Pali Canon
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1. Vinaya Piṭaka |
2. Sutta Piṭaka |
3. Abhidhamma Piṭaka |
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of
During the
The existence of the bhanaka tradition existing until later periods, along with other sources, shows that oral tradition continued to exist side by side with written scriptures for many centuries to come. Thus, the so-called writing down of the scriptures[8] was only the beginning of a new form of tradition, and the innovation was probably opposed by the more conservative monks. As with many other innovations, it was only after some time that it was generally accepted. Therefore, it was much later that the records of this event were transformed into an account of a "council" (sangayana or sangiti) which was held under the patronage of King Vattagamani.
Textual fragments of similar teachings have been found in the
The Pāli Canon falls into three general categories, called
- Sutta Piṭaka (Sutra/Sayings Basket), discourses and sermons of Buddha, some religious poetry; the largest basket[12]
- Abhidhamma Piṭaka, treatises that elaborate Buddhist doctrines, particularly about mind; also called the "systematic philosophy" basket
The Vinaya Pitaka and the Sutta Pitaka are remarkably similar to the works of the early Buddhist schools, often termed
The Canon in the tradition
The Canon is traditionally described by the
The traditional Theravādin (
A spokesman for the Buddha Sasana Council of
Although the Canon has existed in written form for two millennia, its earlier oral nature has not been forgotten in Buddhist practice: memorization and recitation remain common. Among frequently recited texts are the Paritta. Even lay people usually know at least a few short texts by heart and recite them regularly; this is considered a form of meditation, at least if one understands the meaning. Monks are of course expected to know quite a bit more (see Dhammapada below for an example). A Burmese monk named Vicittasara even learned the entire Canon by heart for the Sixth Council (again according to the usual Theravada numbering).[18][19]
The relation of the scriptures to Buddhism as it actually exists among ordinary monks and lay people is, as with other major religious traditions, problematic: the evidence suggests that only parts of the Canon ever enjoyed wide currency, and that non-canonical works were sometimes much more widely used; the details varied from place to place.[20] Rupert Gethin suggests that the whole of Buddhist history may be regarded as a working out of the implications of the early scriptures.[21]
Origins
According to a late part of the Pali Canon, the Buddha taught the three pitakas.
The geographic setting of identifiable texts within the Canon generally corresponds to locations in the Ganges region of northeastern India, including the kingdoms of
Much of the material in the Canon is not specifically Theravādin, but is instead the collection of teachings that this school preserved from the early, non-sectarian body of teachings. According to
Theravada tradition generally treats the Canon as a whole as originating with the Buddha and his immediate disciples (with the exception of certain, generally Abhidhamma texts, that explicitly refer to events long after his death). Scholars differ in their views regarding the origin of the Pali Canon, but generally believe that the Canon includes several strata of relatively early and late texts, but with little consensus regarding the relative dating of different sections of the Canon or which texts belong to which era.[25]
Authorship
Authorship according to Theravadins
Authorship according to academic scholars
The views of scholars concerning the authorship of the Pali Canon can be grouped into three categories:[citation needed]
- Attribution to the Buddhahimself and his early followers
- Attribution to the period of pre-sectarian Buddhism
- Agnosticism
Views concerning authorship of the Buddha himself
Several scholars of early Buddhism argue that the nucleus of the Buddhist teachings in the Pali Canon may derive from
Other scholars are more cautious, and attribute part of the Pali canon to the Buddha's early followers. Peter Harvey
Alex Wynne said that some texts in the Pali Canon may go back to the very beginning of Buddhism, which perhaps include the substance of the Buddha's teaching, and in some cases, maybe even his words.[e] He suggests the canon was composed soon after Buddha's paranirvana, but after a period of free improvisation, and then the core teachings were preserved nearly verbatim by memory.[35] Hajime Nakamura writes that while nothing can be definitively attributed to Gautama as a historical figure, some sayings or phrases must derive from him.[36]
Views concerning authorship in the period of pre-sectarian Buddhism
Most scholars agree there was a rough body of sacred literature that an early community maintained and transmitted.[37][f]
Much of the Pali Canon is found also in the scriptures of other early schools of Buddhism, parts of whose versions are preserved, mainly in Chinese. Many scholars have argued that this shared material can be attributed to the period of
Views concerning agnosticism
Some scholars see the Pali Canon as expanding and changing from an unknown nucleus.[38] Arguments given for an agnostic attitude include that the evidence for the Buddha's teachings dates from long after his death.
