Understanding Search
Search by Sutta
To show a specific sutta, enter the sutta acronym, such as:
AN12.23
For a longer playlist, enter a comma separated list of suttas such as: SN12.22, SN12.23
Use a dash to indicate a range of suttas such as: SN12.22-23
You can listen to or download audio for the suttas listed in the search results.
Language and Translator
If you need a specific translation, specify the language and translator. For example:
- mn1/en/sujato is the English translation of MN 1 by Bhikkhu Sujato
- mn1/en/bodhi is the English translation of MN 1 by Bhikku Bodhi
To search for a different language, change the Translation language in Voice Settings.
Search by Phrase
Enter an exact phrase in upper or lower case to find suttas with that phrase. For example: root of suffering.
For Pali searches, enter the romanized phrase such as: nandi dukkhassa mulan
Enter partial phrases if you are uncertain about word endings: nandi dukkha
Search by Keyword
If you can't remember the exact phrase, simply enter the words you know separated by spaces. Voice will find the suttas having all the search words. For example: suffering root.
Keyword search is slower than phrase search and will return more results.
Search Results
Search results are sorted by relevance. The relevance score is simply the sum of the number of matches plus the fraction of matching segments. Suttas densely packed with search terms have highest relevance.
Voice normally returns up to 5 search results. Use Settings to increase the maximum search results. It takes longer to show more results.
Advanced Search
Regular expressions
Many people on SuttaCentral have been using grep for search.
The grep program is very powerful and supports the ability to match
regular expressions.
SuttaCentral Voice supports grep regular expressions (e.g., root.*suffering).
Search Parameters
You can customize search with advanced settings. Advanced settings are prefixed with a minus sign, "-":
- -sl ISO_LANG_2 Set search language, e.g.: -sl de chooses Deutsch
- -d NUMBER Set maximum result documents, e.g.: -d 50 finds up to 50 suttas
- -ml 3 Require trilingual results.
- -tc:mn Restrict search results to Majjhima Nikaya.
| Parameter | Search |
|---|---|
| -tc:ab | Abhidhamma |
| -tc:an | Aṅguttara Nikāya |
| -tc:as | Adhikaraṇasamatha |
| -tc:ay | Aniyata |
| -tc:bi | Bhikkhuni |
| -tc:bu | Bhikkhu |
| -tc:dn | Dīgha Nikāya |
| -tc:kd | Khandhaka |
| -tc:kn | Khuddaka Nikāya |
| -tc:mn | Majjhima Nikāya |
| -tc:ms | Mahasaṅgīti Tipiṭaka |
| -tc:np | Nissaggiya Pācittiya |
| -tc:pc | Pācittiya |
| -tc:pd | Pātidesanīya |
| -tc:pj | Pārājika |
| -tc:pvr | Parivāra |
| -tc:sk | Sekhiya |
| -tc:sn | Saṃyutta Nikāya |
| -tc:ss | Saṅghādisesa |
| -tc:su | Sutta |
| -tc:thag | Theragāthā |
| -tc:thig | Therīgāthā |
| -tc:tv | Theravāda |
| -tc:vb | Vibhaṅga |
| -tc:vin | Vinaya |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my results different than SuttaCentral.net search?
Voice only searches segmented texts. Segmented texts whose verses have been numbered for reference across multiple translations. Voice does not search all translations available in SuttaCentral, however many are working to add more segmented texts.
Sutta Player