For further reading

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/index.html

Digha Nikaya
The Long Discourses
© 2005

The Digha Nikaya, or “Collection of Long Discourses” (Pali digha =
“long”) is the first division of the Sutta Pitaka, and consists of
thirty-four suttas, grouped into three vaggas, or divisions:

Silakkhandha-vagga — The Division Concerning Morality (13 suttas)
Maha-vagga — The Large Division (10 suttas)
Patika-vagga — The Patika Division (11 suttas)

An excellent modern translation of the complete Digha Nikaya is Maurice
Walshe’s The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha
Nikaya (formerly titled: Thus Have I Heard) (Boston: Wisdom
Publications, 1987). A fine anthology of selected suttas is Handful of
Leaves (Vol. 1), by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (distributed by the PTS).

The translator appears in the square brackets []. The braces {} contain
the volume and starting page number in the PTS romanized Pali edition.

DN 1: Brahmajāla Sutta — The All-embracing Net of Views {D i 1}
[Bodhi]. In this important sutta, the first in the Tipitaka, the Buddha
describes sixty-two philosophical and speculative views concerning the
self and the world that were prevalent among spiritual seekers of his
day. In rejecting these teachings — many of which thrive to this day —
he decisively establishes the parameters of his own.
DN 2:
Samaññaphala Sutta — The Fruits of the Contemplative Life {D i 47}
[Thanissaro]. King Ajatasattu asks the Buddha, “What are the fruits of
the contemplative life, visible in the here and now?” The Buddha replies
by painting a comprehensive portrait of the Buddhist path of training,
illustrating each stage of the training with vivid similes.
DN
9: Potthapada Sutta — About Potthapada {D i 178} [Thanissaro]. The
wandering ascetic Potthapada brings to the Buddha a tangle of questions
concerning the nature of perception. The Buddha clears up the matter by
reviewing the fundamentals of concentration meditation and showing how
it can lead to the ultimate cessation of perception.
DN 11:
Kevatta (Kevaddha) Sutta — To Kevatta {D i 211} [Thanissaro]. This
discourse explores the role of miracles and conversations with heavenly
beings as a possible basis for faith and belief. The Buddha does not
deny the reality of such experiences, but he points out that — of all
possible miracles — the only reliable one is the miracle of instruction
in the proper training of the mind. As for heavenly beings, they are
subject to greed, anger, and delusion, and so the information they give —
especially with regard to the miracle of instruction — is not
necessarily trustworthy. Thus the only valid basis for faith is the
instruction that, when followed, brings about the end of one’s own
mental defilements. The tale that concludes the discourse is one of the
finest examples of the early Buddhist sense of humor. [This summary
provided by the translator.]
DN 12: Lohicca Sutta — To Lohicca
{D i 224} [Thanissaro]. A non-Buddhist poses some good questions: If
Dhamma is something that one must realize for oneself, then what is the
role of a teacher? Are there any teachers who don’t deserve some sort of
criticism? The Buddha’s reply includes a sweeping summary of the entire
path of practice.
DN 15: Maha-nidana Sutta — The Great Causes
Discourse {D ii 55} [Thanissaro]. One of the most profound discourses in
the Pali canon, which gives an extended treatment of the teachings of
dependent co-arising (paticca samuppada) and not-self (anatta) in an
outlined context of how these teachings function in practice. An
explanatory preface is included.
DN 16: Maha-parinibbana Sutta —
Last Days of the Buddha/The Great Discourse on the Total Unbinding {D
ii 137; chapters 5-6} [Vajira/Story | Thanissaro (excerpt)]. This
wide-ranging sutta, the longest one in the Pali canon, describes the
events leading up to, during, and immediately following the death and
final release (parinibbana) of the Buddha. This colorful narrative
contains a wealth of Dhamma teachings, including the Buddha’s final
instructions that defined how Buddhism would be lived and practiced long
after the Buddha’s death — even to this day. But this sutta also
depicts, in simple language, the poignant human drama that unfolds among
the Buddha’s many devoted followers around the time of the death of
their beloved teacher.
DN 20: Maha-samaya Sutta — The Great
Assembly/The Great Meeting {D ii 253} [Piyadassi | Thanissaro]. A large
group of devas pays a visit to the Buddha. This sutta is the closest
thing in the Pali canon to a “Who’s Who” of the deva worlds, providing
useful material for anyone interested in the cosmology of early
Buddhism.
DN 21: Sakka-pañha Sutta — Sakka’s Questions {D ii
276; chapter 2} [Thanissaro (excerpt)]. Sakka, the deva-king, asks the
Buddha about the sources of conflict, and about the path of practice
that can bring it to an end. This discourse ends with a humorous account
about Sakka’s frustration in trying to learn the Dhamma from other
contemplatives. It’s hard to find a teacher when you’re a king.

DN 22: Maha-satipatthana Sutta — The Great Frames of Reference {D ii
290} [Burma Piṭaka Assn. | Thanissaro]. This sutta offers comprehensive
practical instructions on the development of mindfulness in meditation.
The Buddha describes how the development of continuous mindfulness of
the four satipatthana (”foundations of mindfulness” or “frames of
reference”) — mindfulness of the body, of feelings, of the mind, and of
mind-objects — can lead ultimately to full Awakening. [The text of this
sutta is identical to that of the Satipatthana Sutta (MN 10), except
that the Majjhima version omits the exposition of the Four Noble Truths
(sections 5a,b,c and d in part D of this version).]
DN 26:
Cakkavatti Sutta — The Wheel-turning Emperor {D iii 58} [Thanissaro]. In
this excerpt the Buddha explains how skillful action can result in the
best kind of long life, the best kind of beauty, the best kind of
happiness, and the best kind of strength.
DN 31: Sigalovada
Sutta — The Buddha’s Advice to Sigalaka/The Discourse to Sigala {D iii
180} [Kelly/Sawyer/Yareham | Narada]. The householder’s code of
discipline, as described by the Buddha to the layman Sigala. This sutta
offers valuable practical advice for householders on how to conduct
themselves skillfully in their relationships with parents, spouses,
children, pupils, teachers, employers, employees, friends, and spiritual
mentors so as to bring happiness to all concerned.
DN 32:
Atanatiya Sutta — Discourse on Atanatiya {D iii 194} [Piyadassi]. One of
the “protective verses” (paritta) that are chanted to this day for
ceremonial purposes by Theravada monks and nuns around the world. See
Piyadassi Thera’s The Book of Protection.