Some scholars of later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism say that little or nothing goes back to the Buddha. Ronald Davidson[39] has little confidence that much, if any, of surviving Buddhist scripture is actually the word of the historical Buddha.[37] Geoffrey Samuel[40] says the Pali Canon largely derives from the work of Buddhaghosa and his colleagues in the 5th century AD.[41] Gregory Schopen argues[42] that it is not until the 5th to 6th centuries AD that we have any definite evidence about the contents of the Canon. This position was criticized by A. Wynne.[5][importance?]
Authorship of the Abhidhamma Pitaka
Western scholarship suggests that the composition of the Abhidhamma Pitaka likely began around 300 BCE, but may have drawn on an earlier tradition of lists and rubrics known as "
The earliest books of the Pali Canon
Opinions differ on what the earliest books of the Canon are. The majority of Western scholars consider the earliest identifiable stratum to be mainly prose works,
Scholars generally agree that the early books include some later additions.
Dr. Peter Masefield M.P.T.S.[
One of the edicts of Ashoka, the "Calcutta-Bairat edict", lists several works from the canon which Ashoka considered advantageous. According to Alexander Wynne:
The general consensus seems to be that what Asoka calls Munigatha correspond to the Munisutta (Sn 207–221), Moneyasute is probably the second half of the Nalakasutta (Sn 699–723), and Upatisapasine may correspond to the Sariputtasutta (Sn 955–975). The identification of most of the other titles is less certain, but Schmithausen, following Oldenberg before him, identifies what Asoka calls the Laghulovada with part of a prose text in the
Majjhima Nikaya, the Ambalatthika-Rahulovada Sutta (M no. 61).[58]
This seems to be evidence that some of these texts were already fixed by the time of the reign of Ashoka (304–232 BC), which means that some of the texts carried by the Buddhist missionaries at this time might also have been fixed.[58]
According to the Sri Lankan
Texts
Manuscripts
The climate of Theravāda countries is not conducive to the survival of manuscripts. Apart from brief quotations in inscriptions and a two-page fragment from the eighth or ninth century found in Nepal, the oldest manuscripts known are from late in the fifteenth century,[62] and there is not very much from before the eighteenth.[63]
Printed editions and digitized editions
The first complete printed edition of the Canon was published in Burma in 1900, in 38 volumes.[64] The following editions of the Pali text of the Canon are readily available in the West:
- Pali Text Society edition (in Roman script), published 1877–1927 (a few volumes subsequently replaced by new editions), in 57 volumes (including indexes).[63]
- The Pali scriptures and some Pali commentaries were digitized as an ISBN 978-974-8235-87-5.[65]
- The Pali scriptures and some Pali commentaries were digitized as an
- Thai Tipitaka in Thai script, published during the reign of Rama VII (1925–35), 45 volumes, with fewer variant readings than PTS;[66]
- Burmese script; with fewer variant readings than the Thai edition;[68]
- electronic transcript by Vipāssana Research Institute available online[69] in searchable database free of charge, or on CD-ROM (p&p only) from the institute.[70]
- Another transcript of this edition, produced under the patronage of the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, World Tipitaka Edition, 2005, 40 volumes, published by the Sixth Council, and therefore reflect the results of the council more accurately than some existing Sixth Council editions. Available for viewing online (registration required) at Tipiṭaka Quotation WebService.[72]
- Sinhalese (Buddha Jayanti) edition, (1957–1993?), 58 volumes including parallel Sinhalese translations, searchable, free of charge (not yet fully proofread.) Available at Journal of Buddhist Ethics.[73] The only accurate version of the Sri Lankan text available, in individual page images. Cannot be searched though.[74]
- Transcript in BudhgayaNews Pali Canon.[75] In this version it is easy to search for individual words across all 16,000+ pages at once and view the contexts in which they appear.
