Buddhist Literature

The Tripitaka

The Tripitaka is the earliest known collection of buddhist writings. Initially, they were composed orally, but were written down by the 3rd century bc. 

• The word means "the three baskets," (tri=three, pitaka=baskets), and refers to the way the texts were first recorded. 
• The early writing material was long, narrow leaves, which were sewn together on one side. Bunches of these were then stored in baskets. 
• This is a large collection, running 45 volumes in one modern edition.

The baskets are divided by subject matter. 

1. The first basket is the Discipline Basket (Vinaya Pitaka), which set out the rules and guidelines for living the monastic life of the sangha. 
• It focuses first on the 227 regulations for monks (Bhikkhus), which concern everything from basic morality to robe-making, the additional rules for the nuns (Bhikkhunis), and then on guidelines for interaction between the monks and nuns and the laity. 
2. The second basket is the Discourse Basket (Sutra Pitaka) and it contains records of the Buddha's teachings and sermons. 
• These discourses of the Buddha present matters of theology and moral behavior for all buddhists. 
3. The third basket is that of the Special Teachings (Abhidharma Pitaka). 
• It essentially is a miscellaneous collection of short writings containing everything from songs and poetry to stories of the Buddha and his previous lives. 
• One text, the Dharmapada, contains simple discussions of key buddhist concepts based on the Buddha's daily life. 

The Sutras:-

While Mahayana Buddhism reveres the Tripitaka as a holy text, they add to it a total of 2184 sacred writings. 

• Most of these writings go under the name of Sutra. The Sutras were put into writing between the second century bce and the second century ce, during the time the split between Theravada and Mahayana developed. 

The most important Sutra is the Lotus Sutra. It depicts a sermon by the Buddha to the assembled Bodhisattvas, buddhas and other beings in which he teaches the basis of Mahayana Buddhism. He emphasizes the goal of becoming a Bodhisattva, the notion of realizing one's own buddha-nature, and so on. 

The Heart Sutra also plays an important role in Buddhism. It is short, only a page or two long, but it sets out the character of nirvana, Emptiness, and Ultimate Reality as perceived within Mahayana. 

• In it, the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara describes the nature of the five skandhas: body (=form), feelings, senses, tendencies, and consciousness. It is often chanted and discussed, especially in Vajrayana. 

A Sutra called "Land of Bliss" describes the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha. It relates the vow of the buddha that enabled him to create the Land, and discussed what people must do to enter the Pure Land.

The Sutras of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajna-paramita) provides the basis for Mahayana's understanding of the key notion of "Emptiness." Nagarjuna used this text as a basis for his thought and writings. The Heart Sutra is part of this larger text.