Think of the Sutta Piṭaka’s main collections as five different podcast series, each with its own style and rhythm:

• Dīgha Nikāya (Long Discourses)
Runs 34 feature-length talks—deep dives into ethics, cosmology and monastic rules. These are the epic documentaries of early Buddhism, akin to those in-depth specials you binge when craving big-picture insights.

• Majjhima Nikāya (Middle-Length Discourses)
About 152 mid-length “episodes” covering everything from mindfulness in daily life to tackling desire and fear. It’s like the perfect 30-minute show: rich enough to leave an impression, yet digestible between meetings or on a lunch break.

• Saṃyutta Nikāya (Connected Discourses)
Over 7,000 shorter snippets organized by theme—say, all the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence in one place. Imagine curated playlists on Spotify, grouping related tracks for an immersive listening session.

• Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numerical Discourses)
Around 9,000 suttas listed by number—“On One,” “On Two,” up to “On Eleven”—making key points easy to recall. It’s the bullet-point approach of ancient wisdom, almost like skimmable Twitter threads before Twitter existed.

• Khuddaka Nikāya (Minor Collection)
A hodgepodge of shorter texts: the Dhammapada’s pithy verses (the social-media darling of Buddhist quotes), poetic gems like the Sutta Nipāta, autobiographical tales in the Theragāthā and more. Think of it as the anthology section in a bookstore, full of bite-sized inspiration.

These five “Nikāyas” weave together a tapestry of the Buddha’s teachings—much like how today’s mindfulness apps borrow from various traditions. While meditation challenges and mental-health apps make headlines, these ancient discourses remain the bedrock. Whether seeking a quick nugget of wisdom or a deep exploration of the mind, there’s a Nikāya tailored for every spiritual playlist.