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Difference between revisions of "Tripitaka"

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<poem>
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[[Tripiṭaka]] ([[Pali]]: [[Tipitaka]]) is a [[Sanskrit]] [[word]] meaning [[Three Baskets]]. It is the [[traditional]] term used by [[Buddhist traditions]] to describe their various canons of [[scriptures]].  The expression [[Three Baskets]] originally referred to three receptacles containing the scrolls on which the [[Buddhist scriptures]] were originally preserved.  Hence, the [[Tripiṭaka]] [[traditionally]] contains three "[[baskets]]" of teachings: a [[Sūtra Piṭaka]] ([[Sanskrit]]; [[Pali]]: [[Sutta Pitaka]]), a [[Vinaya Piṭaka]] ([[Sanskrit]] & [[Pali]]) and an [[Abhidharma Piṭaka]] ([[Sanskrit]]; [[Pali]]: [[Abhidhamma Piṭaka]]).
[[Tripiṭaka]] (Pali: Tipitaka) is a [[Sanskrit]] word meaning Three Baskets. It is the traditional term used by Buddhist traditions to describe their various canons of scriptures.  The expression Three Baskets originally referred to three receptacles containing the scrolls on which the Buddhist scriptures were originally preserved.  Hence, the [[Tripiṭaka]] traditionally contains three "baskets" of teachings: a [[Sūtra]] Piṭaka ([[Sanskrit]]; Pali: [[Sutta]] Pitaka), a [[Vinaya]] Piṭaka ([[Sanskrit]] & Pali) and an [[Abhidharma]] Piṭaka ([[Sanskrit]]; Pali: [[ABHIDHAMMA]] Piṭaka).
 
  
The three categories
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== The [[three categories]] ==
  
Tripitaka is the three main categories of texts that make up the Buddhist canon.
+
[[Tripitaka]] is the three main categories of texts that make up the [[Buddhist canon]].
Sutras
 
Main articles: [[Mahayana]] sutras and [[Sutta]] Pitaka
 
  
These are mainly teachings and sermons of [[Buddha]] originally transcribed in [[Sanskrit]] or Pali. They may contain descriptions of [[Buddha]] and parables which may help lead to [[Enlightenment]] of the reader.
+
=== [[Sutras]] ===
[[Abhidharma]]
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See also: [[Mahayana sutras|Mahayana sutras]] and [[Sutta Pitaka|Sutta Pitaka]]
Main article: [[Abhidharma]]
 
  
Philosophical and psychological discourse and interpretation of Buddhist [[Doctrine]].
+
These are mainly teachings and [[sermons]] of [[Buddha]] originally transcribed in [[Sanskrit]] or [[Pali]]. They may contain descriptions of [[Buddha]] and [[parables]] which may help lead to [[Enlightenment]] of the reader.
[[Vinaya]]
 
Main article: [[Vinaya]]
 
  
Rules and regulation of monastic [[Life]] that range from dress code and dietary rules to prohibition in personal conduct.
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=== [[Abhidharma]] ===
In Indian Buddhist schools
+
See also: [[Abhidharma|Abhidharma]]
  
Each of the Early Buddhist Schools likely had their own recensions of the [[Tripiṭaka]]. According to some sources, there were some Indian schools of Buddhism that had five or seven piṭakas.  
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[[Philosophical]] and [[psychological]] [[discourse]] and [[interpretation]] of [[Buddhist]] [[Doctrine]].
Mahāsāṃghika
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=== [[Vinaya]] ===
 +
 
 +
See also: [[Vinaya|Vinaya]]
 +
 
 +
Rules and regulation of [[monastic]] [[Life]] that range from dress code and dietary {{Wiki|rules}} to prohibition in personal conduct.
 +
 
 +
== In [[Indian Buddhist schools]] ==
 +
 
 +
Each of the [[Early Buddhist Schools]] likely had their [[own]] recensions of the [[Tripiṭaka]]. According to some sources, there were some [[Indian]] [[schools of Buddhism]] that had five or seven [[piṭakas]].  
 +
 
