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This is the second division of the Buddhist Tipitaka, consist of more than 10,000 collections of all the discourses delivered by the Buddha on various occasions. The discourses were expounded to suit different occasions, for various persons with different temperaments. It is not only meant for the spiritual progress of the bhikkhus, it also deal with the material and moral progress of the lay disciples.
The Suttanta Pitaka is
divided into five separate collections
known as Nikayas.
1.
Digha Nikaya
Collection of Long Discourses
of the Buddha.
which consists of 34 suttas, including the
well-known Mahasatipatthana Sutta (The Greater Discourse on the Four Foundations
of Mindfulness), the Samaññaphala Sutta (The Fruits of the
Homeless Life), the Mahaparinibbana Sutta (The Buddha's Last Days), and
many others.
2.
Majjhima Nikaya
Collection of Medium Length
Discourses of the Buddha
which consists of 152 suttas of varying length,
including the Satipatthana Sutta (The Four Foundations of Mindfulness),
the Anapanasati Sutta (Mindfulness of Breathing) the Sabbasava Sutta (All
the Taints), the Angulimala Sutta (The Story of Angulimala), and many more.
3.
Samyutta Nikaya
Collection of the Kindred Sayings
Also named the "Grouped" Discourses,
which consists of 2,889 shorter suttas grouped together by theme into 56
samyuttas
4.
Anguttara Nikaya
A Collection of Gradual Sayings
Or the "Further-factored" Discourses
, which consists of 8,777 short suttas, grouped together into eleven nipatas
according to the number of items of Dhamma covered in each sutta. For example,
the Eka-nipata ("Book of the Ones") contains suttas about a single
item of Dhamma; the Duka-nipata ("Book of the Twos") contains
suttas dealing with two items of Dhamma, etc.
5. Khuddaka
Nikaya
The Smaller Collection
Consisting of 15 "books" (17 in
the Thai edition; 18 in the Burmese), including the Dhammapada, Therigatha
(Verses of the Elder Nuns), Theragatha (Verses of the Elder Monks), Sutta
Nipata, Jataka stories, etc.
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