The Mahavagga includes several sutta-like texts, including an account of the period immediately following the Buddha's Awakening, his first sermons to the group of five monks, and stories of how some of his great disciples joined the Sangha and themselves attained Awakening. Also included are the rules for ordination, for reciting the Patimokkha during uposatha days, and various procedures that monks are to perform during formal gatherings of the community.

The passages listed below follow the numbering convention used by I.B. Horner in her PTS English translations.

• Mv 1.23.1-10: Upatissa-pasine — Upatissa's (Sariputta's) Question [Thanissaro]. The young Ven. Sariputta asks Ven. Assaji, "What is your teacher's teaching?" Upon hearing the reply, Ven. Sariputta attains the fruit of stream-entry. (This is one of the suttas selected by King Asoka (r. 270-232 BCE) to be studied and reflected upon frequently by all practicing Buddhists. See That the True Dhamma Might Last a Long Time: Readings Selected by King Asoka, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.)
• Mv 6.40.1: Vinaya-samukkamsa — The Innate Principles of the Vinaya [Thanissaro]. The Four Great Standards by which a monk can determine whether an action would or would not be considered allowable by the Buddha. (This is one of the suttas selected by King Asoka (r. 270-232 BCE) to be studied and reflected upon frequently by all practicing Buddhists. See That the True Dhamma Might Last a Long Time: Readings Selected by King Asoka, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.)
• Mv 8.26.1-8: Kucchivikara-vatthu — The Monk with Dysentery [Thanissaro]. In this touching story the Buddha comes across a desperately ill monk who had been utterly neglected by his companions. The Buddha leaps to his aid, and offers a teaching on those qualities that make patients easy (or difficult) to tend to and those that make caregivers fit (or unfit) to tend to their patients.
• Mv 10.2.3-20: Dighavu-kumara Vatthu — The Story of Prince Dighavu [Thanissaro]. This is surely one of the most dramatic stories in the Pali canon — a tale of murder, intrigue, and revenge — which teaches the wisest way to "settle an old score."