- Cambodian Tipiṭaka in Khmer script. Edited and published by the Institut Bouddhique in Phnom Penh (1931–69).[76]
- The Complete Collection of Chinese Pattra Scripture as preserved by the Dai people.[77]
Translations
Pali Canon in English Translation, 1895-, in progress, 43 volumes so far, Pali Text Society, Bristol; for details of these and other translations of individual books see the separate articles. In 1994, the then President of the Pali Text Society stated that most of these translations were unsatisfactory.[78] Another former President said in 2003 that most of the translations were done very badly.[30] The style of many translations from the Canon has been criticized[79] as "Buddhist Hybrid English", a term invented by Paul Griffiths for translations from Sanskrit. He describes it as "deplorable", "comprehensible only to the initiate, written by and for Buddhologists".[80]
Selections: see List of Pali Canon anthologies.
A translation by
Translations by
In 2018, new translations of the entirety of the five
A Japanese translation of the Canon, edited by Takakusu Junjiro, was published in 65 volumes from 1935 to 1941 as The Mahātripiṭaka of the Southern Tradition (南伝大蔵経 Nanden daizōkyō).
A Chinese translation of the above-mentioned Japanese translation was undertaken between 1990–1998 and thereafter printed under the patronage of Kaoshiung's Yuan Heng Temple.[citation needed]
Contents of the Canon
As noted above, the Canon consists of three pitakas.
- Vinaya Pitaka(vinayapiṭaka)
- Sutta Pitakaor Suttanta Pitaka
- Abhidhamma Pitaka
Details are given below. For more complete information, see standard references on Pali literature.[81][82]
Vinaya Pitaka
The first category, the . The rules are preceded by stories telling how the Buddha came to lay them down, and followed by explanations and analysis. According to the stories, the rules were devised on an ad hoc basis as the Buddha encountered various behavioral problems or disputes among his followers. This pitaka can be divided into three parts:
- Patimokkha, a basic code of rules for monks and nuns that is not as such included in the Canon. The monks' rules are dealt with first, followed by those of the nuns' rules not already covered.
- Khandhaka Other rules grouped by topic in 22 chapters.
- Parivara(parivāra) Analysis of the rules from various points of view.
Sutta Pitaka
The second category is the
- that this book was particularly intended to make converts, with its high proportion of debates and devotional material.
- that this book was particularly intended to give a solid grounding in the teaching to converts, with a high proportion of sermons and consultations.
- Samyutta Nikaya (saṃyutta-) Thousands of short discourses in fifty-odd groups by subject, person etc. Bhikkhu Bodhi, in his translation, says this nikaya has the most detailed explanations of doctrine.
- Anguttara Nikaya(aṅguttara-) Thousands of short discourses arranged numerically from ones to elevens. It contains more elementary teaching for ordinary people than the preceding three.
- Khuddaka NikayaA miscellaneous collection of works in prose or verse.
Abhidhamma Pitaka
The third category, the There are seven books in the Abhidhamma Pitaka:
- Dhammasangani(-saṅgaṇi or -saṅgaṇī) Enumeration, definition and classification of dhammas
- Vibhanga(vibhaṅga) Analysis of 18 topics by various methods, including those of the Dhammasangani
- Dhatukatha(dhātukathā) Deals with interrelations between ideas from the previous two books
- Puggalapannatti(-paññatti) Explanations of types of person, arranged numerically in lists from ones to tens
- Kathavatthu(kathā-) Over 200 debates on points of doctrine
- Yamaka Applies to 10 topics a procedure involving converse questions (e.g. Is X Y? Is Y X?)
- Patthana (paṭṭhāna) Analysis of 24 types of condition[53]
The traditional position is that abhidhamma refers to the absolute teaching, while the suttas are adapted to the hearer. Most scholars describe the abhidhamma as an attempt to systematize the teachings of the suttas:[53][85] Cousins says that where the suttas think in terms of sequences or processes the abhidhamma thinks in terms of specific events or occasions.[86]
Use of Brahmanical Language
The Pali Canon uses many
aggihuttamukhā yaññā sāvittī chandaso mukham.
