TRIPITAKA (Tripiṭaka) Skt. (Pali, Tipitaka), lit. “Three Baskets”; canon of Buddhist scriptures, consisting of three parts: the Vinaya-pitaka, Sūtra-pitaka, Abhidharma-pitaka. The first “basket” contains accounts of the origins of the Buddhist sangha as well as the rules of discipline regulating the lives of monks and nuns. The second is composed of discourses said to have come from the mouth of Buddha or his immediate disciples and is arranged into five collections: Dīgha-nikāya, Majjhima-nikāya, Samyutta-nikāya, Anguttara-nikāya, Khuddaka-nikāya. The third part is a compendium of Buddhist psychology and philosophy.
The Vinaya-pitaka contains some of the oldest parts of the canon, which originated in the first decades after the death of the Buddha. After the split into individual schools, the Abhidharma-pitaka, which differs from school to school, was added. This marked the end of the unified tradition. Each school possessed its own canon; however, the differences between the various versions were minimal. Not very much has been preserved of the various different versions.
Only the so-called Pali canon, so named for the language in which it was composed, has been preserved intact. This is probably derived from the canon of the Sthaviras of central India. The Vinaya-pitaka and Sūtra-pitaka of the Pali canon were written down, according to tradition, at the first Buddhist council (480 B.C.E.), at which Upāli was questioned concerning discipline and Ānanda concerning doctrine. Their answers constituted the basis for these two “baskets.” According to many sources, the Abhidharma-pitaka originated at this time also. In addition we possess the greater part of the Sarvāstivāda canon, which was composed in Sanskrit and was authoritative in northwestern India.
Of the scriptures of the other schools —for example, the Mahāsānghika and Dharmaguptaka schools— only Chinese translations are extant. The Chinese canon, which was authoritative for China and Japan, is derived from that of the Dharmaguptakas. Its organization is less strict than that of the Pali canon and in the course of time it was often altered. The oldest catalog, from 518 C.E., mentions 2,113 works. This canon was printed for the first time in 972. (Also Taishō Issaikyō, Kangyur-Tengyur.)
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
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