 +
=== [[Mahāsāṃghika]] ===
 
[[File:Tripiṭak75,f.jpg‎|thumb|250px|]]
 
[[File:Tripiṭak75,f.jpg‎|thumb|250px|]]
The Mahāsāṃghika [[Vinaya]] was translated by Buddhabhadra and Faxian in 416 CE, and is preserved in Chinese translation (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 1425).
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The [[Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya]] was translated by [[Buddhabhadra]] and [[Faxian]] in 416 CE, and is preserved in {{Wiki|Chinese}} translation ([[Taishō Tripiṭaka]] 1425).
 +
 
 +
The 6th century CE [[Indian]] [[Monk]] [[Paramārtha]] wrote that 200 years after the [[parinirvāṇa]] of The [[Buddha]], much of the [[Mahāsāṃghika]] school moved [[north]] of [[Rājagṛha]], and were divided over whether the [[Mahāyāna]] teachings should be incorporated formally into their [[Tripiṭaka]]. According to this account, they split into [[three groups]] based upon the [[relative]] [[manner]] and [[degree]] to which they accepted the authority of these [[Mahāyāna]] texts. [[Paramārtha]] states that the [[Gokulika sect]] did not accept the [[Mahāyāna]] [[sūtras]] as [[buddhavacana]] ("words of The [[Buddha]]"), while the [[Lokottaravāda]] [[sect]] and the [[Ekavyāvahārika]] [[sect]] did accept the [[Mahāyāna]] [[sūtras]] as [[buddhavacana]].  Also in the 6th century CE, [[Avalokitavrata]] writes of the [[Mahāsāṃghikas]] using a "[[Great Āgama Piṭaka]]," which is then associated with [[Mahāyāna]] [[sūtras]] such as the [[Prajñā]]paramitā and the [[Daśabhūmika]] [[Sūtra]].
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According to some sources, [[Abhidharma]] was not accepted as [[Wikipedia:canonical|canonical]] by the [[Mahāsāṃghika]] school.  The [[Theravādin]] [[Dīpavaṃsa]], for example, records that the [[Mahāsāṃghikas]] had no [[Abhidharma]].  However, other sources indicate that there were such collections of [[Abhidharma]], and the {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[pilgrims]] [[Faxian]] and [[Xuanzang]] both mention [[Mahāsāṃghika]] [[Abhidharma]]. On the basis of textual {{Wiki|evidence}} as well as {{Wiki|inscriptions}} at [[Nāgā]]rjunakoṇḍā, Joseph Walser concludes that at least some [[Mahāsāṃghika]] sects probably had an [[Abhidharma]] collection, and that it likely contained five or six [[Books]].  
  
The 6th century CE Indian [[Monk]] Paramārtha wrote that 200 years after the parinirvāṇa of [[The Buddha]], much of the Mahāsāṃghika school moved north of Rājagṛha, and were divided over whether the [[Mahāyāna]] teachings should be incorporated formally into their [[Tripiṭaka]]. According to this account, they split into three groups based upon the relative manner and degree to which they accepted the authority of these [[Mahāyāna]] texts. Paramārtha states that the Gokulika sect did not accept the [[Mahāyāna]] sūtras as buddhavacana ("words of [[The Buddha]]"), while the Lokottaravāda sect and the Ekavyāvahārika sect did accept the [[Mahāyāna]] sūtras as buddhavacana.  Also in the 6th century CE, Avalokitavrata writes of the Mahāsāṃghikas using a "Great Āgama Piṭaka," which is then associated with [[Mahāyāna]] sūtras such as the [[Prajñā]]paramitā and the Daśabhūmika [[Sūtra]].
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=== [[Caitika]] ===
  
