four Āgama sutras ［四阿含経］ ( shi-agon-gyō): The extant Chinese versions of the Āgama sutras. The Long Āgama Sutra, the Medium-Length Āgama Sutra, the Miscellaneous Āgama Sutra, and the Increasing by One Āgama Sutra. Each of these four Āgama sutras is not a single sutra but a collection of individual sutras. The Long Āgama Sutra is a collection of comparatively long sutras. The Medium-Length Āgama Sutra is a collection of medium-length sutras. The Miscellaneous Āgama Sutra is a collection of short sutras; these sutras are grouped by doctrines or themes. The Increasing by One Āgama Sutra is also a collection of short sutras; these sutras are categorized in eleven groups, each group comprising doctrines with numerical themes such as the four noble truths. For instance, the first group contains sutras on themes related to the word single, such as the [single] practice of meditating on the Buddha or the elimination of greed; the second group contains sutras concerning pairs, such as the two kinds of almsgiving; the third group contains sutras dealing with triplets, such as the three treasures; and the fourth group contains sutras concerning principles in groups of four, such as the four noble truths and the four forms of birth; and so on. These four Chinese Āgama sutras correspond respectively to the first four of the five Āgamas of the Pali canon: Dīgha-nikāya (long sutras), Majjhima-nikāya (medium-length sutras), Samyutta-nikāya (sutras on related topics), Anguttara-nikāya (sutras of numerical doctrines), and Khuddaka-nikāya (minor sutras). See also Āgama sutras.