Readings in the Madhyama-āgama
An e-learning online course by Bhikkhu Anālayo
Numata Center for Buddhist Studies
University of Hamburg
Course held in 2011:
Purification, Ethics and Karma
in Early Buddhist Discourse
The lectures held during the summer semester of 2011 covered the first twenty discourses of the Madhyama-āgama. Audio files of the lectures can be audited or downloaded as mp3 files, together with the respective lectures notes as pdfs, at the links given below for each lecture.
Lecture 1 covers the first two discourses, MĀ 1 and MĀ 2:
MĀ 1 Discourse on Wholesome Qualities (善法經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on [Being One Who] Knows the Dharma (AN 7.64), Dhammaññū-sutta, PTS ed. AN IV 113
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1080-1083 (given as discourse no. 68)
MĀ 2 Discourse on the [Celestial] Coral Tree (晝度樹經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on the [Celestial] Coral Tree (AN 7.65), Pāricchattaka-sutta, PTS ed. AN IV 117,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1083-1085 (given as discourse no. 69)
Lecture 2 covers MĀ 3 and MĀ 4:
MĀ 3 Discourse on the Simile of the [Border] Town (城喻經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on the Simile of the Citadel (AN 7.63), Nagaropama-sutta, PTS ed. AN IV 106
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1075-1080 (given as discourse no. 67)
MĀ 4 Discourse on the Water Simile (水喻經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on the Water Simile (AN 7.15), Udakūpama-sutta, PTS ed. AN IV 11
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1004-1006
Lecture 3 covers MĀ 5, MĀ 6 and MĀ 7:
MĀ 5 Discourse on the Simile of the Heap of Wood (木積喻經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on the Simile of the Heap of Fire (AN 7.68), Aggikkhandhopama-sutta, PTS ed. AN IV 128,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1090-1094 (given as discourse no. 72)
MĀ 6 Discourse on the Destination of a Good Person (善人往經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on the Destination of a Person (AN 7.52), Purisagati-sutta, PTS ed. AN IV 70,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1048-1051 (given as discourse no. 55)
MĀ 7 Discourse on [Sources of] Worldly Merit (世間福經)
no Pāli Parallel
Lecture 4 covers MĀ 8:
MĀ 8 Discourse on Seven Suns (七日經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on Seven Suns (AN 7.62), Sattasūriya-sutta, PTS ed. AN IV 100
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1071-1075 (given as discourse no. 66)
Lecture 5 covers MĀ 9:
MĀ 9 Discourse on Seven Chariots (七車經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on the Relay of Chariots (MN 24), Rathavinīta-sutta, PTS ed. MN I 145
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Middle Long Discourses) pp. 240-245
A lecture by Bhikkhu Bodhi on the Pāli version can be found here: MN 24
Lecture 6 covers MĀ 10:
MĀ 10 Discourse on the Cessation of the Influxes (漏盡經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on All the Influxes (MN 2), Sabbāsava-sutta, PTS ed. MN I 6
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Middle Long Discourses) pp. 91-96
Lectures by Bhikkhu Bodhi on the Pāli version can be found here:
Lecture 7 covers MĀ 11:
MĀ 11 Discourse on the Simile of the [Grain] of Salt (鹽喻經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on the Grain of Salt (AN 3.99), Loṇakaphala-sutta, PTS ed. AN I 249,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 331-335 (given as discourse 100)
Lecture 8 covers MĀ 12, MĀ 13 and MĀ 14:
MĀ 12 Discourse to Vappa (惒破經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse to Vappa (AN 4.195), Vappa-sutta, PTS ed. AN II 196,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 572-575
MĀ 13 The Discourse on [Tenets to be] Transcended (度經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on Tenets (AN 3.61), Titthāyatanāni-sutta, PTS ed. AN I 173,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 266-270
MĀ 14 Discourse to Rāhula (羅云經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on an Advice to Rāhula at Ambalaṭṭhikā (MN 61), Ambalaṭṭhikārāhulovāda-sutta, PTS ed. MN I 414,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Middle Long Discourses) pp. 523-526
A lecture by Bhikkhu Bodhi on the Pāli version can be found here: MN 61
Lecture 9 covers MĀ 15 and MĀ 16:
MĀ 15 Discourse on Intention (思經)
Pāli Parallel: Discourse on the Body Made of Deeds (AN 10.208), Karajakāya-sutta (alternative title in PTS trsl.: The Brahma-moods) PTS ed. AN V 299,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1541-1543 (given as discourse no. 219)
MĀ 16 Discourse to the Kālāmas (伽藍經)
Pāli Parallel: Kesamutti-sutta (AN 3.65), PTS ed. AN I 188
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 279-283
A lecture by Bhikkhu Bodhi on the Pāli version can be found here: AN 3.65
Lecture 10 covers MĀ 17 and MĀ 18:
MĀ 17 Discourse to Gāmaṇi (伽彌尼經)
Pāli Parallel: Asibandhakaputta-sutta, (SN 42.6), (alternative title in PTS ed.: Pacchābhūmako-sutta), PTS ed. SN IV 311,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Connected Discourses) pp. 1336-1338
MĀ 18 Discourse to Sīha (師子經)
Pāli Parallel: Sīha-sutta (AN 8.12), PTS ed. AN IV 179,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses) pp. 1130-1136
Lecture 11 covers MĀ 19 and MĀ 20:
MĀ 19 Discourse on the Nigaṇṭhas (尼乾經)
Pāli Parallel: Devadaha-sutta (MN 101), PTS ed. MN II 214,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Middle Long Discourses) pp. 827-838
MĀ 20 Discourse to Pāṭaliya (波羅牢經)
Pāli Parallel: Pāṭaliya–sutta, (SN 42.13), PTS ed. SN IV 340,
please consult Bhikkhu Bodhi (Connected Discourses) pp. 1359-1371