Aṅguttara Nikāya
| Aṅguttara Nikāya | |
|---|---|
| Type | Canonical text |
| Parent | Sutta Piṭaka |
| Attribution | Anuruddha; Bhāṇaka |
| Commentary | Manorathapūraṇī (Aṅguttaranikāya-aṭṭhakathā) |
| Commentator | Buddhaghosa |
| Subcommentary | Sāratthamañjūsā (Ekakanipāta-ṭīkā, Dukanipāta-ṭīkā, Pañcakanipāta-ṭīkā, Aṭṭhakanipāta-ṭīkā) |
| Abbreviation | AN; A |
| Pāli Canon |
|---|
| Theravāda Buddhism |
| Part of a series on |
| Theravāda Buddhism |
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The Aṅguttara Nikāya (aṅguttaranikāya; lit. 'Increased-by-One Collection', also translated "Gradual Collection" or "Numerical Discourses") is a Buddhist scriptures collection, the fourth of the five Nikāyas, or collections, in the Sutta Piṭaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that comprise the Pāli Tipiṭaka of Theravāda Buddhism. This nikāya consists of several thousand discourses ascribed to the Buddha and his chief disciples arranged in eleven "books", according to the number of Dhamma items referenced in them.
Overview
Translator Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote: "In Aṅguttara Nikāya, persons are as a rule not reduced to mere collections of aggregates, elements, and sense-bases, but are treated as real centers of living experience engaged in a heartfelt quest for happiness and freedom from suffering."[1]
Parallel
The Aṅguttara Nikāya corresponds to the Ekottara Āgama ("Increased by One Discourses") found in the Sūtra Piṭakas of various Sanskritic early Buddhists schools, fragments of which survive in Sanskrit. A complete version survives in Chinese translation by the name Zēngyī Ahánjīng (增一阿含經); it is thought to be from either the Mahāsāṃghika or Sarvāstivādin recensions. According to Keown, "there is considerable disparity between the Pāli and the Sarvāstivādin versions, with more than two-thirds of the sūtras found in one but not the other compilation, which suggests that much of this portion of the Sūtra Piṭaka was not formed until a fairly late date."[2]
Divisions
The nipatas in this nikaya are:
| Nipāta | Vagga |
|---|---|
| Ekakanipāto
(The Book of Ones) |
|
| Dukanipāto
(The Book of Twos) |
|
| Tikanipāto
(The Book of Threes) |
|
| Catukkanipāto
(The Book of Fours) |
|
| Pañcakanipāto
(The Book of Fives) |
|
| Chakkanipāto
(The Book of Sixes) |
|
| Sattakanipāto
(The Book of Sevens) |
|
| Aṭṭhakanipāto
(The Book of Eights) |
|
| Navakanipāto
(The Book of Nines) |
|
| Dasakanipāto
(The Book of Tens) |
|
| Ekādasako nipāto
(The Book of Elevens) |
|
Translations
Full translation
- The Book of the Gradual Sayings, tr F. L. Woodward & E. M. Hare, 1932–6, 5 volumes, Pali Text Society[1], Bristol
- Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, tr Bhikkhu Bodhi, 2012, 1 volume, Wisdom Publications [2], Somerville, MA
- Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), The “Numbered” or “Numerical” Discourses, 2018, published online at SuttaCentral and released into the public domain.
Selections
- 1st 3 nipatas tr E. R. J. Gooneratne, Ceylon, c1913
- 4th nipata tr A. D. Jayasundare, London, 1925
- anthology ed & tr Nyanaponika, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka; revised, with additions & deletions, by Bodhi, as Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, Altamira Press, Oxford/New York/Lanham, Maryland/Walnut Creek, California, 1999
See also
- Early Buddhist Texts
- Dīgha Nikāya
- Khuddaka Nikāya
- Majjhima Nikāya
- Pāli Cannon
- Saṃyutta Nikāya
- Sutta Piṭaka
- Dīghajāṇu Sutta
References
- ^ Bhikkhu Bodhi, trans. Saṃyutta Nikāya, "Introduction," pg. 34
- ^ A Dictionary of Buddhism, by Damien Keown, Oxford University Press: 2004
External links
- Anguttara Nikaya in Pali, English and Sinhala (metta.lk)
- English Translations of the Anguttara Nikaya (accesstoinsight.org)
- English translations by Bhikkhu Bodhi of selected Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya at Wisdom Publications