Saṃyukta Āgama has long been regarded as a canon of Hīnayāna Buddhism and neglected in China. It is only until recent decades that its values been rediscovered and considered as one of the early Buddhist texts. Saṃyukta Āgama consists of thousands of gāthās and such feature is unique among the four Āgama Sūtras while scholars rarely noted the issue in the past. This essay first introduces the general features of Saṃyukta Āgama and its gāthās. Then, comparisons between the Chinese and Pāli versions of the gāthās are made on various aspects, including their introductory wordings, classification, length, arrangement, idiomatic expression, main contexts and rhetoric etc. It is hoped that the differences and special features between the two versions can be revealed. Furthermore, this essay attempts to argue that Buddhist texts have been modified in different ways during transmission and to help readers in understanding Saṃyukta Āgama and its gāthās precisely.
