Majjhima Nikāya

The Collection of Middle Length Discourses

The 152 discourses come in three parts, each with five divisions. All divisions, save the penultimate, contain 10 discourses.

Clicking the sutta number below will take you to an audio version of the sutta. Clicking the sutta name will take you to a text version of the sutta.

Part I

Mūlapaṇṇāsapāli - The First Fifty Discourses

MN 1 - Mulapariyaya Sutta - The Root Sequence. The Buddha explains the basis of all phenomena, specifying 24 categories such as the four elements; sentient beings, devas; the seen, the heard, the thought of, the known; the oneness, the multiplicity, the whole; and the reality of nibbāna.

MN 2 - Sabbasava Sutta - All the Fermentations. Mental intoxicants are defined and seven practices for eradicating them are explained.

MN 3 - Dhammadayada Sutta - Heirs in Dhamma. Two discourses, one from the Buddha urging the Bhikkhus to receive as their legacy from him the bodhipakkhiya dhamma only, and one from Sāriputta advising the Bhikkhus to lead a solitary life for attainment of jhāna and to strive for the attainment of nibbāna by abandoning greed, ill-will and delusion.

MN 4 - Bhaya-bherava Sutta - Fear and Terror. How impure thoughts can lead to fear and terror.

MN 5 - Anangana Sutta - Without Blemishes. Sāriputta explains the four types of individuals.

MN 6 - Akankheyya Sutta - If a Bhikkhu Should Wish. How a bhikkhu should develop sīla, samādhi and paññā.

MN 7 - Vatthupama Sutta - The Simile of the Cloth. Explains the difference between an impure and pure mind.

MN 8 - Sallekha Sutta - The Discourse on Effacement. How wrong views are only removed by vipassana insight.

MN 9 - Sammaditthi Sutta - Right View. Understanding the difference between good and bad deeds.

MN 10 - Satipatthana Sutta - Frames of Reference/Foundations of Mindfulness. Practical guidance for the cultivation of mindfulness. (See also DN22).

MN 11 - Cula-sihanada Sutta - The Shorter Discourse on the Lion's Roar. The Buddha states the four categories of ariyas only exist in his teaching.

MN 12 - Maha-sihanada Sutta - The Great Discourse on the Lion's Roar. The Buddha and Sariputta discuss an ex-monk.

MN 13 - Maha-dukkhakkhandha Sutta - The Greater Discourse on the Mass of Suffering. Refuting the naked ascetics.

MN 14 - Cula-dukkhakkhandha Sutta - The Shorter Discourse on the Mass of Suffering. Explains how greed, hatred and delusion cause moral defilements and suffering.

MN 15 - Anumana Sutta - Inference. Maha Moggallana asks the bhikkhus if they have purged themselves of sixteen kinds of stubbornness.

MN 16 - Cetokhila Sutta - The Wilderness in the Heart. The five kinds of mental thorns, doubts, the five fetters.

MN 17 - Vanapattha Sutta - Jungle Thickets. Concerned with the choice of a suitable place for a Bhikkhu.

MN 18 - Madhupindika Sutta - The Ball of Honey. The Buddha is asked what doctrine he taught - not to live in discord with anyone; not to be obsessed by sense impressions; not to be troubled by doubts; not to crave for any form of existence.

MN 19 - Dvedhavitakka Sutta - Two Sorts of Thinking. The Buddha explains two kinds of thinking - wholesome and unwholesome and how Bhikkhus should practice to see the advantages of engaging in wholesome thoughts and the dangers of unwholesome thoughts.

MN 20 - Vitakkasanthana Sutta - The Removal of Distracting Thoughts. How to combat the arising of unwholesome thoughts with wholesome thoughts.

MN 21 - Kakacupama Sutta - The Simile of the Saw. The Buddha shows the harmfulness of ill-temper to Moliyaphagguna who lost his temper when others censured him for being too friendly with Bhikkhunis.

MN 22 - Alagaddupama Sutta - The Water-Snake Simile. The Buddha teaches the Bhikkhus on the right and wrong ways of learning the Dhamma, giving the simile of a snake catcher and the simile of the raft.

MN 23 - Vammika Sutta - The Anthill. Kumārakassapa was asked by a deva a set of 15 questions which he brought to the Buddha for clarification.

MN 24 - Ratha-vinita Sutta - Relay Chariots. The seven stages of purity that must be passed before attaining nibbāna.

MN 25 - Nivapa Sutta - The Bait / Fodder. The snares that waylay Bhikkhus on their path including the simile of the hunter, the hunter's followers, the green pasture and 4 different herds of deer. The hunter is likened to Māra.

MN 26 - Ariyapariyesanā Sutta - The Noble Search. The Buddha recounts his life, giving details of his renunciation, initial wrong practices of severe ascetism and final discovery of the noble eightfold path. Discusses noble and ignoble quests. Also known as the Pāsarāsi Sutta.