— Sacrifices have the agnihotra as foremost; of meter the foremost is the Sāvitrī.[87]
These Brahmanical motives are sometimes introduced in order to "establish a link with the deeds and beliefs of Brahmins", referencing "shared ideas" that were part of the culture of ancient India.[88] In many other instances, they are introduced in order to establish unfavorable comparisons with Buddhist teachings or practices- after identifying the fire sacrifice as the foremost of the Brahminist sacrifices, the Buddha goes on to explain how it is surpassed by the kindling of "inner light" that he practices as an arhat.[89]
Comparison with other Buddhist canons
The other two main Buddhist canons in use in the present day are the
The standard modern edition of the Chinese Buddhist Canon is the
The Tibetan Kangyur comprises about a hundred volumes and includes versions of the Vinaya Pitaka, the Dhammapada (under the title Udanavarga) and parts of some other books. Due to the later compilation, it contains comparatively fewer early Buddhist texts than the Pali and Chinese canons.
The Chinese and Tibetan canons are not translations of the Pali and differ from it to varying extents, but contain some recognizably similar early works. However, the Abhidharma books are fundamentally different works from the Pali Abhidhamma Pitaka. The Chinese and Tibetan canons also consist of
See also
- Access to Insight
- Atthakatha, Pali commentaries on the Pali Canon
- Aṭṭhakavagga and Pārāyanavagga
- Bhikkhu Analayo
- Bhikkhu Bodhi
- Bhikkhu Sujato
- Buddhaghosa
- Buddhist Publication Society
- Dhamma Society Fund
- Dhammapada, one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures
- Dhammapāla
- Early Buddhist Texts
- Ho trai, library in Thai Temples
- Karl Eugen Neumann
- List of Sāsana Azani recipients
- Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu
- Niddesa
- Nikāya
- Nyanaponika Thera
- Nyanatiloka Mahathera
- Pali Literature
- Pali Text Society
- Palm-leaf manuscript
- Paracanonical texts (Theravada Buddhism)
- Pariyatti (bookstore)
- Pitakataik
- Rerukane Chandawimala Thero
- Sacca-kiriya
- Sanam Luang Dhamma Studies
- Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu
- Theravada Buddhism
- Thomas William Rhys Davids
- Tipitakadhara Tipitakakovida Selection Examinations
- Tripiṭaka tablets at Kuthodaw Pagoda
Notes
- ^ If the language of the Pāli canon is north Indian in origin, and without substantial Sinhalese additions, it is likely that the canon was composed somewhere in north India before its introduction to Sri Lanka.[5]
- ^ "I am saying that there was a person called the Buddha, that the preachings probably go back to him individually ... that we can learn more about what he meant, and that he was saying some very precise things."[30]
- ^ "While parts of the Pali Canon clearly originated after the time of the Buddha, much must derive from his teaching."[2]
- ^ "there is no evidence to suggest that it was formulated by anyone else than the Buddha and his immediate followers." [33]
- ^ "If some of the material is so old, it might be possible to establish what texts go back to the very beginning of Buddhism, texts which perhaps include the substance of the Buddha's teaching, and in some cases, maybe even his words".
- ^ Ronald Davidson states, "most scholars agree that there was a rough body of sacred literature (disputed) that a relatively early community (disputed) maintained and transmitted."[37]
- ^ "as the Buddha taught for 45 years, some signs of development in teachings may only reflect changes during this period."[2]
- ^ Most notably, a version of the Atanatiya Sutta (from the Digha Nikaya) is included in the tantra (Mikkyo, rgyud) divisions of the Taisho and of the Cone, Derge, Lhasa, Lithang, Narthang and Peking (Qianlong) editions of the Kangyur.[91]
References
- ^ Gombrich 2006, p. 3.
- ^ a b c Harvey 1990, p. 3.
- ^ Maguire 2001, p. 69–.
- ^ Hahn, Thich Nhat (2015). The Heart of Buddha's Teachings. Harmony. p. 16.
- ^ a b Wynne 2003.
- .
The idea that Buddhist texts were first written down in the first century bce has been widely current since the nineteenth century, but has never been much more than a guess. Its only basis is a short passage, two verses long, found in both the fourth or fifth-century Dīpavaṃsa and later Mahāvaṃsa,that states that the Tipiṭaka and commentaries were first written down at this time...however, it fairly clearly does not even intend to record the first time writing was ever used for Buddhist texts, but the first creation of a complete set of written scriptures in Sri Lanka.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-312-91150-5
- ^ "THE MAHAVAMSA c.33: The Ten Kings". mahavamsa.org. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7591-0750-2., Quote: "As of the Pali Canon of Sri Lanka, it was extensively redacted in the fifth or sixth century A.D. (Bechert 1978; Collins 1990; Trainor 1997)".
