Nikāya is a Pāli word that means “volume,” “collection,” “assemblage,” “class,” or “group.”[1] It is most commonly used in reference to the Pali Buddhist scriptures of the Tipitaka texts, namely those found in the Suttanta Piṭaka (Discourse Basket).
The term Nikāya Buddhism is sometimes used in contemporary scholarship to refer to the Buddhism of the early Buddhist schools.
Text collections
In the Pāli Canon, particularly, the Suttanta Piṭaka, the meaning of nikāya is roughly equal to the English collection and is utilized to introduce groupings of discourses according to theme, length, or other categories.
The Sutta Piṭaka is divided into five nikāyas:
1. The Dīgha Nikāya, the collection of long (dīgha) discourses
2. The Majjhima Nikāya, the collection of middle-length (majjhima) discourses
3. The Samyutta Nikāya, the collection of thematically linked (samyutta) discourses
4. The Anguttara Nikāya, the “gradual collection” (discourses grouped by content enumerations)
5. The Khuddaka Nikāya, the “minor collection”.
Five Nikāyas
There are 34 long suttas in this nikaya. This includes some significant sermons: The Greater Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, The Fruits of the Contemplative Life, and The Buddha’s Last Days.
There are 152 medium-length suttas in this nikaya. This includes Shorter Exposition of Kamma, Mindfulness of Breathing, and Mindfulness of the Body.
There are, according to one reckoning, 2,889, but according to the commentary 7,762, shorter suttas in this Nikaya.
These teachings are arranged numerically. It includes, according to the commentary’s reckoning, 9,565 short suttas grouped by number from ones to elevens.
This is a heterogeneous mix of sermons, doctrines, and poetry attributed to the Buddha and his disciples. The contents vary somewhat between editions. The Thai edition includes 1-15 below, the Sinhalese edition 1-17 and the Burmese edition 1-18.
Note:
[1] Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary. Chipstead: Pali Text Society.