MN 27 - Cula-hatthipadopama Sutta - The Shorter Elephant Footprint Simile. The wandering ascetic Pilotika is asked by a brahmin whether he knew all the virtues and accomplishments of the Buddha. The Buddha later explains to the brahmin that the size of an elephant's footprint might still be misleading and that only when seeing the animal could one accurately judge its true size.

MN 28 - Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta - The Great Elephant Footprint Simile. Sāriputta explains that just as the footprint of all animals could be contained within the footprint of an elephant, all wholesome dhammas are comprised in the four noble truths.

MN 29 - Maha-saropama Sutta - The Greater Discourse on the Simile of the Heartwood. Gain and fame, which the Buddha likened to the external shoots and branches of a tree. Dhamma is taught for the attainment of arahatship, the noble liberation, which alone resembles the inner pith of a tree.

MN 30 - Cula-saropama Sutta - The Shorter Discourse on the Simile of the Heartwood. Brahmin Pingalakoccha asked whether all six teachers claiming to be Buddha were really enlightened. The Buddha explained the brahmacariya practice taught by a Buddha led to arahatship, not just to the achievement of gain and fame or supernormal powers.

MN 31 - Cula-gosinga Sutta - The Shorter Discourse in Gosinga. Anuruddha, Nandiya and Kimbila are visited by the Buddha who praises them on their way of living, practising the holy life with perfect harmony and concord amongst themselves.

MN 32 - Maha-gosinga Sutta - The Greater Discourse in Gosinga. Sāriputta asks the Buddha "who would most adorn this woodland park and enhance its beauty?". The discourse records the different answers provided by Revata, Anuruddha, Mahā Kassapa, Mahā Moggallāna, Sāriputta and the Buddha.

MN 33 - Maha-gopalaka Sutta - The Greater Cowherd Discourse. Explains the conditions under which the teaching would grow and prosper and the conditions under which it would decline and decay. Uses the simile of the cowherd being equipped with 11 skills of managing and tending his cattle.

MN 34 - Cula-gopalaka Sutta - The Shorter Discourse on the Cowherd. Deals with 11 factors, the failure to fulfil which would contribute to the downfall and ruin of the teaching.

MN 35 - Cula-saccaka Sutta - The Shorter Discourse on the Saccaka. Details the debate between the Buddha and Saccaka, a wandering ascetic, on the subject of atta (self). Saccaka insists the khandhas are atta but the Buddha points out each khandha is subject to anicca, dukkha and anattā.

MN 36 - Maha-Saccaka Sutta - The Greater Discourse on the Saccaka. Saccaka visits the Buddha again asking about the cultivation of mind and body. He knew only the wrong methods of developing concentration and the Buddha explained the various practices he himself had followed and mistakes he had made until he found the middle path.

MN 37 - Cula-tanhasankhaya Sutta - The Shorter Discourse on the Destruction of Craving. The king of devas asks how a disciple of the Buddha trains themself to realise nibbāna. The Buddha describes how a householder, after leaving their home, undertakes gradual training to purify their mind of all moral defilements.

MN 38 - Maha-tanhasankhaya Sutta - The Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving. Sāti, one of the Buddha's followers, held the view that the Buddha taught "the same consciousness transmigrates and wanders about." The Buddha details which are blameworthy and wholesome deeds, words and thoughts and which were praiseworthy.

MN 39 - Maha-Assapura Sutta - The Greater Discourse at Assapura. The Buddha encourages the mendicants to live up to their name, by actually practicing in a way that meets or exceeds the expectations people have for renunciants. 

MN 40 - Cula-assapura Sutta - The Shorter Discourse at Assapura. The labels of being a spiritual practitioner don’t just come from external trappings, but from sincere inner change.

MN 41 - Saleyyaka Sutta - The Brahmans of Sala. The Buddha explains to a group of brahmins the conduct leading to rebirth in higher or lower states, including detailed explanations of the ten core practices which lay people should undertake, and which also form the basis for liberation. 

MN 42 - Veranjaka Sutta - The Brahmins of Veranjaka. The Buddha explains the conduct leading to rebirth in higher or lower states, including detailed explanations of the ten core practices. 

MN 43 - Maha-vedalla Sutta - The Greater Set of Questions-and-Answers. A series of questions and answers between Sāriputta and Mahākoṭṭhita, examining various subtle and abstruse aspects of the teachings. 

MN 44 - Cula-vedalla Sutta - The Shorter Set of Questions-and-Answers. The layman Visākha asks the nun Dhammadinnā about various difficult matters, including some of the highest meditation attainments. The Buddha fully endorses her answers. 

