Pali Canon

The Pali Canon is the collection of scriptures preserved in Pali that forms the authoritative textual canon of Theravada Buddhism. It is organized into three divisions known as the Three Baskets.

Sutta Piṭaka: The division of the Pali Canon containing discourses attributed chiefly to the Buddha and his close disciples. Its discourses make up the canon’s largest collection of teachings.
First Buddhist Council: A traditional assembly said to have recited the Buddha’s teachings and monastic rules after his death. Theravada accounts associate this council with the beginnings of canonical recitation.
Dhammapada: A collection of short verses on Buddhist ethics and practice included in the Khuddaka Nikāya. Its memorable verses are among the canon’s most widely read texts.
Chinese Buddhist Canon: A large collection of Buddhist scriptures translated into Chinese, including texts from multiple Buddhist traditions. Its language, contents, and transmission differ from the Pali Canon.
Vinaya Piṭaka: The division of the Pali Canon containing rules and procedures for the Buddhist monastic community. It preserves the discipline that governs monastic life in Theravada traditions.
Third Buddhist Council: A council traditionally placed under Emperor Ashoka that is associated with the spread of Buddhism and doctrinal clarification. Theravada tradition connects this council with the canon’s transmission beyond India.
Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: A discourse describing four foundations of mindfulness as a path of contemplative practice. It is a canonical source for Theravada mindfulness meditation.
Tibetan Buddhist canon: The Tibetan-language collections of Buddhist scriptures known as the Kangyur and Tengyur. It preserves a distinct body of translated scriptures and commentaries.
Abhidhamma Piṭaka: The division of the Pali Canon presenting systematic analyses of mind, matter, and Buddhist doctrine. Its analytical texts form the canon’s most technical basket.
Fourth Buddhist Council in Sri Lanka: A traditional gathering at which the Pali scriptures were committed to writing in Sri Lanka. This event marks the remembered transition from oral preservation to written text.

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