Description
This book is a good introduction to understanding the parts, structure, and meanings of the Tipiṭaka. Tipiṭaka is the Pāli word meaning « Three Baskets » used to describe the body of discourses and teachings (in three categories) credited to Siddhartha Gotama, or the historical Buddha. It is also called the Pāli Canon. Specialized monks memorized his stories and discourses for centuries before coming together to put them into one body of work.
A descriptive overview is given for each section, or « basket » of the Tipiṭaka, including the Vinaya Piṭaka (code of disciplinary rules for monks and nuns), Abhidhamma Piṭaka (collection of philosophical treatises), and the Sutta Piṭaka (Buddha’s discourses).
The author of this concise guide to the Tipiṭaka is U Ko Lay, formerly the Vice-Chancellor of Mandalay University and a devoted student of Sayagyi U Ba Khin.