MN 45 - Cula-dhammasamadana Sutta - The Shorter Discourse on Taking on Practices. The Buddha explains how taking up different practices may have harmful or beneficial results. The memorable simile of the creeper shows how insidious temptations can be. 

MN 46 - Maha-dhammasamadana Sutta - The Greater Discourse on Taking on Practices. While we all want to be happy, we often find the opposite happens. The Buddha explains why. 

MN 47 - Vīmaṃsaka Sutta - The Inquirer. While some spiritual teachers prefer to remain in obscurity, the Buddha not only encouraged his followers to closely investigate him but gave them a detailed and demanding method to do so. 

MN 48 - Kosambiya Sutta - The Kosambians. Despite the Buddha’s presence, the monks of Kosambi fell into a deep and bitter dispute. The Buddha taught the reluctant monks to develop love and harmony, reminding them of the state of peace that they sought. 

MN 49 - Brahmanimantanika Sutta - The Invitation of a Brahma. The Buddha ascends to a high heavenly realm where he engages in a cosmic contest with a powerful divinity, who had fallen into the delusion that he was eternal and all-powerful. 

MN 50 - Maratajjaniya Sutta - The Rebuke to Mara. Māra, the trickster and god of death, tried to annoy Moggallāna. He not only failed but was subject to a stern sermon warning of the dangers of attacking the Buddha’s disciples. 

Part II

Majjhimapaṇṇāsapāli - The Middle Fifty Discourses

MN 51 - Kandaka Sutta - To Kandaka. The Buddha discusses mindfulness meditation with lay practitioners. Contrasting the openness of animals with the duplicity of humans, he explains how to practice in a way that causes no harm to oneself or others. 

MN 52 - Atthakanagara Sutta - To the Man from Atthakanagara. Asked by a householder to teach a path to freedom, Venerable Ānanda explains no less than eleven meditative states that may serve as doors to the deathless. 

MN 53 - Sekha-patipada Sutta - The Practice for One in Training. The Buddha is invited by his family, the Sakyans of Kapilavatthu, to inaugurate a new community hall. He invites Venerable Ānanda to explain in detail the stages of spiritual practice for a lay trainee. 

MN 54 - Potaliya Sutta - To Potaliya. When Potaliya got upset at being referred to as “householder”, the Buddha quizzed him as to the true nature of attachment and renunciation. 

MN 55 - Jivaka Sutta - Discourse given to Jīvaka, the healer. The Buddha’s personal doctor, Jīvaka, hears criticisms of the Buddha’s policy regarding eating meat, and asks him about it. 

MN 56 - Upali Sutta - Discourse given to Upali the householder. The Buddha disagrees with a Jain ascetic on the question of whether physical or mental deeds are more important. When he hears of this, the Jain disciple Upāli decides to visit the Buddha to refute him and proceeds despite all warnings. 

MN 57 - Kukkuravatika Sutta - The Dog-duty Ascetic. Some ascetics in ancient India undertook extreme practices, such as a vow to behave like an ox or a dog. The Buddha meets two such individuals and is reluctantly pressed to reveal the kammic outcomes of such practice. 

MN 58 - Abhaya Sutta - To Prince Abhaya (On Right Speech). The leader of the Jains, Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta, gives his disciple Prince Abhaya a dilemma to pose to the Buddha, supposing that this will show his weakness. Things don’t go quite as planned. 

MN 59 - Bahuvedaniya Sutta - The Many Kinds of Feeling. The Buddha resolves a disagreement on the number of kinds of feelings that he taught, pointing out that different ways of teaching are appropriate in different contexts, and should not be a cause of disputes. He goes on to show the importance of pleasure in developing higher meditation. 

MN 60 - Apannaka Sutta - The Incontrovertible Teaching. The Buddha teaches a group of uncommitted householders how to use a rational reflection to arrive at practices and principles that are guaranteed to have a good outcome, even if we don’t know all the variables. 

MN 61 - Ambalatthikarahulovada Sutta - Advice to Rahula at Mango Stone. Using the “object lesson” of a cup of water, the Buddha explains to his son, Rāhula, the importance of telling the truth and reflecting on one’s motives. 

MN 62 - Maha-Rahulovada Sutta - The Greater Discourse of Advice to Rahula. The Buddha tells Rāhula to meditate on not-self, which he immediately puts into practice. Seeing him, Venerable Sāriputta advises him to develop breath meditation, but the Buddha suggests a wide range of different practices first. 

MN 63 - Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta - The Shorter Instructions to Malunkya. A monk demands that the Buddha answer his metaphysical questions, or else he will disrobe. The Buddha compares him to a man struck by an arrow, who refuses treatment until he can have all his questions about the arrow and the archer answered. 

MN 64 - Maha-Malunkyaputta Sutta - The Greater Instructions to Malunkya. A little baby has no wrong views or intentions, but the underlying tendency for these things is still there. Without practicing, they will inevitably recur. 

