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Tipitaka, The Pali Canon
See A Map of the Tipitaka
The Tipitaka (Pali ti, "three," + pitaka,
"baskets"), or Pali Canon, is the collection of primary Pali language texts
which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism. Together with the ancient
commentaries, they constitute the complete body of classical Theravada texts.
The Pali Canon is a vast body of literature: in English translation the texts add up to
several thousand printed pages. Most -- but not all -- of the Canon has already been
published in English over the years. Although only a small fraction of these texts are
available here at Access to Insight, this collection can nonetheless be a very good place
to start.
The three divisions of the Tipitaka are:
- Vinaya Pitaka
The collection of texts concerning the rules of conduct governing the daily affairs within
the Sangha -- the community of bhikkhus (ordained monks) and bhikkhunis
(ordained nuns). Far more than merely a list of rules, the Vinaya Pitaka also includes the
stories behind the origin of each rule, providing a detailed account of the Buddha's
solution to the question of how to maintain communal harmony within a large and diverse
spiritual community.
- Sutta Pitaka
The collection of discourses, attributed to the Buddha and a few of his closest disciples,
containing all the central teachings of Theravada Buddhism. (Over six hundred sutta
translations are available here.)
- Abhidhamma Pitaka
The collection of texts in which the underlying doctrinal principles presented in the
Sutta Pitaka are reworked and reorganized into a systematic framework that can be applied
to an investigation into the nature of mind and matter.
Tipitaka
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+-----------------------+--------------------------+
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Vinaya Pitaka Abhidhamma Pitaka Sutta Pitaka
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Suttavibhanga Dhammasangani |
Mahavagga Vibhanga |
Cullavagga Dhatukatha |
Parivara Puggalapaññatti |
Kathavatthu |
Yamaka |
Patthana |
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+-------------+--------------+---------------+-----+-----+
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Digha Nikaya | Samyutta Nikaya | |
Majjhima Nikaya Anguttara Nikaya |
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Khuddaka Nikaya
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+----------------------------+
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+---------+----+----+-------+----+------+--+-----+------+
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Khuddakapatha | | | | | | | | |
Dhammapada | | | | | | | |
Udana | | | | | | |
Itivuttaka | | | | | |
Sutta Nipata | | | | |
Vimanavatthu | | | |
Petavatthu | | |
Theragatha | |
Therigatha |
Jataka
Niddesa
Patisambhidamagga
Apadana
Buddhavamsa
Cariyapitaka
Nettippakarana
Petakopadesa
Milindapañha
For further reading:
- A Guide to Learning the Pali Language offers some suggestions for people interested in
learning the Pali language.
- Handbook of Pali Literature, by Somapala Jayawardhana (Colombo: Karunaratne &
Sons, Ltd., 1994). A guide, in dictionary form, through the Pali Canon, with detailed
descriptions of the major landmarks in the Canon.
- An Analysis of the Pali Canon, Russell Webb, ed. (Kandy: Buddhist Publication
Society, 1975). An indispensable "roadmap" and outline of the Pali Canon.
Contains an excellent index listing suttas by name.
- Guide to Tipitaka, U Ko Lay, ed. (Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1990). Another
excellent outline of the Tipitaka, containing summaries of many important suttas.
- Buddhist Dictionary, by Nyanatiloka Mahathera (Kandy: Buddhist Publication
Society, 1980). A classic handbook of important terms and concepts of Theravada Buddhism.
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