- ^ Stargardt, Janice (2000). Tracing Thoughts Through Things: The Oldest Pali Texts and the Early Buddhist Archaeology of India and Burma. Amsterdam: Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. p. 25.
- ^ a b c d e Gombrich 2006, p. 4.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica 2008.
- ^ Gombrich 2006, p. 20.
- ^ Gombrich 2006, p. 153-4.
- ^ Morgan 1956, p. 71.
- ^ McDaniel 2005, p. 302.
- ^ Mendelson 1975, p. 266.
- ^ Brown & Anderson 2006.
- ^ Manné 1990, p. 103f.
- ^ Gethin 1998, p. 43.
- ^ Book of the Discipline, vol. VI, p. 123.[full citation needed]
- ^ Norman 2005, pp. 75–76.
- ISBN 0-8248-1748-6.
- ^ S2CID 154283219.
- ISBN 81-215-0778-2.
- ^ Harvey 1995, p. 9.
- ^ Wynne 2007, p. 4.
- ^ Payutto, P. A. "The Pali Canon: What a Buddhist Must Know" (PDF).
- ^ a b Gombrich, Richard, Interview by Kathleen Gregory, archived from the original on 2016-01-24, retrieved 2011-05-29
- ^ Gombrich 2006, pp. 20ff.
- ^ "Peter Harvey". Buddhist Ethics Network. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15.
- ^ Warder 2000, p. inside flap.
- ^ De Jong 1993, p. 25.
- ^ Wynne, Alex. "The Oral Transmission of Early Buddhist Literature – Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (Volume 27. No. 1 2004)".
- ^ Nakamura 1999, p. 57.
- ^ a b c Davidson 2003, p. 147.
- ^ Buswell 2004, p. 10.
- ^ "Dr. Ronald M. Davidson". Fairfield University. Archived from the original on 2013-07-19.
- ^ "Prof Geoffrey Samuel". Archived from the original on 2014-08-13.
- ^ Samuel 2012, p. 48.
- ^ Schopen 1997, p. 24.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-157917-2.
- ^ Dī.A. (sumaṅgala.1) Sumaṅgalavilāsinī dīghanikāyaṭṭhakathā sīlakkhandhavaggavaṇṇanā nidānakathā
- ^ Saṅgaṇi.A. (aṭṭhasālinī) Dhammasaṅgiṇī Abhidhamma-Atthakathā Nidānakathā
- ^ Warder 1963, p. viii.
- ^ a b Cousins 1984, p. 56.
- ^ Bechert & Gombrich 1984, p. 78.
- ^ Gethin 1992, pp. 42ff.
- ^ Gethin 1992.
- ^ Nakamura 1999, p. 27.
- ^ Ñāṇamoli & Warder 1982, p. xxix.
- ^ a b c Harvey 1990, p. 83.
- ^ Cousins 1982.
- ^ Gethin 1992, p. 48.
- ISBN 978-0-7591-0750-2.
- ^ Masefield, Peter. "Indo-Chinese Pali". Academia.
- ^ a b Wynne 2004.
- ^ Ñāṇamoli & Warder 1982, p. xxxix.
- ^ Gethin 1992, p. 8.
- ^ Harvey, p. 3, [date missing].
- ^ von Hinüber 2000, pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b "Pali Text Society Home Page". Palitext.com. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ Grönbold 1984, p. 12 (as noted there and elsewhere, the 1893 Siamese edition was incomplete).
- ^ Allon 1997, pp. 109–29.
- ^ Warder 1963, pp. 382.
- ^ a b "Welcome to BUDSIR on Internet". BUDSIR on Internet. Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ Hamm 1973.
- ^ "The Pali Tipitaka". Tipitaka.org. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ "Vipassana Research Institute". Vri.dhamma.org. 8 February 2009. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ "Society worldtipitaka". Dhammasociety.org. 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-03-17. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ "Tipiṭaka Quotation". 5 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-03-05.
- ^ "Journal of Buddhist Ethics". 15 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-06-15.
- ^ "Sri Lankan Pāḷi Texts". Archived from the original on 2012-11-24. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
- ^ "Pali Canon Online Database". BodhgayaNews. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ Marston, John (2004). History, Buddhism, and New Religious Movements in Cambodia, p. 77. University of Hawaii Press.
