The Word of the Buddha - 5

This third sub-collection, called The Fifty Ends, contains not fifty suttas, but fifty-two. It is also divided into five chapters: the Chapter Beginning with Devadha, the Chapter Beginning in One by One, the Chapter Beginning by Cessation, the Chapter on Analysis, and the Chapter on the Six Senses. Outstanding in this subcollection are the suttas MN 117 The Forty Great Ones, which is a summary of the Noble Eightfold Path, MN 118 The Instructions for Breathing Practice and MN 121 Brief Discourse on Cessation, which explains the levels of mystical practice. These suttas contain the most doctrinal content of the Collection of Intermediate Discourses. On the spurious side, the suttas MN 123 which incorporates with baroque tints the very late legend of the real origin of the Buddha together with MN 142 which, in addition, serves to give a falsified doctrinal cover to donate to the bhikkhus in any circumstance even if they are evil individuals in disguise.