Dīgha Nikāya
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While others may praise or criticize the Tathagata, they tend to focus on trivial details. The Tathagata presents an analysis of 62 kinds of wrong view, seeing through which one becomes detached from meaningless speculations.
The newly crowned King Ajātasattu is disturbed by the violent means by which he achieved the crown. He visits the Tathagata to find peace of mind, and asks him about the benefits of spiritual practice. This is one of the greatest literary and spiritual texts of early Buddhism.
The Tathagata discusses with a wanderer the nature of perception and how it evolves through deeper states of meditation. None of these, however, should be identified with a self or soul.
Shortly after the Tathagata’s death, Venerable Ānanda explains the core teachings of the gradual path.
The Tathagata refuses to perform miracles, explaining that this is not the right way to inspire faith. He goes on to tell the story of a disciple whose misguided quest for answers led him as far as Brahmā.
Rejecting Venerable Ānanda’s claim to easily understand dependent origination, the Tathagata presents a complex and demanding analysis, revealing hidden nuances and implications of this central teaching.
This sutta covers many practices found throughout the canon, especially mindfulness of the body, and is one of the most comprehensive discourses on practicing the gradual path.
In contrast with the brahmin’s self-serving mythologies of the past, the Tathagata presents an account of evolution that shows how human choices are an integral part of the ecological balance, and how excessive greed destroys the order of nature.
The Tathagata encounters a young man who honors his dead parents by performing rituals. The Tathagata recasts the meaningless rites in terms of virtuous conduct. This is the most detailed discourse on ethics for lay people.
The Tathagata encourages Venerable Sāriputta to teach the deciples, and he offers an extended listing of Buddhist doctrines arranged in numerical sequence.