Introduction to the Pali Canon (Three Pitaka)

The Buddha was born in 563 B.C. and demised in 483 B. C.1 At the age of 29,

Siddhattha Gotama left the household life and became an ascetic in search of what is

wholesome to find absolute freedom from all sufferings in the circle of existence. At

the age of 35, he attained Buddhahood. He then preached for forty-five years for the

welfare and happiness of many from the day he delivered the first sermon,

Dhammacakkapavattana-sutta2 to a group of five ascetics until he attained final

deliverance (parinibbāna) at the ripe old age of eighty years.

The Buddha’s teachings that he delivered for forty-five years have been

referred to under various names such as Buddha-vacana, pāvacana, Dhamma-vinaya,

Satthusāsana and Āgama etc. They have also been divided into different forms too.

They are sometimes categorized as One-fold in taste, the taste of liberation; Two

divisions : Dhamma and Vinaya; Three parts: the early one, the middle one and the

last one; Three Baskets, ie, Basket of the Discourses (Suttanta-piaka), Basket of

Rules (Vinaya-piaka) and Basket of Higher Doctrine (Abhidhamma-piaka); Five

according to format : the Long Discourses (Dīgha-nikāya), the Middle Discourses

(Majjhima-nikāya), the Connected Discourses (Sa yutta-nikāya), the Gradual

Sayings (A!guttara-nikāya) and Miscellaneous Discourses (Khuddakanikāya) in the

collection; and nine-fold in division (a!ga) : sutta (prose discourse), geyya (mixed

prose and verse), veyyakara$a (answers to questions), gāthā (verses), udāna (inspired

1
This is the approximate date agreed by many scholars. However, there is no consensus on these dates.
The reknown Buddhist Scholars give different dates of the birth and demise of the Buddha and
Southern and Northern Buddhist traditions also hold different records. Dr. S. Vaiamon kept in his book,
Views on Buddhism (p. 22 – 24), a record of the different dates of the Buddha presented by some of the
known scholors.
2
Vin. I, 10 - 17; S. v, 420 – 422.
utterances), itivuttaka (memorable sayings), jātaka (birth-stories), abbhutadhamma

(marvellous qualities) and vedalla (catechism).3 Traditionally, they are believed to

consist of eighty-four thousand (84,000) Aggregates of the Dhamma.4

The Milindapañhā and many commentaries5 considered ‘all three Piakas to be

the Buddha’s teachings.’ It is, however, an almost impossible task to determine or

decide as to what the Buddha’s own words are and what are not. On this point, Ven.

Buddhaghosa also mentioned in passing that Ānanda Thera learnt 82,000 of the

Aggregates of the Dhamma from the Buddha himself and another 2,000 Aggregates

of the Dhamma from the Buddha’s own disciples. In addition, he mentioned again in

defining the Vinaya that “whether it was rehearsed or not at the First Council, two

Pātimokkha, two VibhaCga, twenty-four Khandhaka and sixteen Parivāra are named

Vinaya-piṭaka altogether.”6 Therefore, the exact composition of the Tipiṭaka is a yet

unresolved and much debated issue, and perhaps, it will always continue to be so.7

The Buddhist canonical scriptures are collectively referred to as “the Tipiaka

meaning “Three Baskets,” which consist of :

(i) Vinaya Piṭaka, the code of monastic discipline, which consists of

five texts, i.e., Pārājikakaṇḍa, Pācittiya, Mahāvagga, Cūḷavagga

3
Nine-fold division is just classifying the words of the Buddha in a certain way. It does not necessarily
mean nine texts. Hinüber observes that there were originally perhaps three, then four, later nine, and
Sanskrit tradition even twelve items. (A Handbook of Pali Literature, p. 7).
4
VinA and AA mention that 82000 came directly from the Buddha himself and another 2000 came
from his own disciples such as Sāriputta etc.
5
Milinda, p. 18, AA. iii. 865, MA. ii, 68, etc.
6
VinA. i, p. 18; DA. i. p. 17; DhsA, p. 18.
7
Rhys David holds that the first Four Nikāyas and the greater part of such books of the Khuddaka-
nikāya as Itivuttaka and Suttanipāta are as old as 400 B. C., and Vinaya Mahāvagga and Cūḷavagga are
as old as 300 B. C. Parivāra is believed by B. C. Law and various scholars to have been written in Sri
Lanka after the arrival of Mahinda Mahāthera. Buddhism in Encyclopedia Britannica; B. L., vol. i. p. i;
THAK, p. 10-11.
 and Parivāra which concerned with the rules of discipline for the

Orders of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs;8

(ii) Sutta Piṭaka, the collection of the Buddha’s discourses, which can

be divided into five collections (nikāya) : (i) Dīgha-nikāya, (ii)

Majjhima-nikāya, (iii) Saṃyutta-nikāya (iv)ACguttara-nikāya and

(v) Khuddaka-nikāya;

(iii) Abhidhamma Piṭaka, the philosophical and psychological analysis

of phenomenal existence, which consists of seven texts :

DhammasaCgani, VibhaCga, Dhātukathā, Puggala-paññatti,

Kathāvatthu, Yamaka and Paṭṭhāna.

