As more and more westerners study and practice Buddhism, reliable modern translations of the Buddha's teachings are increasingly in demand. One of the main sources for knowledge of the Buddhadharma is the four Pali Nikayas or collections of his sayings. Written in Pali, an ancient Indian language closely related to Sanskrit, the Nikayas are among the oldest Buddhist texts and consist of more than one and a half million words. This new translation offers a selection of the Buddha's most important sayings, reflecting the full variety of material contained in the Nikayas: the central themes of the Buddha's teaching (his biography, philosophical discourse, instruction on morality, meditation, and the spiritual life) and the range of literary style (myth, dialogue, narrative, short sayings, verse). This edition is the most critically up-to-date and For anyone seeking a more direct encounter with the Buddha's words and teaching, this new translation will prove to be essential reading, rewarding scholars and practitioners alike.

Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas (Oxford World's Classics). Rupert Gethin (Translator), Oxford University Press, Paperback, 2008,
368 pages, $14.95

Rupert Mark Lovell Gethin (born 1957, in Edinburgh) is Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and codirector of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol,[1] and (since 2003) president of the Pali Text Society.[2] He holds a BA in Comparative Religion (1980), a master's degree in Buddhist Studies (1982), and a PhD in Buddhist Studies (1987), all from the University of Manchester. He was appointed Lecturer in Indian Religions by the University of Bristol in 1987, and then Professor In Buddhist Studies in 2009. His main area of research is the history and development of Buddhist thought and practice in the Nikayas and Abhidhamma. His major publications include The Buddhist Path to Awakening[2] and Sayings of the Buddha: New translations from the Pali Nikayas.[1] His 1998 book The Foundations of Buddhism[1] is frequently used in university-level classes on Buddhism in English-speaking countries. Gethin is a practicing Buddhist. He initially studied meditation in the Samatha Trust organization, which has its roots in the meditation practice of Nai Boonman, a former Thai Theravadan Buddhist monk. Gethin has led a class on mindfulness of breathing in Bristol since the 1990s.