The Buddhist sacred string ceremony

Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Tyler King; Thaizer.com

Are you the Buddha? - Friend, it may be you who gains perfect enlightenment. (Tyler King)

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Sacred string theory

Wat Arun's hall of Buddhas (Tyler King).

Sai sin is a short sacred string. Theravada Buddhist monastics in Asia bless a length of thread in a chanting ceremony.

They then tie them around the wrist of laypersons in the temple or on other solemn occasions. 

The string gives the bearer good fortune, people say, or serve as protection by reminding people of the Dharma and other Buddhist blessings.

 

Tyler King caught this interaction between one of the resident Thai monks at Wat Pho temple and a Western boy, who must have wondered, "Are you the Buddha?" as he approached.

Despite religions, lines of identity set up to divide the world, crossover acts like this may ultimately be what brings us together.

• But why do monastics chant holding a thread?

I want to see Thailand: start here

One reason might be that a sutra, related to our English word "suture," means a through line, theme, or "string of related ideas." It is what holds together a Buddhist discourse, a sutra (Pali sutta). It is figurative, and the string is literal. Monastic chants are often intoned sutras, like mantras, that invest the objects with a positive or purified vibe. 

• Sacred thread (pirit-nula): Buddhist Rituals and Ceremonies of Sri Lanka
• Do’s & Don’ts 
• Events & Festivals
• Destinations & Map
• Visiting Thailand in April
• FOOTBALL: The Leicester City Fairy Tale: King Power, King Richard III, and the Siamese Soccer Foxes

Connected Discourses of the Buddha (sutras)

Bhikkhu Bodhi (librarum.org); Amber Larson, Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, CC Liu, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; edited book description

The golden Buddha, a forest-tradition itinerant teacher and wandering ascetic from India and Afghanistan shown here in modern Theravada Thailand (Nippon_Newfie/flickr.com)

  

FREE: Read the sutras (full text)

This volume offers a complete translation of The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Samyutta Nikaya), the third of the four great collections in the Sutra Collection (Sutta Pitaka) of the Pali Canon.

It consists of 56 short chapters, each governed by a unifying theme that binds together the Buddha's discourses into sets. The chapters are organized into five major parts.

The first, "The Book with Verses," is a compilation of sutras composed largely in verse. This book ranks as one of the most inspiring compilations in the Buddhist canon, showing the Buddha as the peerless "teacher of devas and humans."

Bringing Buddhism out of the clouds (HK)

The other four books deal in depth with the principles and meditative structures of early Buddhism. They are compiled in orderly chapters of important short sutras of the Buddha on such major topics as:

• Dependent Origination (how all things other than nirvana arise only in dependence on causes and conditions), 
• the Five Aggregates of Clinging (the four groups of physical phenomena lumped as one, "form," and the four psychological groups of phenomena -- "feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness" -- that give rise to the illusory ego, repeated rebirth, and all forms of disappointment/suffering),
• the Six Sense Bases (the five ordinary physical senses in addition to the mind),
• the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (the constituents developed immediately preceding awakening),
• the Noble Eightfold Path (a summary list of the limbs of the Middle Way pointed out by the Buddha), and
• the Four Noble Truths (the shortest possible summary of all Buddhist teachings as a path to liberation and complete freedom from all suffering).

Buddha, Sukhothai, Thailand

Among the four large divisions (nikayas) belonging to the Pali Canon, the Samyutta Nikaya ("Collection of Connected Discourses") serves as the repository for the many shorter sutras of the Buddha, where he discloses radical insights into the nature of reality and this unique Buddhist path to spiritual emancipation.

This collection was directed at all disciples but is of particular interest to intensive monastic practitioners capable of dedicating the effort to grasp the deepest dimensions of wisdom and compassion and of clarifying them for others.

Bhikkhu Bodhi (bodhimonastery.org)

Moreover, it provides guidance to meditators intent on consummating their efforts with the direct realization of the ultimate truth.

The present translation begins with an insightful general introduction to the collection a whole. Each of the five parts is provided with an introduction intended to guide readers through this vast collection of short Buddhist sutras.

To further assist readers the translator -- the eminent American scholar-monk, Bhikkhu Bodhi, the principal teacher of Wisdom Quarterly writers and translators -- has provided an extensive body of notes clarifying various problems concerning both the language and the meaning of these sacred texts.

Wheel of the Dharma above (NN)

Distinguished by its lucidity and technical precision, this new translation makes this ancient collection of the Buddha's discourses comprehensible to thoughtful readers today. Like its two predecessors in this series, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is sure to merit a place of honor in the library of every serious student of Buddhism. The Connected Discourses

• Amazon: The Connected Discourses of the Buddha — a New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya
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The Path to Freedom (self-guided tour)

Wisdom Quarterly; FGS; AccessToInsight.org, Self-guided Tour of the Buddha's Teachings

Modern Buddhist pyramid pagoda/stupa complex (Linc060/flickr.com)

  

A foundation in the Buddha's Dharma

By its nature, the truth invites us to "come and see," to question and investigate. Curious about exploring the Buddha's teachings as presented in the ancient Pali canon?

  

Links are to selections of short passages from the Buddhist sutras introducing or illustrating aspects of a single topic.