MN 65 - Bhaddali Sutta - To Bhaddali. A monk refuses to follow the rule forbidding eating after noon but is filled with remorse and forgiven. 

MN 66 - Latukikopama Sutta - The Quail Simile. Again, raising the rule regarding eating, but this time as a reflection of gratitude for the Buddha in eliminating things that cause complexity and stress. The Buddha emphasises how attachment, even to little things, can be dangerous. 

MN 67 - Catuma Sutta - At Catuma. After dismissing some unruly monks, the Buddha is persuaded to relent and teaches them four dangers for those gone forth.

MN 68 - Nalakapana Sutta - At Nalakapana. Those who practice do so not because they are failures, but because they aspire to higher freedom. When he speaks of the attainments of disciples, the Buddha does so in order to inspire. 

MN 69 - Gulissani Sutta - Gulissani. A monk comes down to the community from the wilderness but doesn’t behave properly. Venerable Sāriputta explains how a mendicant should behave, whether in forest or town. 

MN 70 - Kitagiri Sutta - At Kitagiri. A third discourse that presents the health benefits of eating in one part of the day and the reluctance of some mendicants to follow this. 

MN 71 - Tevijja Vacchagotta Sutta - To Vacchagotta on the Threefold True Knowledge. The Buddha denies being omniscient and sets forth the three higher knowledges that form the core of his awakened insight. 

MN 72 - Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta - To Vacchagotta on Fire. Refusing to take a stance regarding useless metaphysical speculations, the Buddha illustrates the spiritual goal with the simile of a flame going out. 

MN 73 - Maha-Vacchagotta Sutta - The Greater Discourse to Vacchagotta. In the final installment of the “Vacchagotta trilogy”, Vacchagotta lets go his obsession with meaningless speculation and asks about practice. 

MN 74 - Dighanahka Sutta - To Dighanakha. Deftly outmanoeuvring an extreme sceptic, the Buddha discusses the outcomes of belief and disbelief. Rather than getting stuck in abstractions, he encourages staying close to the feelings one experiences. 

MN 75 - Magandiya Sutta - To Magandiya. Accused by a hedonist of being too negative, the Buddha recounts the luxury of his upbringing, and his realisation of how little value there was in such things. Through renunciation he found a far greater pleasure. 

MN 76 - Sandaka Sutta - To Sandaka. Venerable Ānanda teaches a group of wanderers how there are many different approaches to the spiritual life, many of which lead nowhere. 

MN 77 - Maha-sakuludayi Sutta - The Greater Discourse to Sakuludayin. Unlike many teachers, the Buddha’s followers treat him with genuine love and respect, since they see the sincerity of his teaching and practice. 

MN 78 - Samana-Mundika Sutta - Mundika the Contemplative. A wanderer teaches that a person has reached the highest attainment when they keep four basic ethical precepts. The Buddha’s standards are considerably higher. 

MN 79 - Cula-sakuludayi Sutta - The Shorter Discourse to Sakuludayin. A wanderer teaches his doctrine of the “highest splendour” but is unable to give a satisfactory account of what that means. The Buddha memorably compares him to someone who is in love with an idealised women who he has never met. 

MN 80 - Vekhanassa Sutta - To Vekhanassa. Starting off similar to the previous sutta, the Buddha goes on to explain that one is not converted to his teaching just because of clever arguments, but because you see in yourself the results of the practice. 

MN 81 - Ghatikara Sutta - Ghatikara the Potter. The Buddha relates an unusual account of a past life in the time of the previous Buddha, Kassapa. At that time, he was not interested in Dhamma, and had to be forced to go see the Buddha. This discourse is important in understanding the development of the Bodhisattva doctrine. 

MN 82 - Ratthapala Sutta - About Ratthapala. A wealthy young man, Raṭṭhapāla, has a strong aspiration to go forth, but has to prevail against the reluctance of his parents. Even after he became a monk, his parents tried to persuade him to disrobe. The discourse ends with a moving series of teachings on the fragility of the world. 

MN 83 - Makhadeva Sutta - About King Makhadeva. A rare extended mythic narrative, telling of an ancient kingly lineage and their eventual downfall. 

MN 84 - Madhura Sutta - At Madhura. In Madhurā, towards the north-eastern limit of the Buddha’s reach during his life, King Avantiputta asks Venerable Mahākaccāna regarding the brahmanical claim to be the highest caste. 

MN 85 - Bodhirajakumara Sutta - To Prince Bodhi. Admitting that he used to believe that pleasure was to be gained through pain, the Buddha explains how his practice showed him the fallacy of that idea. 

MN 86 - Angulimala Sutta - About Angulimala. Ignoring warnings, the Buddha ventures into the domain of the notorious killer Aṅgulimāla and succeeds in converting him to the path of non-violence. After becoming a monk, Aṅgulimāla still suffered for his past deeds, but only to a small extent. He uses his new commitment to non-violence to help a woman in labour. 

