Aṅguttara Nikāya

Aṅguttara Nikāya. The fourth division of the Sūtra Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, consisting of eleven sections (nipātas) and 9,557 suttas. It consists of short discourses arranged to a numerical system, probably as an aid to memory. Set out in order are first the units, then the pairs, the triads, and so forth, up to groups of eleven. This method of arrangement has possibly influenced the subject matter as well, as most of the discourses follow a stereotyped formulaic presentation and one seldom finds in it any reasoned arguments. Many of the discourses can be found elsewhere in the canon. It is said that, when the Buddha's religion fades away, the first portion of the Sūtra Piṭaka to disappear will be the Aṅguttara Nikāya from the eleventh section to the first, and in that order. The commentary to the Aṅguttara Nikāya, known by the title of Manorathapūraṇī, was composed by Buddhaghoṣa in the 5th century. A subcommentary to the first seven chapters, by the title of Sāratthamañjūsā, was composed in the 12th century.