asutta

Asutta is the Pali term for a Buddhist discourse or teaching. In English and many scholarly works, these texts are commonly called sutras (Sanskrit sutra) and together form the core of the Buddha’s stated teachings.

In the Theravāda Buddhist canon, asuttas are collected in the Sutta Pitaka, one of the three baskets (Tipitaka) that comprise the Pali Canon. The Sutta Pitaka is traditionally divided into five Nikayas: Digha Nikaya (long discourses), Majjhima Nikaya (middle-length discourses), Samyutta Nikaya (connected discourses), Anguttara Nikaya (numerical discourses), and Khuddaka Nikaya (the minor or supplementary discourses). Each asutta typically presents a teaching in dialogue form, sermon, or narrative, often addressing ethical conduct, mental cultivation, wisdom, or the nature of reality.

Themes commonly found in asuttas include the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, impermanence, dependent origination, non-self, and methods of meditation. The format can involve questions by a dialogue partner, parables, or expository prose, and some discourses are short summaries while others are extended expositions.

Notable examples include the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (setting in motion the Wheel of Dharma), the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta (discourse on not-self), and various metta and ethical instruction discourses. Historically, asuttas were transmitted orally and later written down in Sri Lanka and other regions; they have since been translated into many languages and remain foundational for Theravāda doctrine and practice, as well as influential in broader Buddhist traditions.