Thus Have I Heard Sutra (如是語經)

About 如是語經

Source text translated by 悟醒

21,570 · about 72 min

The Itivuttaka Sutta is one of the texts in the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Pāli Canon in Theravāda Buddhism. Its authors are the Buddha and his disciples, compiled and transmitted by generations of monastics. This scripture was formed during the period of the First Buddhist Council following the Buddha's Parinirvāṇa, recording the Buddha's teachings and the law of cause and effect in both verse and prose. Its contents consist mostly of brief discourses, emphasizing karmic retribution, ethical practice, and mental purification, conveying the core doctrines of early Buddhism through the traditional "Thus have I heard" format. As an essential component of early Buddhist scriptures, it provides direct source material for studying the Buddha's fundamental teachings. Regarded as an authoritative sacred text in both Chinese and Theravāda Buddhist traditions, it holds irreplaceable value for understanding the foundational principles of Buddhism.