Sutta Nipata: The Group of Discourses

It is widely accepted that the Sutta Nipata contains the earliest recorded version of the Buddha's teaching. It is an anthology of poetry and prose - 70 titled suttas of varied instruction and temperament arranged in five chapters.

At the start are two of its most famous suttas: The Snake, in which the actions of the practising bhikkhu approaching liberation is likened to a snake that 'leaves its old, worn-out skin'; and The Rhinoceros Horn, which expounds the virtue of solitude for those wi...