Early Buddhist texts · every day

A daily Buddhist practice, from the earliest texts.

Each day: a short passage from the Dhammapada or the discourses, a sit of three to thirty minutes, one thing to try, and one question for the evening.

Today’s practice
Read · Sit · Live · Reflect

Ten minutes, four small steps

The structure comes from the iPhone app, Buddhism: Daily Dharma. Every passage is quoted unchanged from Bhikkhu Sujato’s public-domain translations, with a plain explanation beside it.

Read the full guide
  1. Read

    A passage of a few lines, what it says, and one way to take it into an ordinary day.

  2. Sit

    A silent or guided sit with a bell at the end. The timer works right here in the browser.

  3. Live

    One concrete thing to try, such as one slow breath before answering a hard message.

  4. Reflect

    One question for the evening. All the questions are collected on one page.

The library · free to read

The texts behind every practice, in full

423

verses of the Dhammapada

All 26 chapters, numbered verse by verse, each chapter with a short introduction.

Not to do any evil;to embrace the good;to purify one’s mind:this is the instruction of the Buddhas.Dhammapada 183
Open the Dhammapada
93

discourses, grouped by topic

From the Kalama Sutta to the second arrow, each with an introduction and a note on anything that needs context.

Browse all suttas
73

terms, in plain English

Dukkha, mettā, papañca, the five hindrances: each defined as the translations use it, with the passage where it appears.

Open the glossary
Sit

A meditation timer with a real bell

Choose three to thirty minutes, sit in silence or with guided cues you can read and then close your eyes, and let a soft chime mark the end. Nothing to sign up for.

Questions

Is everything on this site free?

Yes. The daily practice, the 7-day Getting Started week, the full Dhammapada, all 93 suttas, the glossary and the meditation timer are free to use here, with no account. The iPhone app adds reminders, a journal, and an optional subscription for eight longer paths.

Which translation do you use?

Every source text is Bhikkhu Sujato’s English translation, published by SuttaCentral and dedicated to the public domain (CC0). Passages are quoted unchanged and linked to the original.

Is this tied to one Buddhist tradition?

The passages come from the early texts that all Buddhist traditions share, mostly the Pali discourses and the Dhammapada. The explanations are one plain-language reading, not the teaching of a particular school, and they do not replace a teacher or a community.

How is today’s practice chosen?

By the calendar. Twenty-eight practices repeat in a fixed four-week cycle, chosen by your own date, exactly as the app does, so the website and the app show the same practice on the same day.