 

When encountering a particularly meaningful or interesting passage, look for the full text by simply following the link at the end. 

 

The teachings are profound and complex

Many passages are cross referenced with other pages, making it possible to pursue a theme to whatever depth is desired.

 

This is not, of course, an exhaustive tutorial. A number of the topics introduced are explored more thoroughly in the Study Guides. The General Index also contains references to additional readings on related topics.
 

Modern Buddhist pyramid, Fo Guang Shan, Taiwan (Steven Barringer/Zosoiv71/flickr.com)

  
Begin the tour by exploring the Three Guides (Triple Gem):

1. THE BUDDHA: Sketch of the Buddha's life based on sutra excerpts.
2. THE DHARMA: Outline of the Buddha's teachings organized according to the "gradual instruction." The Buddha frequently used this framework to guide students from first principles through progressively more advanced teachings, all the way to the culmination of the Four Noble Truths by the realization of nirvana (Pali, nibbana).
3. THE SANGHA: Descriptions of the Noble Order -- the community of monastics and laypersons who have gained at least the first stage of enlightenment called stream entry. This is known as they Ariya-Sangha).

• Buddhist Dictionary, by Ven. Nyanatiloka (Kandy: BPS, 1980). A classic handbook of important terms and concepts in Theravada Buddhism.
• Path to Deliverance, by Ven. Nyanatiloka (Kandy: BPS, 1982). A systematic exposition of essential points of Dharma based on passages from the sutras.
• Study Guides: anthologies of short passages for individual and group study.
• The Wings to Awakening: An Anthology from the Pali Canon, by Ven. Thanissaro (Barre: Dhammadana Publications, 1996).

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha

Samyutta Nikaya translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Wisdompubs.org)

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, now available in a single volume, is a complete translation of the Samyutta Nikaya. It contains all of the important sutras on such major topics as:

• Four Noble Truths
• Dependent Origination
• Seven Factors of Enlightenment
• Noble Eightfold Path...

It ranks as one of the most inspiring compilations in the Buddhist canon. Bhikkhu Bodhi's distinguished and precise English translation, his insightful introductory materials, and his extensive notes guide the reader through this vast collection of the Buddha's original teachings.

• READ IT NOW  

This is the third title in Wisdom Publications' award-winning Teachings of the Buddha Series, following The Long Discourses of the Buddha (Digha Nikaya) and The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya).
  

Like its two predecessors The Connected Discourses is sure to merit a place of honor in the library of every English student of Buddhism.

  

Wisdom Publications has Bhikkhu Bodhi's new translation of The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya). So view all of the available Teachings of the Buddha Series volumes.

  

Praise and Reviews

“To hold a copy of The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is like holding treasure in your hands. Bhikkkhu Bodhi has, once again, given English readers all over the world another reason to rejoice by making the ancient words of the Buddha come alive in our contemporary lives. Timely and significant, highly readable, and invaluable.” —Eastern Horizon
  

The Buddha with devas (Htetg/Flickr.com)

"This new translation of The Connected Discourses of the Buddha has been well worth the wait. With painstaking care, the eminent [American] Buddhist scholar-monk, Bhikkhu Bodhi, has translated the 2,889 discourses of the Buddha. No one is better qualified. Collected into their different themes, The Connected Discourses point the way to enlightenment. This book serves as one of the finest resources available for insight into the human condition. The Buddha addresses issues such as body/mind, daily life realities, suffering and joy, awareness and meditation. This book is rich in spiritual teachings, suitable for daily reflection, study, a manual for psychologists, a teaching guide at universities, and offering a wealth of benefits to anyone interested in the true heart of the Buddha's teachings. I regard it as an indispensable guide to an awakened life. With 2,080 pages it is an extraordinary publishing initiative. This book is worth every penny. Buy it. It is money well spent." —Christopher Titmuss, author of Light on Enlightenment and An Awakened Life 

  

"[Bhikkhu Bodhi's] brilliant, scholarly, and eminently readable version of The Middle Length Discourses set a benchmark for translations of the Buddha's words into English. This new work will make accessible even more of the original teachings, offering guidance, instruction, and inspiration on the path of awakening. It is a priceless gift." —Joseph Goldstein, author of Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom 

  

"It is extremely good news to have Bhikkhu Bodhi -- a brilliant translator -- bring out a new edition of the Samyutta Nikaya, one of the richest and most important of all Buddhist texts." —Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart 

  

Bhikkhu Bodhi

Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk from New York City. As a student of Balangoda Ananda Maitreya, Ven. Nyanaponika, Ven. Nyanatiloka, and other eminent scholars, he is -- in the estimation of Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal -- the greatest living scholar-monk alongside the Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, whose growing extremely learned and practical body of translations are, sadly, much less accessible to English readers. After completing his university studies in California he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received became a Buddhist monk in 1973. He returned to the USA in 2002 and currently resides at Chuang Yen Monastery (BAUS.org) in upstate New York and Bodhi Monastery in New Jersey. He is in demand worldwide as a speaker, scholar, and Buddhist teacher. Renowned for his systematic and elegant translations of Buddhist scriptures, Ven. Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, including A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma, The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, and an excellent and very accessible anthology In the Buddha’s Words.