MN 87 - Piyajatika Sutta - From One Who Is Dear. A rare glimpse into the marital life of King Pasenadi, and how he is led to the Dhamma by his Queen, the incomparable Mallikā. She confirms the Buddha’s teaching that our loved ones bring us sorrow; but that’s not something a husband, father, and king wants to hear. 

MN 88 - Bahitika Sutta - The Cloak. King Pasenadi takes a chance to visit Venerable Ānanda, where he asks about skillful and unskillful behavior, and what is praised by the Buddha. He offers Ānanda a valuable cloth in gratitude. 

MN 89 - Dhammacetiya Sutta - Monuments to the Dhamma. King Pasenadi of Kosala visits the Buddha and falls on his forehead at the feet of the Buddha. When asked by the Buddha why he was showing such humbleness and respect to the body of the Buddha, the king eloquently gives a eulogy of the Buddha, praising his virtues. The Buddha told his bhikkhus that the words uttered by the king constituted a memorial in honour of the Dhamma and urged them to learn this memorial and recite it frequently.

MN 90 - Kannakatthala Sutta - At Kannakatthala. Contains answers to King Pasenadi's questions about four classes of people and their destinations after death.

MN 91 - Brahmayu Sutta - Brahmayu. The brahmin Brahmāyu was 120 years old when he heard about the Buddha and sent his disciple Uttara to examine the 32 physical characteristics of a great man to see whether Gotama was indeed a Buddha. Uttara confirmed this and Brahmāyu went himself to see the Buddha and became a devoted disciple.

MN 92 - Sela Sutta - To Sela. The brahmin Sela hears about the Buddha and goes to see him along with three hundred young brahmins. After hearing a discourse from the Buddha all of them joined the Buddha's order.

MN 93 - Assalayana Sutta - To Assalayana. Five hundred brahmins attempted to challenge the Buddha on his views with regard to the purity and nobility of the four classes of people. Assalāyana, a talented young brahmin, is sent to contest with the Buddha and ends up becoming a disciple of the Buddha.

MN 94 - Ghotamukha Sutta - To Ghotamukha. A discussion between Udena and the brahmin Ghotamukha on the practice of the holy life. Udena described four kinds of persons engaged in ascetic practices. After the discussion, Ghotamukha becomes a disciple of Udena and takes refuge in the three jewels.

MN 95 - Canki Sutta - With Canki. The brahmin Canki comes to see the Buddha with a large crowd, one of whom was Kāpatika, a young brahmin. Kāpatika talks with the Buddha about the "three vedas" which had been handed down from generation to generation in unbroken tradition. This tradition was likened by the Buddha to a line of blind men each one clinging on to the preceding one.

MN 96 - Phasukari Sutta - To Phasukari (also known as Esukāri). The Buddha rejects the brahmin classification of society into four classes. The Buddha states that it is not only the brahmins who can develop mettā, free from enmity and ill-will, but that other classes can also develop mettā. It is not birth but the practice of wholesome dhamma that makes a person noble.

MN 97 - Dhananjani Sutta - To Dhananjani. Dhananjāni was a devoted lay disciple of the Buddha but when his first wife died, and he remarried, he reverted to wrongful means of livelihood. Sāriputta put him back on the right path. On his deathbed, Sāriputta solaced Dhananjāni with the Dhamma and he was reborn in the Brahmā world. The Buddha asked Sāriputta why he had put the old brahmin only on the way to the inferior Brahmā world when a higher attainment was possible for him.

MN 98 - Vasettha Sutta - To Vasettha. Two brahmin youths, Vāsettha and Bhāradvāja, discuss the origin of a brāhmana. Bhāradvāja maintained it was birth, lineage and caste that made a person a brāhmana. Vāsettha believed moral conduct and performance of customary duties were essential qualifications. They went to the Buddha to settle their dispute who told them that a person was not a brāhmana just because of their birth if they were full of worldly attachments, or harnessed to greed, ill-will, craving and ignorance. Only when the defilements and ignorance are removed, and one attains the knowledge of the four noble truths, could one become a brāhmana.

MN 99 - Subha Sutta - To Subha. Subha, the son of the brahmin Todeyya, believed that only householders could accomplish meritorious deeds in a right manner, not those who had gone forth from the household life. The Buddha removed his wrong views and Subha became a devoted disciple of the Buddha.

MN 100 - Sangarava Sutta - To Sangarava. Sangārava, a proud, young brahmin asks the Buddha whether the Buddha claimed to have attained in this very life special knowledge and vision and to have reached the other shore. The Buddha told Sangārava that he had personally realised the penetrative insight of the Dhamma unheard of before and recounted how he had become accomplished in the Dhamma by practice and self-realisation.

