Saṃyutta Nikāya

The ''Saṃyutta Nikāya'' ("Connected Discourses" or "Kindred Sayings") is a Buddhist scriptures collection, the third of the five Nikāyas, 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/sūtras is unclear. The editor of the Pali Text Society edition of the text made it 2889, Bodhi in his translation has 2904, while the commentaries give 7762. A study by Rupert Gethin 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/sūtras are grouped into five ''vargas/vaggas'', or sections. Each ''varga/vagga'' is further divided into samyuttas/saṃyuktas, or chapters, each of which in turn contains a group of suttas/sūtras on a related topic.

History

Dating

Bhante Sujato, a contemporary scholar monk, argues that the remarkable congruence of the various recensions suggests that the Samyutta Nikaya/Saṃyukta Āgama was the only collection to be finalized in terms of both structure and content in the pre-sectarian period.

Correspondence with the Saṃyukta Āgama

The Samyutta Nikaya corresponds to the ''Saṃyukta Āgama'' found in the Sutra Pitikas of various Sanskritic early Buddhists schools, fragments of which survive in Sanskrit and in Tibetan translation. A complete Chinese translation from the Sarvāstivādin recension appears in the Chinese Buddhist canon, where it is known as the ''Zá Āhánjīng'' (雜阿含經); meaning "the mixed agama". A comparison of the Sarvāstivādin, Kāśyapīya, and Theravadin texts reveals a considerable consistency of content, although each recension contains sutras/suttas not found in the others. The Collation and Annotation of Saṃyuktāgama (《<雜阿含經>校釋》,Chinese version) makes further comparison.

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):

Translations

Full translations

*''The Book of the Kindred Sayings'', tr C. A. F. Rhys Davids & F. L. Woodward, 1917–30, 5 volumes, Bristol: Pali Text Society
*''The Connected Discourses of the Buddha'', tr Bhikkhu Bodhi, 2000, Wisdom Publications, Somerville, MA, ; the Pali Text Society also issues a private edition of this for members only, which is its preferred translation
*Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), ''The “Linked” or “Connected” Discourses'', 2018
published online at SuttaCentral
and released into the public domain.

Selections

* anthology published by Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri LankaThe BPS anthology was published in three parts, edited b
John D. Ireland (1981)
an

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* ''Nidana Samyutta'', published in Burma; reprinted Sri Satguru, Delhi

See also

* Anguttara Nikaya
* Early Buddhist Texts
* Digha Nikaya
* Khuddaka Nikaya
* Majjhima Nikaya
* Pāli Canon
* Sutta Piṭaka
* Supaṇṇa Saṃyutta
* ''Ādittapariyāya Sutta''
* ''Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta''
* ''Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta''

Notes

Bibliography

* Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.) (2000). The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications. .

Digital Dictionary of Buddhism
entry on Zá Ahánjīng
* The Collation and Annotation of Saṃyuktāgama《<雜阿含經>校釋》,(Chinese version). Wang Jianwei and Jin Hui, East China Normal University Press, 2014.

External links

Saṃyutta Nikāya at suttacentral.net



* ttp://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/index.html Samyutta Nikaya selected suttas in English at "Access to Insight"
{{Buddhism topics

Theravada Buddhist texts

Pali Buddhist texts