Digha Nikaya: Long Discourses

The Long Discourses (Dīgha Nikāya, abbreviated DN) is a collection of 34
discourses in the Pali canon (Tipiṭaka) of the Theravāda school. The word
“long” refers to the length of the individual discourses, not the collection as a
whole, which is in fact the smallest of the five Pali Nikāyas. It is one of the
fundamental collections of early Buddhist teachings, depicting the Buddha in
a lively range of settings. Compared to other collections it contains more
extended narratives in diverse literary styles. Many discourses feature
interreligious dialog with brahmins and other non-Buddhists. This collection
parallels the Dīrghāgama (DA) of the Dharmaguptaka school, which is the
first text in the Taishō edition of the Chinese canon. Several uncollected
suttas in Chinese and Sanskrit also belong to this collection. Two-thirds of a
Dīrghāgama from the Sarvāstivāda school has been found, but only small
portions have been published.

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