John D. Ireland [info icon]
The Discourse Collection: Selected Texts from the Sutta Nipata, by John D. Ireland (1995; 22pp./67KB)
A fine sampler of short suttas from the Sutta Nipata, spanning a wide range of topics, including: good conduct and bad, the Buddha's battle with Mara, cultivation of right view, the simile of the boat, etc. Some are formal sermons, some take the form of question-and-answer sessions between the Buddha and several brahmans of the day, and some are simply short inspirational passages.
Samyutta Nikaya: An Anthology, by John D. Ireland (2006; 52pp./156KB) [PDF icon]
This anthology of seventy-eight suttas from the Samyutta Nikaya provides a good introductory taste of one of the richest books in the Pali canon. It is the first in the Buddhist Publication Society's three-part series of Samyutta anthologies published as Wheels.
Vangisa: An Early Buddhist Poet, pali text edited and translated by John D. Ireland (2005; 28pp./85KB) [PDF icon]
The final section of the Theragatha of the Khuddaka Nikaya contains fifteen poems composed by Venerable Vangisa, the monk whom the Buddha had designated as his foremost disciple in the composition of spontaneous verse. The subject of these poems ranges widely: from expressions of Vangisa's own inner struggles and setbacks in Dhamma practice, to verses in praise of the Buddha and some of his great discciples, to verses in celebration of Vangisa's final attainment of arahantship. This book contains a carefully annotated translation of these poems (accompanied by the Pali text), along with a helpful Introduction that places them in their historical and literary context.