Early Buddhist Teachings

Home ◼︎ Children ◼︎ Study Guides ◼︎ Book Reflections ◼︎ Learning Stories ◼︎ Topics ◼︎ Essays

‣

These pages hold topics, threads, people or concepts that weave through many of the resources on this site. I developed the topics pages mostly for trainings as a resource. I hope they can be useful in your explorations. Many of these topics have other meanings in different settings or traditions. I offer these interpretations based on my experience only.

About

Early Buddhist Teachings

Early Buddhism refers to the teachings and practices that emerged during the lifetime of the Buddha and in the generation immediately following his death. It centers on direct insight into reality through ethical living, meditation, and wisdom.

Preserved in the Pāli Canon of the Theravāda tradition, these teachings emphasize the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda), and the cultivation of non-clinging.

Unlike later schools, early Buddhism avoids metaphysical speculation, focusing instead on suffering and its cessation. It is characterized by simplicity, monastic discipline, and a pragmatic approach to awakening. The aim is not belief but transformation—of view, of conduct, and of mind.

Buddhist Society of WA Early Buddhism Course | Ajahn Brahmali & Ajahn Sujato | Buddhist Society of Western Australia

sujato The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts

Key Points

Pāli Canon preserves the oldest extant record of the Buddha’s words.
Core focus: suffering (dukkha) and the path to its cessation.
Practices emphasize mindfulness, concentration, and ethical restraint.
Views are shaped by dependent origination and non-self (anattā).
Goal is Nibbāna—the unconditioned, end of all suffering.

References

Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Noble Eightfold Path
Rupert Gethin, The Foundations of Buddhism
Bhante Sujato, SuttaCentral
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Basic Buddhism: An Outline
Suttas: MN 26, DN 22, SN 12.1

Glossary

Pāli: Ancient language of the Theravāda Canon.
Sutta: Discourse; recorded teachings of the Buddha.
Dukkha: Suffering, stress, unsatisfactoriness.
Nibbāna: Liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Anattā: Not-self; no unchanging essence in persons or things.
Paṭiccasamuppāda: Dependent origination; the law of conditionality.

Articles and Resources on This Site

The Second Arrow: How We Multiply Pain

The Buddha likened life’s pains to a first arrow. The second — the extra hurt we create in the mind — can be set down.

The Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths move from recognizing life’s unease, to seeing its cause, to the possibility of release, and the Noble Eightfold Path that leads there.

External Links

The Earliest Recorded Discourses of the Buddha LINK

ancient-buddhist-texts.net

Open External Link