A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s3.t1.7

v2.c19.s3.t1.7

1. The Dīghanikāya, "the collection of the long sermons,"[^2) consists of 34 Suttas of considerable length, each of which deals minutely with one or more points of the doctrine, and could equally well be regarded as an independent work. The whole work is divided into three books, which differ in contents and character, but all of which contain earlier and later strata of tradition.[^3) The earliest stratum is represented principally in the first book, and the later one mainly in the third book, whilst the second book is composed of the longest Suttas, some of which have grown to their present bulk owing to interpolations.[^4) In form, too, the Suttas are by no means homogeneous. Whilst all the Suttas in Book I and a number of Suttas in Books II and III are written entirely in prose,