Part III

Uparipaṇṇāsapāli - The Final Fifty Two Discourses

MN 101 - Devadaha Sutta - To Devadaha. This discourse was given by the Buddha at Devadaha to refute the wrong views of the Niganthas. The Niganthas believed that whatever a person experienced in this life was caused by former action. They practised austerity as a penance to put an end to the result of former action. The Buddha taught them the right path that would lead to the end of suffering.

MN 102 - Pancattaya Sutta - The Five and Three. The Buddha explains the wrong beliefs of other sects speculating on whether the world is finite or infinite, etc.

MN 103 - Kinti Sutta - What Do You Think About Me? The Buddha explained that he taught the Dhamma not for the sake of gain nor in expectation of future happy existences. His teachings were for the attainment of higher knowledge leading to the end of suffering.

MN 104 - Samagama Sutta - At Samagama. Nigantha Nātaputta had recently died and his followers had split into two groups. Ānanda told the Buddha that he was worried there could be such a schism in the order after the Buddha died. The Buddha taught this discourse on imperfect and perfect teachers and disciples, on disputes and their origin, and on the essentials of his teaching.

MN 105 - Sunakkhatta Sutta - To Sunakkhatta. Bhikkhu Sunakkhatta asked the Buddha whether all the bhikkhus who came to the Buddha and declared their attainment of arahatship actually attained it. The Buddha said some did, but also that some didn't. The Buddha then taught him the essential dhammas in which one must become accomplished before claiming arahatship.

MN 106 - Aneñja-sappaya Sutta - Conducive to the Imperturbable. The Buddha explains to the bhikkhus the dangers of enjoying sensual pleasures, which are transitory, empty and deceptive. He said he had shown them the path leading to imperturbability, to the realm of nothingness, to the realm of neither consciousness nor non-consciousness, and ultimately to nibbāna. He then urged the bhikkhus to "go to the forest, to solitude. Strive hard in meditation."

MN 107 - Ganaka-Moggallana Sutta - The Discourse to Ganaka-Moggallana. The Buddha is asked by the brahmin Ganaka Moggallāna whether there are systematic rules, practices and methods in his teaching. The Buddha told him about the Dhamma, giving details about precepts to be observed, disciplinary rules to be followed, and also covered various concentrations to be developed and jhānas and paññās to be achieved step by step.

MN 108 - Gopaka-Moggallana Sutta - Moggallana the Guardsman. Two brahmins ask Ānanda if the Buddha has appointed someone to be head of the Sangha after he dies. Ānanda said there was no such person and that the Buddha was irreplaceable. The brahmins wanted to know how the Sangha could remain in agreement after the Buddha's death. Ānanda explained that the Sangha had refuge in the Dhamma and that the Sangha recited the pātimokkha - the summary of discipline rules - every two weeks.

MN 109 - Maha-punnama Sutta - The Great Full-moon Night Discourse. The Buddha was sitting in the midst of a large number of meditating bhikkhus out in the open on a full moon night. The silence was broken by the oldest of the meditating bhikkhus who, with the Buddha's permission, asked him about the five aggregates of grasping, how craving developed for each aggregate and how craving would cease.

MN 110 - Cula-punnama Sutta - The Shorter Discourse on the Full-moon Night. How to differentiate between a good person and a bad person, with a detailed description of the characteristics of good and bad people.

MN 111 - Anupada Sutta - One by One as they Occurred. The Buddha details the virtues of Sāriputta, extolling his wisdom and describing how Sāriputta went through the practices for development of sila, samādhi and pannā in a very thorough manner.

MN 112 - Chabbisodhana Sutta - The Sixfold Purity. The Buddha states that when any bhikkhu claims the attainment of arahatship, their claim should not be admitted or rejected outright. Their claim should be carefully scrutinised according to the guiding principles outlined in this discourse.

MN 113 - Sappurisa Sutta - The True Man. Describes how a good, worthy person is to be distinguished from a bad, unworthy person. Enumerates 26 characteristics by which each individual is to be assessed.

MN 114 - Sevitabba Asevitabba Sutta - To Be Cultivated and Not to Be Cultivated. A discourse given briefly by the Buddha and expounded on by Sāriputta, dealing with practices and actions which a bhikkhu should or should not resort to. If it's conducive to spiritual progress it should be resorted to and made use of, otherwise it should be rejected.

MN 115 - Bahudhatuka Sutta - The Many Kinds of Elements. An analytical study of elements (dhātu), bases (āyatana), dependent arising, and the right or wrong causes. Only a bhikkhu skilled in these studies may be considered as a wise person.

MN 116 - Isigili Sutta - The Discourse at Isigili. Given by the Buddha at Isigili, one of the hills surrounding Rājagaha. Explains why this hill was called by that name and of the many paccekbuddhas who used to dwell there.

