Tipitaka

Tipiṭaka, also spelled Tipitaka, literally means “three baskets” and is the traditional term for the Buddhist scriptures of Theravada Buddhism. It forms the core of the Pali Canon, the canonical collection used by Theravada communities. The text was transmitted orally for centuries and ultimately written down in the Pali language in Sri Lanka, with the most extensive standard editions formed between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE.

The Tipiṭaka is divided into three piṭaka or baskets: the Vinaya Piṭaka, which contains the rules and procedures governing monastic discipline and community life; the Sutta Piṭaka, a collection of discourses attributed to the Buddha and his close followers; and the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, a scholastic analysis of mind, phenomena, and mental states. The Sutta Piṭaka includes major nikāyas such as the Digha Nikāya, Majjhima Nikāya, Samyutta Nikāya, Anguttara Nikāya, and the Khuddaka Nikāya, which contains a diverse set of shorter texts.

Language and transmission: The canonical texts are in Pali, though they have been studied and cited in many Buddhist languages. The Pali Canon has been preserved and studied by Theravada communities across Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, and has been edited and translated by scholars and institutions such as the Pali Text Society. The Tipiṭaka is considered authoritative for Theravada Buddhism and stands alongside other Buddhist canons in Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, which employ different collections of scriptures.