Buddhist anthologies in English

There are two main types of Buddhist anthologies in English:

1. general anthologies of Buddhist literature
2. anthologies from the Pali Canon

A third section in this article covers miscellaneous anthologies not falling into these two categories.

General anthologies of Buddhist literature

These never seem to divide Buddhist literature into scriptures and non-scriptures.

• The Teaching of Buddha, Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (Buddhist Promotion Foundation), Japan, 1934 (originally in Japanese, 1925)
• Buddhism, ed Clarence R. Hamilton, Liberal Arts Press, 1952
• Buddhist Texts through the Ages, ed & tr Edward Conze et al, Bruno Cassirer, Oxford, 1954: intended for those with previous knowedge of Buddhism, more specifically as a sequel to Conze's book Buddhism, and primarily for academic use; in 4 parts:
  1. The Teaching of the Elders [Theravada], ed & tr I. B. Horner
  2. The Mahayana, ed & tr Edward Conze
  3. The Tantras, ed & tr David L. Snellgrove
  4. Texts from China and Japan, ed & tr Arthur Waley
• The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, ed E. A. Burtt, Mentor Classics, 1955: excludes Tibetan Buddhism (page 204); the editor balances different qualities in translations, sometimes choosing readability over accuracy, or even a free version conveying the spirit and substance; 2 of the 3 parts of the Theravada half of the book are explicitly about the spirit, so this seems to be an emphasis of the book as a whole
• Buddhist Scriptures, ed & tr Edward Conze, Penguin Classics, 1959 (now replaced, 2004, and no longer listed on the Penguin Classics webpage, but Amazon seem to have no difficulty obtaining new copies): concentrates on what Conze considers the "central tradition", but nevertheless manages to represent the major forms of Buddhism (Theravada, Pure Land, Lotus, Zen and Tantra); selected mainly from the early centuries of the Christian era, which Conze considers "the Golden Age of Buddhist literature"; he identifies himself as a Buddhist (page 181); he chooses accuracy over readability
• The Buddhist Tradition, ed William Theodore de Bary, Modern Library, New York, 1969: in 3 parts, covering India, China and Japan, respectively
• The Buddhist Experience, ed & tr Stephan Beyer, Dickenson, Encino, California, 1974: intended as a companion volume to Robinson & Johnson, The Buddhist Religion, 3rd ed (replaced by Strong, 1995)
• The Experience of Buddhism, ed John Strong, 1995: replacement for Beyer, 1974
• Buddhism in Practice, ed Donald S. Lopez, Jr., Princeton University Press, 1995: emphasizes aspects such as ritual that the editor considers unjustly neglected
• Buddhist Scriptures, ed Donald S. Lopez, Jr., Penguin Classics, 2004: more balanced, but still includes more such material than usual
• Original Buddhist Sources, ed Carl Olson, Rutgers University Press, 2005: intended as a companion volume to his book The Different Paths of Buddhism

Anthologies of the Pali Canon

There are many of these, since the Pali Canon is generally recognized by historians as being, in a rough sense, the earliest source for the Buddha's teachings. This does not mean that these are representative of Buddhism as a whole. The majority of Buddhists follow the Mahayana, which regards the Pali Canon as a sort of "Old Testament".

• Buddhist Suttas, ed & tr T. W. Rhys Davids, Sacred Books of the East, volume XI, Clarendon/Oxford, 1881; reprinted by Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi (& ?Dover, New York)
• Some Sayings of the Buddha, ed & tr F. L. Woodward, Oxford World Classics, 1924
• The Life of Gotama the Buddha, ed E. H. Brewster, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., London, 1926
• Buddhist Scriptures, ed & tr E. J. Thomas, Wisdom of the East Series, John Murray, London, 1931
• The Word of the Buddha, ed & tr Nyanatiloka, 1935
• The Vedantic Buddhism of the Buddha, ed & tr J. G. Jennings, pub Geoffrey Cumberlege, London, 1947: the editor starts with the early texts and then eliminates all references to gods, demons, ghosts, heaven, hell, rebirth, psychic powers, altered states of consciousness etc., ending up (unsurprisingly) with a pure ethical humanism
• The Living Thoughts of Gotama the Buddha, ed Ananda K. Coomaraswamy & I.B. Horner, Cassell, London, 1948
• The Lion's Roar, ed & tr David Maurice, Rider, London, 1962
• Early Buddhist Poetry, ed I. B. Horner, Ananda Semage, Colombo, 1963
• The Life of the Buddha, ed & tr Nanamoli, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1972
• The Buddha's Philosophy of Man, ed Trevor Ling, Everyman's Library, 1981, now out of print
• The Book of Protection, tr Piyadassi, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1981; translation of paritta
• In the Buddha's Words, ed & tr Bodhi, Wisdom Pubns, 2005
• Early Buddhist Discourses, ed & tr John J. Holder, 2006
• Basic Teachings of the Buddha, ed & tr Glenn Wallis, Modern Library, New York, 2007
• Sayings of the Buddha, ed & tr Rupert Gethin, Oxford University Press, 2008

Miscellaneous anthologies

• A Catena of Buddhist Scriptures from the Chinese, ed & tr Rev. Samuel Beal, 1871
• The Gospel of Buddha, ed Paul Carus, 1895: selected to represent the editor's beliefs, not give a representative picture of Buddhism
• Buddhism in Translations, ed & tr Henry Clarke Warren, Harvard University Press, 1896: selection of Theravada literature, by no means confined to the Pali Canon
• A Buddhist Bible, ed Dwight L. Goddard: the 1st edition was subtitled The Four Principal Scriptures of the Zen Sect; the later revision added other material, but the Zen emphasis remained
• Early Buddhist Scriptures, ed & tr Edward J. Thomas, pub Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1935: not entirely from the Pali Canon
• Selected Sayings from the Perfection of Wisdom, ed & tr Edward Conze, Buddhist Society, London, 1955: from a collection of Mahayana texts
• Buddhist Meditation, ed Edward Conze, Harper, New York, 1969