Great Disciples

Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy

Nyanaponika, et al. Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy. Wisdom Publications in collaboration with the Buddhist Publication Society of Kandy, Sri Lanka, 2003.

Table of Contents (who is in the book)

1. Sāriputta: The Marshal of the Dhamma
2. Mahāmoggallāna: Master of Psychic
3. Mahākassapa: Father of the Sangha
4. Ānanda: Guardian of the Dhamma
5. Anuruddha: Master of the Divine Eye
6. Mahākaccāna: Master of Doctrinal Exposition
7. Great Women Disciples of the Buddha
   Visākhā: The Buddha’s Chief Patroness
   Mallikā: The Flower-girl Queen
   Khemā of Great Wisdom
   Bhaddā Kuṇḍalakesā: The Debating Ascetic
   Kisāgotamī: The Mother with the Dead Child
   Soṇā with Many Children
   Nandā: The Buddha’s Half-sister
   Queen Sāmāvatī: Embodiment of Loving-kindness
   Paṭācārā: Preserver of the Vinaya
   Ambapālī: The Generous Courtesan
   Sirimā and Uttarā
   Isidāsī: A Journey through Saṁsāra
8. Aṅgulimāla: A Murderer’s Road To Sainthood
9. Anāthapiṇḍika: The Buddha’s Chief Patron
10. Shorter Lives of the Disciples
    The Householder Citta
    The Bhikkhu Citta
    Father and Mother Nakula

You can also find a version of these chapters for free online:

1. Sāriputta: The Marshal of the Dhamma
2. Mahāmoggallāna: Master of Psychic
3. Mahākassapa: Father of the Sangha
4. Ānanda: Guardian of the Dhamma
5. Anuruddha: Master of the Divine Eye [multiple versions]
6. Mahākaccāna: Master of Doctrinal Exposition [multiple versions]
7. Great Women Disciples of the Buddha
8. Aṅgulimāla: A Murderer’s Road To Sainthood
9. Anāthapiṇḍika: The Buddha’s Chief Patron
10. Shorter Lives of the Disciples [multiple versions]

Dictionary of Pali Proper Names (DPPN)

Malalasekera, G. P. Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 2007.

This book is an encyclopedia of every person and place name in every Pali book (Sutta, Vinaya, Commentary, Vansas, etc).

• Best online version
• Alternate version 1
• Alternate version 2
• PDF
  • Volume 1—Pali-Proper-Names-Vol-I-A-Dh.pdf (108 MB)
  • Volume 2—Pali-Proper-Names-Vol-II-N-H.pdf (132 MB)

One difficulty with this book is that the citations are in an unusual format. Fortunately, there is a converter that will help you go directly to the suttas online: pts.ticao.de

Dhammapada Commentary

Many of the stories we know that are not Jataka are found in the Dhammapada commentary. There is a complete translation of these commentary stories in English in the book Buddhist Legends. If you see a citation that uses the abbreviation DhpA, this is the book.

How to find stories

When you go to the Buddhist Legends page you can try to search for the name of the person or thing that makes up the big part of the story.

Otherwise, one of the easiest ways to find the story you want is to first ask the monks which one of the Sinhala volumes in the series you see below. The volume number will tell you the chapter in Buddhist Legends. Then you can see the verse number associated with the story and find it that way.