<p>I recommend the book <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0861714911" rel="nofollow noreferrer">In The Buddha's Words</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhikkhu_Bodhi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bhikkhu Bodhi</a>. It is an anthology or selection of translated suttas from the Pali canon. It is also thematically and systematically arranged. You can look at the Table of Contents on the Amazon page I linked. It is 512 pages long, which is quite alright. PDF version <a href="http://www.pacificbuddha.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/In-the-Buddhas-Words.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>

<p>I quote from the Preface:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>In an ongoing series of lectures I began giving at Bodhi Monastery in
  New Jersey in January 2003,1 devised a scheme of my own to organize
  the contents of the Majjhima Nikaya. This scheme unfolds the Buddha's
  message progressively, from the simple to the difficult, from the
  elementary to the profound. Upon reflection, I saw that this scheme
  could be applied not only to the Majjhima Nikaya, but to the four
  Nikayas as a whole. The present book organizes suttas selected from
  all four Nikayas within this thematic and progressive framework.</p>
  
  <p>This book is intended for two types of readers. The first are those
  not yet acquainted with the Buddha's discourses who feel the need for
  a systematic introduction. For such readers, any of the Nikayas is
  bound to appear opaque. All four of them, viewed at once, may seem
  like a jungle—entangling and bewildering, full of unknown beasts—or
  like the great ocean—vast, tumultuous, and forbidding. I hope that
  this book will serve as a map to help them wend their way through the
  jungle of the suttas or as a sturdy ship to carry them across the
  ocean of the Dhamma.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-29T04:33:02.147Z
Thank you so much!this is amazing Ruben.I may try to find it in print.
Orion
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-29T04:28:34.930Z
2017-09-28T16:47:03.057Z
2017-09-28T16:47:03.057Z
ruben2020
<p>I think Dharmafarer's sutra discovery series is the best starting point. (<a href="http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/sutta-discovery/sutta-discovery-volume-1-9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/sutta-discovery/sutta-discovery-volume-1-9</a>)</p>

<p>Maybe you can start your study with the trilinear Suttas (<a href="http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/sutta-discovery/trilinear-suttas" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/sutta-discovery/trilinear-suttas</a>)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-18T09:59:29.700Z
2015-04-18T09:59:29.700Z
2018-08-14T22:06:13.773Z
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
<p>As Reuben2020 says, In the Buddha's Words is a really great place to start. Could I also recommend Rupert Gethin's book <a href="http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780192839251.do" rel="nofollow">Sayings of the Buddha</a>. It's a collection of sutra's from the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon. There is a couple of page introduction before each sutta which puts the text into context which I found extremely useful.</p>

<p>Good luck with your reading.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-29T10:37:06.920Z
2015-03-29T10:37:06.920Z
Crab Bucket
<p>The website ReadingFaithfully.org is a great place to start. It promotes the idea of daily, ongoing engagement with the Suttas.</p>

<p>Getting started: <a href="https://readingfaithfully.org/about/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://readingfaithfully.org/about/</a></p>

<p>Core concepts: <a href="https://readingfaithfully.org/2011/09/25/the-five-ps-of-sutta-practice/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://readingfaithfully.org/2011/09/25/the-five-ps-of-sutta-practice/</a></p>

<p>Canonical Collections: <a href="https://readingfaithfully.org/canonical-collections-for-practice/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://readingfaithfully.org/canonical-collections-for-practice/</a></p>

<p>Anthologies: <a href="https://readingfaithfully.org/anthologies/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://readingfaithfully.org/anthologies/</a></p>

<p>Choosing a text: <a href="https://readingfaithfully.org/texts-for-practice-based-on-your-current-knowledge-level/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://readingfaithfully.org/texts-for-practice-based-on-your-current-knowledge-level/</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-17T08:04:25.283Z
2018-06-17T08:04:25.283Z
user13657
<p>There are three study types in <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.022.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">alagaddūpama sutta</a>.</p>

<p>The pali and it's sequence, of that sutta, same to kīṭāgirisutta, that I re-translated <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/22583/10100">in this answer</a>.</p>

<p>By kīṭāgirisutta, you must choose a right teacher, that I answered <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/22917/10100">in this answer</a>.</p>

<p>Also, there is a layman-beginner course, in this answer, too. But that course is what the skillful teacher, in this answer, will teach you, so you shouldn't do it yourself alone. Why? Because I have doing it for 10 years, but I still not even achieve appanā-jhānā.  In comparison, my current teacher from pa-auk, who just started to study buddhism since 6 years ago. However, he is one of pa-auk teacher now, because he study buddhism from a professional teachers who have <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/22917/10100">all qualities in this answer</a>, from pa-auk.</p>

