Literature During Buddhist Period B.ed Notes

• There are two types of early Buddhist literature: Canonical and Noncanonical writings
• Canonical Texts are books that set out a religion or sect’s basic tenets and values.
• Tripitaka: “Pitaka” literally means basket. Sutta, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma are the three books belonging to Tripitaka
• The Sutta Pitaka contains dialogues of Buddha’s discourses on various doctrinal problems. Sutta (from the Sanskrit sutra) refers to Buddhist texts that are believed to contain what the Buddha himself said
• The Vinaya Pitaka has the records of the rules of conduct and discipline that are followed by the monks and nuns during their monastic life. It contains the Patimokkha, which is a list of transgressions against monastic discipline and atonements for these transgressions
• The philosophical analysis and teaching systematization of the teaching and the scholarly activity of the monks are recorded in Abhidhamma Pitaka
• The Sutta Pitaka, for example, is divided into five Nikayas: the Digha, Majjhima, Samyutta, Anguttara, and Khuddaka Nikayas.
• Therigatha (a collection of short poems by Bhikkunis) and Theragatha (verses attributed to senior monks) are respectively the eighth and ninth books of the Khuddaka Nikaya which in turn is the fifth of the five divisions of the Pali Sutta Pitaka.