In their essence, the Buddha’s teachings are concerned with a clear-eyed understanding of the reality of our suffering and pointing the way to freedom from that suffering. Here in all their power, as memorized word-for-word by his disciples and written down a millennium and a half ago, are the core teachings of the Buddha in his own words. These selections deal with the search for truth, the way of contemplation, life and death, living in community, and many other topics, serving as an excellent introduction to the Buddhist path. Clear, uplifting, and potent, the Buddha’s teachings are as freshly relevant today as they were when first presented.