MN 117 - Maha-cattarisaka Sutta - The Great Forty. A detailed exposition on right or appropriate concentration which has its base in the other seven constituent parts of the Noble Eightfold Path, and on 20 meritorious dhammas.

MN 118 - Anapanasati Sutta - Mindfulness of Breathing. Ānāpānasati as a method of meditation is explained to a large gathering of bhikkhus. Development of mindfulness of breathing establishes a person in the four methods of steadfast mindfulness. The four methods of steadfast mindfulness, when developed, establishes a person in the seven factors of enlightenment which, when also developed, brings about insight knowledge and emancipation.

MN 119 - Kayagatasati Sutta - Mindfulness Immersed in the Body. Describes the meditation practice involving contemplation on the 32 parts of the body. Details the practical steps in the method as well as its advantages.

MN 120 - Sankharuppatti Sutta - Reappearance by Aspiration. Explains how it is possible to have one's wish fulfilled if one is well established in the five wholesome dhammas: faith, moral conduct, learning, liberality and wisdom.

MN 121 - Cula-suññata Sutta - The Lesser Discourse on Emptiness. The Buddha once told Ānanda that he often dwelt in the liberation of the void (sunnata-vihāra) and explained what liberation of the void meant - liberation through insight that discerns voidness of self.

MN 122 - Maha-suññata Sutta - The Greater Discourse on Emptiness. Seeing many bhikkhus living together in a crowded place, the Buddha told Ānanda that a bhikkhu should not like living in company. He urged bhikkhus to look upon him as a sincere friend who would repeatedly point out their faults to help correct them.

MN 123 - Acchariyabbhutta Sutta - Wonderful and Marvelous. An account of the 20 marvellous attributes of the Buddha as extolled by Ānanda.

MN 124 - Bakkula Sutta - About Venerable Bakkula. Bākkula, aged 160, meets his old friend the naked ascetic Kassapa, after he had been in the order for 80 years. Kassapa asks how often he had indulged in sex during those 80 years. Bākkula tells his friend the marvellous attributes he possesses as an arahat including that he became an arahat after seven days of strenuous endeavour, after which he was completely free of moral defilements.

MN 125 - Dantabhumi Sutta - The Discourse on the "Tamed Stage". The Buddha explains to the novice Aciravata how a young prince like Prince Jayasena, son of King Bimbisāra, could not hope to realise such dhammas as concentration and jhānas whilst living in luxury surrounded by sense pleasures. The Buddha points out the difference between an arahat and an ordinary uninstructed person giving the simile of a tamed elephant and wild elephant.

MN 126 - Bhumija Sutta - To Bhumija. Given by Bhumija to his nephew, Prince Jayasena, to explain how fruition would result by practicing the noble eightfold path. The Buddha confirms this and gives the similes of attempting to make oil out of sand, squeezing the horns of a cow for milk, churning water to make butter and rubbing two pieces of wet green wood to make fire.

MN 127 - Anuruddha Sutta - To Anuruddha. A discourse given by Anuruddha to the carpenter, Pancakanga, to explain the difference between appamāna cetovimutti - liberation through practice of the four brahmavihāra meditations and mahaggata cetovimutti - liberation through kasina meditation using a meditational device.

MN 128 - Upakkilesa Sutta - Imperfections. The Buddha visits Anuruddha, Nandiya and Kimbila who inform the Buddha about the auras and visions they perceive in their meditation. The Buddha teaches them about the mental defilements (upakkilesa) that appear at certain stages in meditation and counsels they should be on their guard not to be led astray by the deceptive defilements.

MN 129 - Balapandita Sutta - Fools and Wise Men. On fools and the characteristic behaviour of fools; on how evil thoughts, words and deeds of fools harm themselves and others and how these evil actions lead to states of misery and woe. Also discusses the wise and their characteristics.

MN 130 - Devaduta Sutta - The Divine Messengers. A discourse on evil results arising from evil action, giving details of suffering in realms of misery and woe.

MN 131 - Bhaddekaratta Sutta - One Fine Night. Gives a detailed description of vipassana meditation. The Buddha urges the bhikkhus not to dwell in the past nor to seek the future but to perceive the Dhamma in the phenomena presently occurring.

MN 132 - Ananda Bhaddekaratta Sutta - Ananda and a Single Excellent Night. Ānanda repeats the Bhaddekaratta Sutta (MN131) to the bhikkhus.

MN 133 - Maha-kaccana Bhaddekaratta Sutta - Maha-kaccana and a Single Excellent Night.  A detailed teaching by Mahākaccāna on vipassana meditation of the five khandhas as explained in the Bhaddekaratta Sutta (MN131).

