suutta

Suutta is a term used in Buddhist literature, commonly transliterated as sutta in Pali or sutra in Sanskrit, and it denotes a discourse or teaching attributed to the Buddha or his early followers. The word in Pali means a spoken or written teaching that forms a thread of instruction through which the Dharma is conveyed. In Theravada Buddhism, suuttas are organized within the Sutta Pitaka, one of the three baskets (Tipitaka) of the Pali Canon, the canonical collection of early Buddhist scriptures.

The Sutta Pitaka comprises five collections, known as Nikayas: the Digha Nikaya (long discourses), the Majjhima Nikaya (middle-length discourses), the Samyutta Nikaya (connected discourses), the Anguttara Nikaya (numerical discourses), and the Khuddaka Nikaya (a miscellaneous collection of shorter works). The Khuddaka Nikaya itself contains a diverse range of texts, including well-known works such as the Dhammapada, Itivuttaka, Suttanipata, and various other discourses. Suttas vary in length and style, from concise teachings to extended dialogues, and they address ethics, meditation, wisdom, and topics central to Buddhist practice.

Suttas are foundational to Theravada practice and study and are also studied in other Buddhist traditions where corresponding texts exist in Sanskrit, Chinese, and other languages. Authorship and dating of individual suttas are subjects of scholarly discussion; many are traditionally attributed to the Buddha or his close disciples, with later redaction and compilation shaping the extant collections. Translations into many languages have facilitated broad access to the core teachings contained in suttas.