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Exploring the Dīgha Nikāya as a Foundation for Meditation: A Textual Study of Five Pivotal Suttas

Javana Ñāṇa

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) March 1, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18908439 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative textual study
Topics Meditation
Key findings Argues that five Dīgha Nikāya discourses (DN 2, 9, 13, 15, 22) present meditative training as a staged path integrating ethics, concentration, and insight rather than a single technique, and proposes the Dīgha Nikāya as a comprehensive, under-examined canonical foundation for meditation toward Nibbāna.

Abstract

(Correction note: This version corrects typographical errors in the institutional name (‘Shana’ → ‘Shan’) and location (‘Taunngyi’ → ‘Taunggyi’) present in version 1.) This study investigates the Dīgha Nikāya, the "Collection of Long Discourses" in the Pāli Canon, as a foundational source for early Buddhist meditation. It examines how selected discourses systematically present the stages, components, and purposes of meditative training within the integrated path of ethics (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and insight (paññā). While contemporary scholarship has explored mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna) and absorptions (jhāna) across various Nikāyas, less attention has been given to the Dīgha Nikāya as a unified textual framework. This project explores five key discourses from the Dīgha Nikāya (the Sāmaññaphala Sutta (DN 2), the Poṭṭhapāda Sutta (DN 9), the Tevijja Sutta (DN 13), the Mahānidāna Sutta (DN 15), and the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (DN 22)) to trace how the early Buddhist texts map out the meditative path. Rather than presenting meditation as a single technique, these suttas unfold it in stages: beginning with ethical conduct and the deepening of concentration through the absorptions; moving into the cultivation of the four brahmavihāras of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity; then examining how meditative practice reshapes perception and understanding; followed by a thorough exposition of dependent origination (paṭicca-samuppāda); and finally, the detailed, systematic practice of mindfulness and insight as laid out in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta. This qualitative textual study bridges canonical models and contemporary interpretations, presenting the Dīgha Nikāya as a comprehensive foundation for meditative training toward liberation (Nibbāna).

Comparable studies

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Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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