Short Collection

Buddhavamsa Skt. Khuddaka-nikāya

Khuddaka-nikāya Pali, lit. “Short Collec­tion”; fifth part of the Sutta or Sūtra-pitaka, consisting of fifteen “short” sections: (1) Khud­daka-pātha, collection of rules and prescriptions for ceremonies, etc.; (2) Dhammapada, 426 verses on the basics of the Buddhist teaching, enjoying tremendous popularity in the coun­tries of Theravāda Buddhism (it is arranged in twenty-six chapters); (3) Udāna, eighty pithy sayings of the Buddha; (4) ltivuttaka, (lit. “thus was it spoken”), treatments of moral questions that are ascribed to the Buddha; (5) Sutta­-nipāta, one of the oldest parts of the canonical literature, of high literary worth; (6) Vimāna­vatthu, collection of eighty-three legends that show how one can achieve rebirth as a god (deva) through virtuous action; (7) Peta­vatthu, concerning rebirth as a hungry ghost after an unvirtuous life; (8) Thera-gāthā, collec­tion of 107 songs (gāthā) that are ascribed to the “oldest” monks (thera) (these are from the earliest Buddhist times); (9) Therī-gāthā, seven­ty-three songs of the female elders (theri), who became famous through their virtue; (10) Jātaka; (11) Niddesa, commentary to the Sutta-nipfāta (see no. 5); (12) Patisambhidā­maggā, analytical treatments in the style of the Abhidharma; (13) Apadāna, stories about the previous existences of monks, nuns, and saints renowned for their beneficient action; (14) Buddhavamsa, tales in verse about the twenty­ f our buddhas who preceded Buddha Shākyamuni; (15) Chariyā-pitaka, collection of tales that take up themes from the Jātaka. They show how the Buddha in his previous existences realized the ten perfections (pāramitā).

Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Khuddaka-nikāya  documents

Books on Khuddaka-nikāya

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