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‘The Tipitaka’: The Three Baskets, Their Nature and Importance
The Pali Canon, the scriptures of the Theravada Hinayana tradition, is known as the
‘Tipitaka’ or Three Baskets. They are referred to as ‘baskets’ because, when the
scriptures were originally written down, they were written on palm leaves and stored
in baskets.
The Three Baskets are:
-The Vinaya-pitaka- The Basket of Discipline
-The Sutta-pitaka- The Basket of Discourses
-The Abhidhamma -pitaka- The Basket of Higher Teachings
The Vinaya-pitaka:Disciplinary Rules and Their Origins
The Vinaya-pitaka is basically sets of disciplinary rules for the Buddhist Sangha.
These rules are accompanied by accounts of the specific situations that led to the
Buddha making them, plus explanations of circumstances that might reduce the
negative effects of breaking the rules. Monks, for example, should not eat after
midday; if they are sick and eating in the evening would benefit them however, they
may do so and the rule is not broken.
The Sutta-pitaka: Discourses of the Buddha
The Sutta-pitaka is mainly a collection of sermons spoken by the Buddha, Siddhartha
Gautama. There also collections of stories of the past lives of the Buddha (Jatakas)
and other holy beings. Probably the most famous scripture within the Sutta-pitaka is
the Dhammapada, a collection of 423 verses containing instructions to those
following the Buddhist path.
The Abhidhamma-pitaka: Philosophical Explanations of the Nature of Reality
The Abhidhamma-pitaka developed out of the need to explain the deeper meaning of
the words of the Buddha. The ‘Higher Teachings’ of the abhidhamma explain the
nature of reality: they contain psychological maps of what makes up a person and the
world as well as explanations of the spiritual levels of development a person passes
through on the path to perfection.
Buddhist Scripture in the Mahayana Traditions
While the term ‘Tipitaka’ is usually used to refer to the Pali Canon of the
Theravadins, one does find teachings on Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma in the
Canons of the Mahayana Buddhist traditions. Because the Mahayana uses Sanskrit
rather than the Pali language, ‘Tipitaka’ becomes ‘Tripitaka’.
China-The Ta-ts’ang-ching
As well as featuring teachings on the Tripitaka, the Chinese Canon, the Ta-ts’angching, includes Mahayana sutras and ‘shastras’ or commentaries, tantras (see ‘The
Different Buddhist Traditions’), some histories and even writings on some non-
KS4 Buddhism : The Tipitaka
G Beesley & the Dechen Community
Buddhist philosophies such as Hindu and Christian ones. Some scholars and
Theravadins would consider a number of these texts to be non-canonical.
Tibet-The Kanjur and the Tenjur
The Tibetan Canon has two sections: the Kanjur, which means ‘Translation of the
Word of the Buddha’, is mainly a collection of Indian Mahayana sutras, Vinaya and
Tantric texts. The Tenjur, or ‘Translation of Treatises’, is a collection of further
sutras plus commentaries written by Buddhist masters on many aspects of Buddhist
doctrine, at both sutra and tantra levels. There are also works on abhidharma, logic,
poetry, grammar, medicine, astrology and divination, and the lives of Buddhist saints.
Why are Scriptures so Important?
Buddhist scriptures are important in Buddhist societies because they provide
followers with maps of how to live. The Vinaya tells them the proper way to behave,
the Sutras tell them what kind of views to develop and what views to abandon and the
Abhidhamma helps to clarify thinking on important aspects of Buddhist thought.
As well as telling them how to live, the scriptures contain prayer and meditational
texts that Buddhists use for their spiritual development. Buddhist scripture therefore
provides instructions for managing all aspects of life, both in terms of the formally
religious and the regular day-to-day level of existence.
KS4 Buddhism : The Tipitaka
G Beesley & the Dechen Community