Preface 9Abbreviations 25Introduction: How to Read the Suttas 271. Understanding 452. The Five Aggregates 653. Matter 814. Feeling 955. Perception 1116. Determinations 1297. Consciousness 1438. Impermanence 1599. Dependent Origination 17510. The Senses 19111. Mindfulness I: satipaṭṭhāna 20512. Mindfulness II: Contexts 23313. Virtue and Sense Restraint 25914. Sensuality and the Hindrances 27915. Jhāna 299Conclusion: First Things First 321Glossary 339Sutta References 343Further Reading 347Perhaps you have been practising meditation for some time now, but feel that you have reached a plateau. Perhaps you have decided that it might be a good idea to go directly to the source and investigate the teachings of the Buddha. Perhaps you have already started to explore the Pali canon and are feeling a little overwhelmed.This book offers you a structured anthology of the Pali suttas. Each chapter deals with one theme from the Buddha’s teaching, providing you with some of the most important texts that relate to that theme. The chapters are organised in such a way that they offer a helpful framework for grasping the Buddha’s teaching in its entirety.But this is not only an anthology. It is also a workbook. It is a book that requires you to work. You will be asked many questions, all of which relate to how you understand the situation you’re in right now. These questions are designed to expose the various phenomena, mentioned in the suttas, that are there in your present experience. Perhaps this mindful reflection can help you to see if you are going in the same direction as the Buddha.