According to some sources, [[Abhidharma]] was not accepted as canonical by the Mahāsāṃghika school.  The Theravādin Dīpavaṃsa, for example, records that the Mahāsāṃghikas had no [[Abhidharma]].  However, other sources indicate that there were such collections of [[Abhidharma]], and the Chinese pilgrims Faxian and [[Xuanzang]] both mention Mahāsāṃghika [[Abhidharma]]. On the basis of textual evidence as well as inscriptions at [[Nāgā]]rjunakoṇḍā, Joseph Walser concludes that at least some Mahāsāṃghika sects probably had an [[Abhidharma]] collection, and that it likely contained five or six [[Books]].  
+
The [[Caitikas]] included a number of sub-sects [[including]] the [[Pūrvaśailas]], [[Aparaśailas]], [[Siddhārthikas]], and [[Rājagirikas]]. In the 6th century CE, [[Avalokitavrata]] writes that [[Mahāyāna]] [[sūtras]] such as the [[Prajñā]]paramitā and others are chanted by the [[Aparaśailas]] and the [[Pūrvaśailas]].  Also in the 6th century CE, [[Bhāvaviveka]] speaks of the [[Siddhārthikas]] using a [[Vidyādhāra Piṭaka]], and the [[Pūrvaśailas]] and [[Aparaśailas]] both using a [[Bodhisattva]] [[Piṭaka]], implying collections of [[Mahāyāna]] texts within these [[Caitika]] schools.  
Caitika
 
  
The Caitikas included a number of sub-sects including the Pūrvaśailas, Aparaśailas, Siddhārthikas, and Rājagirikas. In the 6th century CE, Avalokitavrata writes that [[Mahāyāna]] sūtras such as the [[Prajñā]]paramitā and others are chanted by the Aparaśailas and the Pūrvaśailas.  Also in the 6th century CE, Bhāvaviveka speaks of the Siddhārthikas using a Vidyādhāra Piṭaka, and the Pūrvaśailas and Aparaśailas both using a [[Bodhisattva]] Piṭaka, implying collections of [[Mahāyāna]] texts within these Caitika schools.
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=== [[Bahuśrutīya]] ===
Bahuśrutīya
 
  
The Bahuśrutīya school is said to have included a [[Bodhisattva]] Piṭaka in their canon. The Satyasiddhi Śāstra, also called the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra, is an extant [[Abhidharma]] from the Bahuśrutīya school. This [[Abhidharma]] was translated into Chinese in sixteen fascicles (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 1646).  Its authorship is attributed to Harivarman, a third-century [[Monk]] from central [[India]]. Paramārtha cites this Bahuśrutīya [[Abhidharma]] as containing a combination of [[Hīnayāna]] and [[Mahāyāna]] doctrines, and Joseph Walser agrees that this assessment is correct.  
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The [[Bahuśrutīya school]] is said to have included a [[Bodhisattva]] [[Piṭaka]] in their [[canon]]. The [[Satyasiddhi Śāstra]], also called the [[Tattvasiddhi Śāstra]], is an extant [[Abhidharma]] from the [[Bahuśrutīya school]]. This [[Abhidharma]] was translated into {{Wiki|Chinese}} in sixteen fascicles ([[Taishō]] [[Tripiṭaka]] 1646).  Its authorship is attributed to [[Harivarman]], a third-century [[Monk]] from central [[India]]. [[Paramārtha]] cites this [[Bahuśrutīya]] [[Abhidharma]] as containing a combination of [[Hīnayāna]] and [[Mahāyāna]] [[doctrines]], and Joseph Walser agrees that this assessment is correct.  
Prajñaptivāda
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=== [[Prajñaptivāda]] ===
 
[[File:Tripitaka-78.jpg‎|thumb|250px|]]
 
