Bodhirājakumārasuttaṁ (MN 85)
The Discourse to Prince Bodhi

A Pāli and English line by line (interlinear) version of the most extensive discourse in which the Buddha explains the path he took to Awakening, including his austere practices (with extensive annotation).

edited & translated by
Ānandajoti Bhikkhu
(Version 1.1, October, 2016 / 2560)

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Cover

Html Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The Invitation

2. At the Palace

3. The Meeting with Āḷāra Kālāma

4. The Meeting with Uddaka Rāmaputta

5. The Similes

6. Suppressing Thought and Breath

7. The Fasting

8. Finding the Right Path

9. The Story about Brahmā’s Request

10. Deciding Who to Teach

11. The Abstainer Upaka

12. The Meeting at Isipatana

13. All about Attainments

 

Texts

BJT: Śrī Laṁkan edition, from the Buddha Jayanti Tripitaka Series, Volume XI (Colombo, 1973/2508, reprinted with corrections 2005). Appears to be following a Thai manuscript, at least in some crucial places, and differs in readings from the first section of MN.

PTS: European edition, Majjhima-nikāya, Vol. II, (London 1896, reprinted London, 1977). This edition is heavily abbreviated, over and above the normal peyyāla passages, and difficult to reconstruct.

RTE: Royal Thai edition, as found on Budsir for Windows CD-ROM (version 2.0, Bangkok, 1996). This edition is the most problematic in its readings.

ChS: Burmese edition as found on the Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana CD-ROM (version 3, Igaturi, no date but = 1999). Has all the normal problems associated with the Burmese texts, like spelling differences, and attempts to rectify what it feels is wrong metre.

MLD: Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, translated by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi (2nd edition, Wisdom Publications, Somerville, 2001). The translation of this discourse takes up only 6 pages, refers the reader to two other discourses to reconstruct the text, and has extensive abbreviation.

There are quite a lot of variant readings in this text, most of which are trivial, being variant spellings or forms, etc. but some of which are important for a correct understanding of the text. Some of the more trivial variants, like writing class nasal or niggahīta, and the alternations between l/ḷ t/ṭ and n/ṇ I have ignored, in order to concentrate on true variations in reading.

With other readings, in line with my more recent practice on this site, I have tried to explain what the difference is between the form chosen and the variant, which is usually an alternative form, spelling or sandhi type. This will at least give some guidance as to what the alternative means.