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18 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

vii. Saccavibhaṅga Sutta (141) – The Exposition of the According to the Theragāthā and the Sumaṅgalavilāsinī
Truths there are eighty-four thousand parts of the Dhamma.
viii. Mahāgosinga Sutta (32) – The Greater Discourse in Out of eighty-four thousand parts, eighty-two thousand
Gosinga dhammas were delivered by the Buddha, and the rest,
ix. Anāthapiṇḍikovāda Sutta (143) – Advice to two thousand dhammas were delivered by his disciples.
Anāthapiṇḍika
x. Channovāda Sutta (144) – Advice to Channa Dvāsīti buddhato gaṇhiṃ dvesahassāni bhikkhuto
Caturāsīti sahassāni ye me dhammā pavattino
Arahant Ānanda
i. Gopakamoggallāna Sutta – With Gopakamoggallāna I took eighty-two thousand Dhammas from the Buddha
ii. Bāhitika Sutta (88) – The Cloak and two thousand Dhammas from the bhikkhūs. There
iii. Sandaka Sutta – To Sandaka are these eighty-four thousand Dhammas with me.
iv. Sekha Sutta – The Disciple in Higher Training
v. Aṭṭhakanāgara Sutta – The Man from Aṭṭhakanāgara When we consider the teachings of the Majjhimanikāya
almost all the fundamental teachings of Buddhism
Arahant Mahākacchāna can be found in it. For instance, the Four Noble Truths,
i. Madhurā Sutta – At Madhurā the Dependent Origination, Karma, Anatta, the Four
ii. Madhupiṇḍika Sutta – The Honey Ball Foundations of Mindfulness, etc. are major teachings in
the Majjhima. Some teachings are similar to Abhidhamma
Arahant Mahāmoggallāna expositions. The Vibhaṅga Suttas are such kind. Feature
i. Māratajjanīya Sutta – The Rebuke to Māra of Aṭṭhakathās also can be seen in some discourses.
ii. Anumāna Sutta – Inference
Referring to the teachings of the Majjhimanikāya,
Puṇṇamantāniputta Bhikkhu Bodhi states as follows.
i. Rathavinīta Sutta ((24) – The Relay Chariots
If the Majjhimanikāya were to be characterized by
Arahant Udāyī a single phrase to distinguish it from among the
i. Goṭamukha Sutta other books of the Pali Canon, this might be done by
describing it as the collection that combines the richest
Arahant Bakkula variety of contextual settings with the deepest and
i. Bakkula Sutta most comprehensive assortment of teachings. Like
the Dīgha Nikāya, the Majjhima is replete with drama
Arahant Anuruddha and narrative, while lacking much of its predecessor’s
i. Anuruddha Sutta tendency towards imaginative embellishment and
profusion of legend. Like the Saṃyutta, it contains
Arahant Bhikkhuṇī Dhammadinnā some of the profoundest discourses in the Canon,
i. Cūḷavedalla Sutta – The Shorter Series of Questions disclosing the Buddha’s radical insights into the nature
and Answers of existence; like the Aṅguttara, it covers a wide range of
topics of practical applicability. In contrast to those two
All the Suttas delivered by the śrāvaks while the Buddha Nikāyas, however, the Majjhima sets forth this material
was alive, and they were accepted by the Buddha as the not in the form of short, self-contained utterances, but
teachings delivered by him saying the following words: in the context of a fascinating procession of scenarios
“I would have explained it to you in the same way”. that exhibit the Buddha’s resplendence of wisdom, his
Other Śrāvakabhāṣitas delivered by the śrāvakas after skill in adapting his teachings to needs and proclivities
the demise of the Buddha were accepted by the Saṅgha of his interlocutors, his wit and gentle humour, his
in the same way as the words of the Buddha. majestic sublimity, and his compassionate humanity.