[[File:Tripitaka-78.jpg‎|thumb|250px|]]
The Prajñaptivādins held that [[The Buddha]]'s teachings in the various piṭakas were nominal (Skt. prajñapti), conventional (Skt. saṃvṛti), and causal (Skt. hetuphala).  Therefore all teachings were viewed by the Prajñaptivādins as being of provisional importance, since they cannot contain the ultimate truth.  It has been observed that this view of [[The Buddha]]'s teachings is very close to the fully developed position of the [[Mahāyāna]] sūtras.  
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The [[Prajñaptivādins]] held that The [[Buddha]]'[[s]] teachings in the various [[piṭakas]] were nominal (Skt. [[prajñapti]]), [[Wikipedia:Convention (norm)|conventional]] (Skt. [[saṃvṛti]]), and causal (Skt. [[hetuphala]]).  Therefore all teachings were viewed by the [[Prajñaptivādins]] as being of provisional importance, since they cannot contain [[the ultimate truth]].  It has been observed that this [[view]] of The [[Buddha]]'[[s]] teachings is very close to the fully developed position of the [[Mahāyāna]] [[sūtras]].  
Sārvāstivāda
 
  
Scholars at present have "a nearly complete collection of sūtras from the Sarvāstivāda school" thanks to a recent discovery in Afghanistan of roughly two-thirds of Dīrgha Āgama in [[Sanskrit]]. The Madhyama Āgama (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 26) was translated by Gautama Saṃghadeva, and is available in Chinese. The Saṃyukta Āgama (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 99) was translated by Guṇabhadra, also available in Chinese translation. The Sarvāstivāda is therefore the only early school besides the [[Theravada]] for which we have a roughly complete [[Sūtra]] Piṭaka. The Sārvāstivāda [[Vinaya]] Piṭaka is also extant in Chinese translation, as are the seven [[Books]] of the Sarvāstivāda [[Abhidharma]] Piṭaka. There is also the encyclopedic [[Abhidharma]] Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 1545), which was held as canonical by the Vaibhāṣika Sarvāstivādins of northwest [[India]].
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=== [[Sārvāstivāda]] ===
Mūlasārvāstivāda
 
  
Portions of the Mūlasārvāstivāda [[Tripiṭaka]] survive in Tibetan translation and Nepalese manuscripts. The relationship of the Mūlasārvāstivāda school to Sarvāstivāda school is indeterminate; their vinayas certainly differed but it is not clear that their [[Sūtra]] Piṭaka did. The Gilgit manuscripts may contain Āgamas from the Mūlasārvāstivāda school in [[Sanskrit]].  The Mūlasārvāstivāda [[Vinaya]] Piṭaka survives in Tibetan translation. The Gilgit manuscripts also contain [[Vinaya]] texts from the Mūlasārvāstivāda school in [[Sanskrit]].  
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[[Scholars]] at {{Wiki|present}} have "a nearly complete collection of [[sūtras]] from the [[Sarvāstivāda school]]" thanks to a recent discovery in {{Wiki|Afghanistan}} of roughly two-thirds of [[Dīrgha Āgama]] in [[Sanskrit]]. The [[Madhyama Āgama]] ([[Taishō]] [[Tripiṭaka]] 26) was translated by [[Gautama Saṃghadeva]], and is available in {{Wiki|Chinese}}. The [[Saṃyukta Āgama]] ([[Taishō]] [[Tripiṭaka]] 99) was translated by [[Guṇabhadra]], also available in {{Wiki|Chinese}} translation. The [[Sarvāstivāda]] is therefore the only early school besides the [[Theravada]] for which we have a roughly complete [[Sūtra]] [[Piṭaka]]. The [[Sārvāstivāda]] [[Vinaya]] [[Piṭaka]] is also extant in {{Wiki|Chinese}} translation, as are the seven [[Books]] of the [[Sarvāstivāda]] [[Abhidharma]] [[Piṭaka]]. There is also the {{Wiki|encyclopedic}} [[Abhidharma]] [[Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra]] ([[Taishō]] [[Tripiṭaka]] 1545), which was held as [[Wikipedia:canonical|canonical]] by the [[Vaibhāṣika]] [[Sarvāstivādins]] of [[northwest]] [[India]].
Dharmaguptaka
 
