The Dharma reveals the Buddha's understanding of life. The Buddha instructed
countless people, but he, himself, wrote nothing down, just as Jesus wrote
nothing down. They both lived a complete life. His disciples remembered his
talks and recited them regularly. These talks were collected into books called
Sutras. There are many Sutras, so Buddhism does not have just a single
holy book, like the Christian Bible or the Koran of Islam.
The first Sutras were written on palm leaves in Pali and
Sanskrit, ancient Indian languages. They have been gathered together in a
collection called the Tripitaka, which means 'three baskets'. It is
divided into three parts.
- Sutra Pitaka~Sutras and their explanations
- Vinaya Pitaka~Rules for monks and nuns
- Abhidharma Pitaka~The psychology and philosophy of the Buddha's teachings
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