The Sutta Piṭaka consists of five collections.9 Each collection generally

contains discourses arranged according to their length or format. The Dīgha-nikāya,

the Collection of Long Discourses, contains thirty-four long discourses which are

arranged in three groups : Sīlakkhandhavagga (13 discourses), Mahāvagga (10

discourses) and Pāthikavagga (11 discourses).

8
The Vinaya Pitaka consists of 227 rules (but some prefer the number 227 to 220 putting aside the
seven Adhikara$asamathas to be considered as rules) governing the conduct of Bhikkhus and
Bhikkhunīs. Each text contains a story explaining the original reason for the rule and supplementary
rules (anupaññatti). The rules are also arranged according to the seriousness of the offence resulting
from the violation and known as Four Pārājika offences, Thirteen Sa ghādisesa offences, Two
Aniyata offences, Thirty Nissaggiya Pācittiya offences, Ninety-two Pācittiya offences, Four
Pāidesanīya offences, Seventy-five Sekhiya rules, and Seven Adhikara$asamatha, ways of settling
disputes.

9
The division, Dhamma and Vinaya is also still quite common in Burma.
 Majjhima-nikāya (the Collection of Medium-Length Discourses) contains a

hundred and fifty-two discourses which are sub-divided into the names of Mūla-

paṇṇāsa, Majjhima-paṇṇāsa and Upari-paṇṇāsa.10

The discourses contained in the last three collections are neither long nor

medium in length but are relatively short. However, they are further sub-divided into

another three collections according to the analogy. The discourses that should be put

together are included in the Saṃyutta-nikāya (Connected Discourses) : Sagāthāvagga-

saṃyutta for verses; Nidānavagga-saṃyutta for the discourses that teach ‘cause and

effect’; Khandhavagga-saṃyutta for the teaching about five aggregates; Saḷāyatana-

saṃyutta for the discourses connected with the six faculties; Mahāvagga-saṃyutta for

the discourses that are noble or great in number i.e., requisite of enlightenment, etc.

The Saṃyutta-nikāya consists of a total of 7,762 discourses.11

In the ACguttara-nikāya (the Collection of Numerical Discourses), the Suttas

are arranged according to the ascending numerical order of matters dealt with. Thus,

the first nipāta deals with one matter, the second with two matters and so on until the

eleventh nipāta which deals with the group of eleven subjects. Thus, there are eleven

nipātas in all. In this collection, there are 9,557 discourses in total12 and eleven

sections (nipātas).

10
Although ‘Paṇṇāsa’ means ‘fifty’, the Upari-paṇṇāsa contains fifty-two discourses exactly. Each text
in the Majjhima-nikāya is respectively grouped again into five divisions of ten discourses with the
exception of the fourth division, VibhaCgavagga in Upari-paṇṇāsa, which contains twelve discourses.
11
Satta-suttasahassāni, satta-suttasatāni ca.
Dvāsathi ceva suttantā, eso sa yuttasa!gaho. (VinA. i, p. 27 ; DA. i, p. 23; DhsA. p. 25).
12
Nava suttasahassāni, pañca suttasatāni ca.
 The discourses not included in the first Four Collections mentioned above are

put together into one group under the name of Khuddaka-nikāya which is usually

translated as ‘Minor Collection or Collection of Miscellaneous Texts.’ The feature of

this Collection is that some texts such as the Dhammapada, the Thera and the

Therīgāthā contain only verses. On the other hand, some other texts like the

Suttanipāta, the Udāna and the Itivuttaka contain mixed prose and verse. This Nikāya

is believed to originally consist of a number of minor texts that could not be included

in the first four Nikāyas. But centuries later, more works were added to it until it

reached the present number of texts that we have today.

(Ven. Nyanuttara)

Sattapaññsa-suttāni, sakhya A!guttare aya . (VinA. i, p. 27 ; DA. i, p. 23; DhsA. p. 25).