- ^ "《中国贝叶经全集》新闻发布会暨出版座谈会_华人佛教_凤凰网". Fo.ifeng.com. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ Norman 1996, pp. 80.
- ^ Journal of the Pali Text Society, Volume XXIX, page 102.[full citation needed]
- ^ Griffiths 1981, pp. 17–32.
- ^ Norman 1983.
- ^ von Hinüber 2000, pp. 24–26.
- ^ a b Harvey 1990, appendix.
- ^ a b Manné 1990, pp. 29–88.
- ^ Gethin 1998, p. 44.
- ^ Cousins 1982, p. 7.
- ^ Shults, Brett (May 2014). "On the Buddha's Use of Some Brahmanical Motifs in Pali Texts". Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. 6: 119.
- ^ Shults 2014, p. 120.
- ^ Shults 2014, p. 123.
- ^ Jiang, Wu; Chia, Lucille; Chen, Zhichao (2016). Jiang, Wu; Chia, Lucille (eds.). Spreading Buddha's Word in East Asia – The Formation and Transformation of The Chinese Buddhist Canon. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 145.
"In the fourth year of the Kaibao 開寶 reign (971), Emperor Taizu (r. 960-975) of the Song Dynasty 宋太祖 ordered the first carving of a set of woodblocks for the Chinese Buddhist Canon." (aka the Kaibao Canon)
- ^ Skilling 1997, p. 84n, 553ff, 617ff..
Sources
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- Brown, E K; Anderson, Anne (2006), Encyclopedia of language &linguistics, Boston: Elsevier
- Buswell, Robert E (2004), Encyclopedia of Buddhism, USA: Macmillan Reference
- Cone, Margaret (2001), Dictionary of Pali, vol. I, Oxford: Pali Text Society
- Cousins, L. S. (1984), In Richard Gombrich and K. R. Norman (ed.): Dhammapala, Buddhist studies in honour of Hammalava Saddhatissa, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka: University of Sri Jayawardenapura, p. 56
- Cousins, L. S. (1982), Pali oral literature. In Denwood and Piatigorski, eds.: Buddhist Studies, ancient and modern, London: Curzon Press, pp. 1–11
- Davidson, Ronald M. (2003), Indian Esoteric Buddhism, New York: Indian Esoteric BuddhismColumbia University Press, ISBN 0-231-12618-2
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- Grönbold, Günter (1984), Der buddhistische Kanon: eine Bibliographie, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz
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- Sri Lankan Pāḷi Texts, archived from the original on 2012-11-24, retrieved 2013-01-15
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- Wynne, Alexander (2004). "The Oral Transmission of the Early Buddhist Literature". Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. 27 (1): 97–128.
- Wynne, Alexander (2007), The origin of Buddhist meditation, New York: Routledge
Further reading
- ISBN 3-11-016738-7.
- B. C. Law, History of Pali Literature, volume I, Trubner, London 1931
- Russell Webb (ed.), Analysis of the Pali Canon, The Wheel Publication No 217, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 3rd ed. 2008.
- Ko Lay, U. (2003), Guide to Tipiṭaka, Selangor, Malaysia: Burma Piṭaka Association. Editorial Committee, archived from the original on 2008-07-24
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External links
- Sayadaw U Vicittasara Mingun Sayadaw: A Fabulous Memory
- Beginnings: The Pali Suttas by Samanera Bodhesako
- Pali Canon at Citizendium, mostly by Peter Jackson, has an extensive Bibliography and more detail about some things
English translations
- Access to Insight has many suttas translated into English
- Tipitaka Online of Nibbana.com. Burma (Myanmar)
- English translations by Majjhima Nikaya are made available by the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition at Wisdom Publications
- English translations by Anguttara Nikaya at Wisdom Publications
Pali Canon online
- Vipassana Research Institute (Based on 6th Council – Burmese version) (this site also offers a downloadable program which installs the entire Pali Tipitaka on your desktop for offline viewing)
- Sutta Central Early Buddhist texts, translations, and parallels (Multiple Languages)
- Thai Tripitaka (Thai version)
- Sinhala Tipitaka (Translated into Sinhala by a Government of Sri Lanka initiative)
- Tipitaka Online
- Theravada Buddhism Tipitaka Download