBIn a less confrontational meeting, the Buddha and Saccaka discuss the difference between physical and mental development. The Buddha gives a long account of the various practices he did before awakening, detailing the astonishing lengths he took to mortify the body.