TRI-PITAKA (OR TIPITAKA)

WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE

TRI-PITAKA (OR TIPITAKA) -  

This Pitaka consists of the five following books:

1.PARAJIKA PALI (Major Offences)

2.PACITTIYA PALI (Minor Offences) 

3.MAHAVAGGA PALI (Greater Section)

4.CULLAVAGGA PALI (Smaller Section)

5.PARIVARA PALI (Epitome of the Vinaya) 

Sutta Pitaka 

The SUTTA PITAKA consists chiefly of discourses delivered by the Buddha Himself on various occasions. There are also a few discourses delivered by some of His distinguished disciples, such as the Venerables Sariputta, Ananda, Moggallana, and famous female Venerables like Khema,Uttara, Visakha, etc., included in it. It is like a book of prescriptions,as the sermons embodied therein were expounded to suit the different occasions and the temperaments of various persons. There may be seemingly contradictory statements, but they should not be misconstrued as they were opportunely uttered by the Buddha to suit a particular purpose. Therefore morals, ethics, discipline, duties,responsibilities, obligations and humane qualities can be found in the sutta pitaka.

This Pitaka is divided into five Nikayas or collections, viz:

1.DIGHA NIKAYA (Collection of Long Discourses)

2.MAJJHIMA NIKAYA (Collection of Middle-length Discourses)

3.SAMYUTTA NIKAYA (Collection of Kindred Sayings)

4.ANGUTTARA NIKAYA (Collection of Discourses arranged inaccordance with number)

5.KHUDDAKA NIKAYA (Smaller Collection)

The fifth is subdivided into fifteen books:

1.KHUDDAKA PATHA (Shorter Texts)

2.DHAMMAPADA (The Way of Truth)

3.UDANA (Heartfelt sayings or Paeans of Joy)

4.ITIVUTTAKA (‘Thus said’ Discourses)

5.SUTTA NIPATA (Collected Discourses)

6.VIMANA VATTHU (Stories of Celestial Mansions)

7.PETA VATTHU (Stories of Petas)

8.THERAGATHA (Psalms of the Brethren)

9.THERIGATHA (Psalms of the Sisters)

10.JATAKA (Birth Stories)

11.NIDDESA (Expositions)

12.PATISAMBHIDA (Analytical Knowledge)

13.APADANA (Lives of Saints)

14.BUDDHAVAMSA (The History of Buddha)

15.Cariya Pitaka (Modes of Conduct) 

Abhidharma Pitaka 

The Abhidharma is, to a deep thinker, the most important and interesting collection, as it contains the profound philosophy and psychology of the Buddha’s teaching in contrast to the illuminating but conventional discourses in the SUTTA PITAKA 

In the SUTTA PITAKA one often finds references to individual, being, etc., but in the Abhidharma, instead of such conventional terms, we meet with ultimate terms, such as aggregates, mind, matter, etc.

In the Sutta is found the Vohara Desana (Conventional Teaching), whilst in the ABHIDHAMMA is found the Paramattha Desana (UltimateDoctrine). 

In the ABHIDHAMMA everything is analysed and explained in detail, and as such it is called analytical doctrine (Vibhajja Vada). Four ultimate, supramundane subjects (Paramattha) are enumerated in the ABHIDHAMMA. 

They are 

Citta, (Consciousness), 

Cetasika (Mentalconcomitants), Rupa (Matter) and Nibbana. 

The so-called being is microscopically analysed and its componentparts are minutely described. Finally the ultimate goal and the method to achieve it is explained with all necessary details.

The ABHIDHAMMA PITAKA is composed of the following works:

1.DHAMMA -SANGANI (Enumeration of Phenomena)

2.VIBHANGA (The Book of the Treatises)

3.KATHA VATTHU (Point of Controversy)

4.PUGGALA PANNATTI (Description of Individuals)

5.DHATU KATHA (Discussion with reference to Elements)

6.YAMAKA (The Book of Pairs)

7.PATTHANA (The Book of Relations) 

According to another classification, mentioned by the Buddha Himself, the whole Teaching is nine fold, namely—

1. Sutra, 

2. Geyya,

3. Yeyyakarama, 

4. Gatha, 

5. Udana, 

6. Itivuttaka, 

7. Jataka, 

8. Abbhutadhamma, 

9. Vedalla. 

1 Sutta— These are the short, medium, and long discourses expounded by the Buddha on various occasions, such as MANGALA SUTTA (Discourse on Blessings), 

RATANA SUTTA (The Jewel Discourse), 

METTA SUTTA (Discourse on Goodwill), etc. 

According to the Commentary the Vinaya is also included in this division.

2 .Geyya— These are discourses mixed with Gathas or verses, such as the SAGATHAVAGGA of the SAMYUTTA NIKAYA 

3.V EYYAKARANA — Lit. exposition. The whole ABHIDHAMMA PITAKA ,discourses without verses, and everything that is not includedin the remaining eight divisions belong to this class.

4.GATHA — These include verses found in the DHAMMAPADA (Way of Truth), THERAGATHA (Psalms of the Brethren), THERIGATHA (Psalms of the Sisters), and those isolated verses which are notclassed amongst theSutta. 

5. UDANA — These are the ‘Paeans of Joy’ found in the UDANA , one of the divisions of the KHUDDAKA NIKAYA 

. 

6. ITIVUTTAKA — These are the 112 discourses which commence with the phrase — ‘Thus the Blessed One has said’. ITIVUTTAKA is one of the fifteen books that comprise the KHUDDAKA NIKAYA . 

7. JATAKA — These are the 547 birth-stories related by the Buddha in connection with His previous births.

8. ABBHUTA DHAMMA — These are the few discourses that deal with wonderful and marvellous things, as for example the ACCHARIYA - ABBHUTA DHAMMA SUTTA of the MAJJHIMA NIKAYA (No. 123) 

9. VEDALLA — These are the pleasurable discourses, such as CHULLA VEDALLA , MAHA VEDALLA (M.N. Nos 43, 44), SAMMA DITTHI SUTTA (M.N. No. 9), etc. In some of these discourses, the answers given to certain questions were put with a feeling of joy.