Saṃyukta Āgama 2

The Saṃyukta Āgama is a collection of over 1300 short texts which together represent the early collected core teachings of Buddhism. The Saṃyukta Āgama is the oldest āgama collection and is thought to be the only āgama compiled at the First Buddhist Council in Rājagṛha.

According to the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya Vibhāṣā, the Saṃyukta Āgama differs from other āgama collections in having more information related to the practice of dhyāna. As such, it was the preferred collection of those who practiced meditation. This Saṃyukta Āgama is analogous to the Pali Saṃyutta Nikāya, but it has an entirely different textual lineage, coming from the Sarvāstivādins in India, who used Sanskrit. The text was brought along the Silk Road and then translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in the fifth century by the Indian monk Guṇabhadra.

The text of the Saṃyukta Āgama is divided into three large groups: Sūtra, Geya, and Vyākaraṇa. Of the three, Sūtra is given special significance by later writers and commentators, and contains the very core doctrines and teachings of Buddhism, while Geya and Vyākaraṇa are added supplements.