The Wings to Awakening: an Anthology from the Pali Canon, translated and explained by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Barre, Mass.: Dhamma Dana Publications, 1996; multi-part HTML book; 350k/180pp.)
One facet of the Buddha's genius as a teacher was his ability to organize the vast body of spiritual teachings he left behind so that his students -- his contemporaries and all those who have come since -- could readily put the teachings into practice and reap their results. The "Wings to Awakening" (bodhipakkhiya-dhamma) is the Buddha's own list of his most important teachings, and includes teachings on the Four Frames of Reference, the Four Right Exertions, the Four Bases of Power, the Five Faculties, the Five Strengths, the Seven Factors of Awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path. Toward the end of his life, the Buddha stated several times that as long as the teachings in this list were remembered and put into practice, his message would endure. The Buddha himself described the Wings to Awakening as being what was most worth mastering and passing along to others.
The material gathered in this anthology consists of over 200 newly translated passages from the suttas, along with extensive commentary to help the reader grasp their full meaning and their relation to the practice of meditation. This volume is thus both a treasure-house of important passages from the Canon covering the key points of the Buddha's teachings, as well as a practical manual to help the serious meditation student navigate through some of the most fundamental and profound points of Dhamma.
Printed copies of this book are available free of charge from Dhamma Dana Publications.
This book is also available in Microsoft Word 6.0 for Windows/Macintosh format, in the "extras" folder on the CD-ROM.