See also: Gandhāran Buddhist Texts
 
  
A complete version of the Dīrgha Āgama (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 1) of the Dharmaguptaka school was translated into Chinese by Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian (竺佛念) in the Later Qin dynasty, dated to 413 CE. It contains 30 sūtras in contrast to the 34 suttas of the [[Theravadin]] [[Dīgha Nikāya]]. A.K. Warder also associates the extant Ekottara Āgama (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 125) with the Dharmaguptaka school, due to the number of rules for monks and nuns, which corresponds to the Dharmaguptaka [[Vinaya]].  The Dharmaguptaka [[Vinaya]] is also extant in Chinese translation (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 1428), and Buddhist monks and nuns in East Asia adhere to the Dharmaguptaka [[Vinaya]].
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=== [[Mūlasārvāstivāda]] ===
 +
 
 +
Portions of the [[Mūlasārvāstivāda]] [[Tripiṭaka]] survive in [[Tibetan]] translation and {{Wiki|Nepalese}} [[manuscripts]].  The relationship of the [[Mūlasārvāstivāda]] school to [[Sarvāstivāda school]] is {{Wiki|indeterminate}}; their [[vinayas]] certainly differed but it is not clear that their [[Sūtra]] [[Piṭaka]] did. The {{Wiki|Gilgit manuscripts}} may contain [[Āgamas]] from the [[Mūlasārvāstivāda]] school in [[Sanskrit]].  The [[Mūlasārvāstivāda]] [[Vinaya]] [[Piṭaka]] survives in [[Tibetan]] translation. The {{Wiki|Gilgit manuscripts}} also contain [[Vinaya]] texts from the [[Mūlasārvāstivāda]] school in [[Sanskrit]].
 +
 
 +
=== [[Dharmaguptaka]] ===
 +
See also: [[Gandhāran Buddhist Texts|Gandhāran Buddhist Texts]]
 +
 
 +
A complete version of the [[Dīrgha Āgama]] ([[Taishō]] [[Tripiṭaka]] 1) of the [[Dharmaguptaka school]] was translated into {{Wiki|Chinese}} by [[Buddhayaśas]] and [[Zhu Fonian]] ([[竺佛念]]) in the Later {{Wiki|Qin dynasty}}, dated to 413 CE. It contains 30 [[sūtras]] in contrast to the 34 [[suttas]] of the [[Theravadin]] [[Dīgha Nikāya]]. {{Wiki|A.K. Warder}} also associates the extant [[Ekottara Āgama]] ([[Taishō]] [[Tripiṭaka]] 125) with the [[Dharmaguptaka school]], due to the number of {{Wiki|rules}} for [[monks and nuns]], which corresponds to the [[Dharmaguptaka]] [[Vinaya]].  The [[Dharmaguptaka]] [[Vinaya]] is also extant in {{Wiki|Chinese}} translation ([[Taishō]] [[Tripiṭaka]] 1428), and [[Buddhist]] [[monks and nuns]] in {{Wiki|East Asia}} adhere to the [[Dharmaguptaka]] [[Vinaya]].
 
[[File:Ripitaka-06a.jpg‎|thumb|250px|]]
 