<p><strong>Right way will give you a shortcut way.</strong> </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-29T16:48:22.317Z
2017-09-29T16:48:22.317Z
Bonn
<p>I practice the Theravada tradition. There are a lot of suttas, and I don't know how to go about studying them. Can I please get some pointers or guidelines on how I can study them? For example, which suttas to start with, or maybe some kind of overall introduction on the suttas, or perhaps a technique in studying the suttas.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-29T09:42:57.603Z
[Chronological or other sequence for beginners](http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/4112/254) has several helpful answers.
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-29T16:15:59.103Z
I'm converting this to a wiki, since it seems to be a request for various, complimentary answers.
yuttadhammo
<theravada><suttas><study>
How to Study the Suttas?
# How to Study the Suttas?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-03-29)

I practice the Theravada tradition. There are a lot of suttas, and I don't know how to go about studying them. Can I please get some pointers or guidelines on how I can study them? For example, which suttas to start with, or maybe some kind of overall introduction on the suttas, or perhaps a technique in studying the suttas.

**Tags:** theravada, suttas, study

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: [Chronological or other sequence for beginners](http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/4112/254) has several helpful answers.  
> **username_2**: I'm converting this to a wiki, since it seems to be a request for various, complimentary answers.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-03-29. Score: 7

I recommend the book [In The Buddha's Words](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0861714911) by [Bhikkhu Bodhi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhikkhu_Bodhi). It is an anthology or selection of translated suttas from the Pali canon. It is also thematically and systematically arranged. You can look at the Table of Contents on the Amazon page I linked. It is 512 pages long, which is quite alright. PDF version [here](http://www.pacificbuddha.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/In-the-Buddhas-Words.pdf).

I quote from the Preface:

> In an ongoing series of lectures I began giving at Bodhi Monastery in
> New Jersey in January 2003,1 devised a scheme of my own to organize
> the contents of the Majjhima Nikaya. This scheme unfolds the Buddha's
> message progressively, from the simple to the difficult, from the
> elementary to the profound. Upon reflection, I saw that this scheme
> could be applied not only to the Majjhima Nikaya, but to the four
> Nikayas as a whole. The present book organizes suttas selected from
> all four Nikayas within this thematic and progressive framework.
>
> This book is intended for two types of readers. The first are those
> not yet acquainted with the Buddha's discourses who feel the need for
> a systematic introduction. For such readers, any of the Nikayas is
> bound to appear opaque. All four of them, viewed at once, may seem
> like a jungle—entangling and bewildering, full of unknown beasts—or
> like the great ocean—vast, tumultuous, and forbidding. I hope that
> this book will serve as a map to help them wend their way through the
> jungle of the suttas or as a sturdy ship to carry them across the
> ocean of the Dhamma.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you so much!this is amazing Ruben.I may try to find it in print.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-04-18. Score: 1

I think Dharmafarer's sutra discovery series is the best starting point. (<http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/sutta-discovery/sutta-discovery-volume-1-9>)

Maybe you can start your study with the trilinear Suttas (<http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/sutta-discovery/trilinear-suttas>)


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-03-29. Score: 1

As Reuben2020 says, In the Buddha's Words is a really great place to start. Could I also recommend Rupert Gethin's book [Sayings of the Buddha](http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780192839251.do). It's a collection of sutra's from the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon. There is a couple of page introduction before each sutta which puts the text into context which I found extremely useful.

Good luck with your reading.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2018-06-17. Score: 0

The website ReadingFaithfully.org is a great place to start. It promotes the idea of daily, ongoing engagement with the Suttas.

Getting started: <https://readingfaithfully.org/about/>

Core concepts: <https://readingfaithfully.org/2011/09/25/the-five-ps-of-sutta-practice/>

Canonical Collections: <https://readingfaithfully.org/canonical-collections-for-practice/>

Anthologies: <https://readingfaithfully.org/anthologies/>

Choosing a text: <https://readingfaithfully.org/texts-for-practice-based-on-your-current-knowledge-level/>


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2017-09-29. Score: 0

There are three study types in [alagaddūpama sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.022.than.html).

The pali and it's sequence, of that sutta, same to kīṭāgirisutta, that I re-translated [in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/22583/10100).

By kīṭāgirisutta, you must choose a right teacher, that I answered [in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/22917/10100).

Also, there is a layman-beginner course, in this answer, too. But that course is what the skillful teacher, in this answer, will teach you, so you shouldn't do it yourself alone. Why? Because I have doing it for 10 years, but I still not even achieve appanā-jhānā. In comparison, my current teacher from pa-auk, who just started to study buddhism since 6 years ago. However, he is one of pa-auk teacher now, because he study buddhism from a professional teachers who have [all qualities in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/22917/10100), from pa-auk.

**Right way will give you a shortcut way.**


---

