The Pali Canon is the oldest collection of recorded words of the Buddha. It is unreservedly accepted by Buddhist schools of all times and peoples, providing us with an amazing opportunity to hear the words of the Buddha as they were heard by ordinary people in India 2500 years ago. For the critical mind of modern man, direct acquaintance with what the Buddha himself said, and not with later interpreters of his teachings, is the best way to touch the very essence, the spirit of the Buddhist way of thinking.