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{{short description|2nd Buddhist Scriptures Collection in Pāli Canon}}
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The '''''Majjhima Nikāya''''' ("Collection of Middle-length Discourses") is a [[Nikāya|Buddhist scripture collection]], the second of the five [[Nikāya]]s, or collections, in the [[Sutta Piṭaka]], which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the [[Pāli Canon|Pali Tipitaka]] (lit. "Three Baskets") of [[Theravada Buddhism]]. It was composed between 3rd century BCE and 2nd century CE.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century| first=Upinder | last = Singh|publisher=Pearson|page=25}}</ref> This nikaya consists of 152 discourses attributed to the Buddha and his chief disciples.<ref name=paliversion>A version of the [[Pali]] original is available in {{cite book |title=Majjhima Nikaya: The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha |last= Gotama |first=Buddha |author-link=Gautama Buddha |year=2012 |publisher= CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=978-1478369622 }}</ref>

The Majjhima Nikaya corresponds to the ''[[Āgama (Buddhism)|Madhyama Āgama]]'' found in the Sutra Piṭakas of various Sanskritic early Buddhist schools, fragments of which survive in [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] and in Tibetan translation. A complete Chinese translation from the Sarvāstivādin recension appears in the [[Chinese Buddhist canon]], where it is known as the ''Zhōng Ahánjīng'' (中阿含經). The Madhyama Āgama of the Sarvāstivāda school contains 222 sūtras, in contrast to the 152 suttas in the Pāli Majjhima Nikāya.<ref>A Dictionary of Buddhism, by Damien Keown, Oxford University Press: 2004</ref>

==Structure and contents==

[[List of Majjhima Nikaya suttas]]

Bhikkhu Bodhi in the introduction to his translation describes the collection as follows:<blockquote>If the Majjhima Nikāya were to be characterised by a single phrase to distinguish it from among the other books of the Pali Canon, this might be done by describing it as the collection that combines the richest variety of contextual settings with the deepest and most comprehensive assortment of teachings.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya|last=Bodhi|first=Bhikkhu|publisher=Buddhist Publication Society, first published by Wisdom Publications|year=1995|isbn=0-86171-072-X|location=Kandy, Sri Lanka|pages=5–11, 20}}</ref></blockquote>The 152 discourses come in three parts each with five divisions. All divisions save the penultimate contain 10 discourses.

== Translations ==

=== Full translations ===

*[[Nanamoli Bhikkhu|Bhikkhu Nanamoli]] and [[Bhikkhu Bodhi]] (trans.), ''The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya'', 1995, Somerville: Wisdom Publications {{ISBN|0-86171-072-X}}.
*[[Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan]] translated Majjhima Nikaya from [[Prakrit]] to [[Hindi]].<ref>{{cite book
| first = R. S.
| last = Sharma
| author-link = Ram Sharan Sharma
| title = Rethinking India's Past
| publisher = [[Oxford University Press]]
| year = 2009
| isbn = 978-0-19-569787-2
}}</ref>
* Lord Chalmers, trans. (1898–1926), ''Further Dialogues of the Buddha'', 1926–7, [[iarchive:bookofdiscipline05hornuoft|vol.1]], [[iarchive:majjhimanikyavo00trengoog|vol. 2]], London: Pali Text Society. Reprint: Ann Arbor: Books on Demand, University of Michigan.
*[[I.B. Horner]] (trans.), ''The Book of Middle Length Sayings'', 1954–9, 3 volumes, Bristol: Pali Text Society.
* David W. Evans (trans.), ''Discourses of Gotama Buddha: Middle Collection'', 1991, Janus Pubns. "Translation in an abridged form ... just about one third the size of Horner's translation, but with well over 90% of the significant content"
*Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), ''The Middle Discourses'', 2018, [https://suttacentral.net/mn published online at SuttaCentral] and released into the [[public domain]].

=== Selections ===
* ''A Treasury of the Buddha's Words'', tr Nanamoli, revised Khantipalo, Bangkok; later revised & expanded to give MLDB above
* ''Twenty-Five Suttas from Mula-Pannasa'', Burma Pitaka Association, Rangoon, 1986?; reprinted Sri Satguru, Delhi
* ''Twenty-Five Suttas from Majjhima-Pannasa'', Myanmar Pitaka Association, Rangoon, 1987; reprinted Sri Satguru, Delhi
* ''Twenty-Five Suttas from Upari-Pannasa'', Myanmar Pitaka Association, Rangoon, 1988?; reprinted Sri Satguru, Delhi

== See also ==
* [[Pāli Canon]]
* [[Early Buddhist Texts]]
* [[Sutta Piṭaka]]
* [[List of Majjhima Nikaya suttas]]
* [[Anguttara Nikaya]]
* [[Digha Nikaya]]
* [[Khuddaka Nikaya]]
* [[Samyutta Nikaya]]
* ''[[Sammādiṭṭhi Sutta]]''
* ''[[Ānāpānasati Sutta]]''

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[https://suttacentral.net/mn Majjhima Nikāya in English (& 30+ other languages) together with Madhyama Āgama parallels] at suttacentral.net
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130925014914/http://metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/2Majjhima-Nikaya/index.html Majjhima Nikaya in English] at Metta.lk
*[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/index.html Majjhima Nikaya in English] at accesstoinsight.org
*[http://www.bodhimonastery.net/courses/MN/MN_course.html Majjhima Nikaya lectures] taught by [[Bhikkhu Bodhi]]
*[http://www.budsas.org/ebud/majjhima/115-bahudhatuka-e.htm Majjhima Nikaaya III, II. 3.5.Maagandiyasutta.m, III. 2. 5.Bahudhaatukasutta.m-, (115) The Discourse on Many Elements] at budsas.org
*[http://www.buddhism-dict.net/cgi-bin/xpr-ddb.pl?4e.xml+id('b4e2d-963f-542b-7d93') Entry for Mādhyamāgama]{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Digital Dictionary of Buddhism'' at buddhism-dict.net
* [http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/middle-length-discourses-buddha/selections Selected Suttas of the Majjhima Nikaya], transl. by [[Bhikkhu Bodhi]], Wisdom Publications
*[https://www.academia.edu/31682490/SEVEN_GAMES_OF_INDIA_IN_THE_6th_CENTURY_BCE_AS_DEPICTED_IN_THE_MAHATANHASANKHAYASUTTA_OF_THE_MAJJHlMANIKA_YA Seven Games of India in the 6th Century B.C.]

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[[Category:Majjhima Nikaya| ]]
[[Category:Theravada Buddhist texts]]

Majjhima Nikaya - Revision history

Bharatwiki Socrates at 02:03, 2 December 2023