MN 134 - Lomasakangiya Bhaddekaratta - Lomasakangiya and a Single Excellent Night. A detailed teaching by Lomasakangiya on vipassana meditation of the five khandhas as explained in the Bhaddekaratta Sutta (MN131).

MN 135 - Cula-kammavibhanga Sutta - The Shorter Exposition of Kamma. Subha, son of the brahmin Todeyya, asks the Buddha 14 questions on why some were born rich, some poor, some beautiful, some ugly, etc. The buddha gives a long teaching on kamma and its resultant effects.

MN 136 - Maha-kammavibhanga Sutta - The Greater Exposition of Kamma. Another discourse on kamma and its resultant effects which are most difficult to foresee. How the workings of kamma are most strange and surprising is explained with reference to four types of individuals.

MN 137 - Salayatana-vibhanga Sutta - An Analysis of the Six Sense-media. A detailed analytical exposition on the six internal sense bases, the six external sense bases and the six types of consciousness arising from the six types of contact, etc.

MN 138 - Uddesa-vibhanga Sutta - An Analysis of the Statement. How restraint of the mind with regard to external sense bases and non-attachment to internal sense bases lead to the cessation of suffering.

MN 139 - Aranavibhanga Sutta - An Analysis of Non-Conflict. An exhortation to practice the middle path, avoiding the two extremes of indulgence in sensual pleasures and practice of self-mortification, and on modes of conduct; not indulging in backbiting and on appropriate speech.

MN 140 - Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta - An Analysis of the Elements. Given by the Buddha to the recluse, Pukkusāti. Details how the six elements are not me, mine or myself and all subject to the law of impermanence, as are the three types of sensations.

MN 141 - Saccavibhanga Sutta - An Analysis of the Truths. The Buddha teaches the four noble truths and urges the bhikkhus to seek guidance from Sāriputta and Mahā Moggallāna, likening Sāriputta to a mother and Mahā Moggallāna to a foster mother.

MN 142 - Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta - The Exposition of Offerings. A discourse given to the Buddha's foster mother Mahāpajāpati when she offered the Buddha a set of robes she had made. The Buddha urged her to make the offering to the Sangha. He listed 14 kinds of donations to individuals and 7 kinds of donations to the Sangha, explaining the superior benefit of offerings to the Sangha.

MN 143 - Anathapindikovada Sutta - Instructions to Anathapindika. A discourse given by Sāriputta to Anāthapindika on his deathbed. Sāriputta directs him not to grasp at the six internal sense bases, nor the six external sense bases, nor the feelings that arise in relation to them, nor at the six elements, nor at the five aggregates, nor the higher jhanas. With no attachment to any of them, there would come liberation.

MN 144 - Channovada Sutta - Instructions to Channa. Sāriputta and Cunda visit Channa who is very ill and teach him vipassana meditation. Channa died an arahat.

MN 145 - Punnovada Sutta - Instructions to Punna. The Buddha outlines to Punna how to practise the holy life in solitude.

MN 146 - Nandakovada Sutta - Nandaka's Exhortation. Nandaka gives a discourse to 500 bhikkhunis, in the presence of the Buddha, dealing with the 12 categories of internal and external sense bases, the six types of consciousness, their impermanent nature and how to practise the seven factors of enlightenment,

MN 147 - Cula-rahulovada Sutta - The Shorter Discourse of Advice to Rāhula. The Buddha speaks with his son, Rāhula, already a bhikkhu, using questions and answers on the impermanent nature of the 12 sense bases. Rāhula attains arahatship.

MN 148 - Chachakka Sutta - Six by Six. A teaching frequently given to bhikkhus by the Buddha on the six internal sense bases, the six external sense bases, six types of consciousness, six types of contacts, six types of sensation, six kinds of craving and on how their interrelationship led to continuity of phenomena from one existence to another.

MN 149 - Maha-salayatanika Sutta - The Great Six Sense-media Discourse. Details how ignorance of the six categories of dhamma such as the six internal sense bases, etc., gives rise to craving, and craving to suffering. Explains how when things are seen as they really are by following the noble eightfold path, the knowledge of the seven factors of enlightenment arises resulting in nibbāna.

MN 150 - Nagaravindeyya Sutta - To the Nagaravindans. The Buddha explains to the villagers of Nagaravinda the distinction between samanas and brāhmanas who deserved honour and homage and those who did not.

MN 151 - Pindapataparisuddhi Sutta - The Purification of Almsfood. An exhortation to bhikkhus to keep themselves pure in mind while going on alms round or while eating their meal, by discarding craving, removing hindrances and developing the seven factors of enlightenment through continuous practice.

MN 152 - Indriya-bhavana Sutta - The Development of the Faculties. Shows the difference between the control of the senses practised by an arahat and that practised by one still under training. The Buddha explained that feelings of liking, disliking or indifference that arise from conditioned phenomena could be eliminated by vipassana meditation.