About this book: The Sutta-Nipata is one of the oldest collections of Buddhist discourses in the Pali Canon, and by far one of the msot popular as well as being the most important. Written in a mixture of prose and verse, it presents a code of conduct and provides the basis for a system of moral philosophy. A prime source work, it constitutes a rational, straghtforward understanding of the ethics and psychology of Buddhism. The translator has here produced a prose version of the Sutta-Nipata which conveys the spirit of this imporant text in contemporary language, and it is therefore presented for the consideration of imaginative readers not inhibited by traditional interpretations. Thus it is hoped to stand the test of time more effectively than its predecessors.