[[File:Ripitaka-06a.jpg‎|thumb|250px|]]
The Dharmaguptaka [[Tripiṭaka]] is said to have contained a total of five piṭakas.  These included a [[Bodhisattva]] Piṭaka and a [[Mantra]] Piṭaka (Ch. 咒藏), also sometimes called a Dhāraṇī Piṭaka.  According to the 5th century Dharmaguptaka [[Monk]] Buddhayaśas, the translator of the Dharmaguptaka [[Vinaya]] into Chinese, the Dharmaguptaka school had assimilated the [[Mahāyāna]] [[Tripiṭaka]] (Ch. 大乘三藏).  
+
The [[Dharmaguptaka]] [[Tripiṭaka]] is said to have contained a total of five [[piṭakas]].  These included a [[Bodhisattva]] [[Piṭaka]] and a [[Mantra]] [[Piṭaka]] (Ch. [[咒藏]]), also sometimes called a [[Dhāraṇī Piṭaka]].  According to the 5th century [[Dharmaguptaka]] [[Monk]] [[Buddhayaśas]], the [[translator]] of the [[Dharmaguptaka]] [[Vinaya]] into {{Wiki|Chinese}}, the [[Dharmaguptaka school]] had assimilated the [[Mahāyāna]] [[Tripiṭaka]] (Ch. [[大乘三藏]]).  
Mahīśāsaka
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=== [[Mahīśāsaka]] ===
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 +
The [[Mahīśāsaka]] [[Vinaya]] is preserved in {{Wiki|Chinese}} translation ([[Taishō]] [[Tripiṭaka]] 1421), translated by [[Buddhajīva]] and [[Zhu Daosheng]] in 424 CE.
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=== [[Kāśyapīya]] ===
 +
 
 +
Small portions of the [[Tipiṭaka]] of the [[Kāśyapīya]] school survive in {{Wiki|Chinese}} translation. An incomplete {{Wiki|Chinese}} translation of the [[Saṃyukta Āgama]] of the [[Kāśyapīya]] school by an unknown [[translator]] circa the [[Wikipedia:Three Qins|Three Qin]] ([[Wikipedia:Three Qins|三秦]]) period (352-431 CE) survives.
 +
 
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== In the [[Theravada school]] ==
  
The Mahīśāsaka [[Vinaya]] is preserved in Chinese translation (Taishō [[Tripiṭaka]] 1421), translated by Buddhajīva and Zhu Daosheng in 424 CE.
+
The complete [[Tripiṭaka]] set of the [[Theravāda]] school is written and preserved in [[Pali]] in the [[Pali Canon]]. [[Buddhists]] of the [[Theravāda]] school use the [[Pali]] variant [[Tipitaka]] to refer what is commonly known in English as the [[Pali Canon]].
Kāśyapīya
 
  
Small portions of the Tipiṭaka of the Kāśyapīya school survive in Chinese translation. An incomplete Chinese translation of the Saṃyukta Āgama of the Kāśyapīya school by an unknown translator circa the Three Qin (三秦) period (352-431 CE) survives.
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== Use of the term in [[Indo-Tibetan]] and {{Wiki|East Asian}} [[Mahāyāna]] ==
In the [[Theravada school]]
 
  
The complete [[Tripiṭaka]] set of the [[Theravāda]] school is written and preserved in Pali in the Pali Canon. Buddhists of the [[Theravāda]] school use the Pali variant Tipitaka to refer what is commonly known in English as the Pali Canon.
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The term [[Tripiṭaka]] had tended to become {{Wiki|synonymous}} with [[Buddhist scriptures]], and thus continued to be used for the {{Wiki|Chinese}} and [[Tibetan]] collections, although their general divisions do not match a strict [[division]] into [[three piṭakas]]. In the {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[tradition]], the texts are classified in a variety of ways, most of which have in fact four or even more [[piṭakas]] or other divisions.
Use of the term in Indo-Tibetan and East Asian [[Mahāyāna]]
 
  
The term [[Tripiṭaka]] had tended to become synonymous with Buddhist scriptures, and thus continued to be used for the Chinese and Tibetan collections, although their general divisions do not match a strict division into three piṭakas. In the Chinese tradition, the texts are classified in a variety of ways, most of which have in fact four or even more piṭakas or other divisions.
+
The {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[form]] of [[Tripiṭaka]], "[[sānzàng]]" ([[三藏]]), was sometimes used as an {{Wiki|honorary}} title for a [[Buddhist monk]] who has mastered the teachings of the [[Tripiṭaka]]. In {{Wiki|Chinese culture}} this is notable in the case of the {{Wiki|Tang Dynasty}} [[Monk]] [[Xuanzang]], whose [[pilgrimage]] to [[India]] to study and bring [[Buddhist text]] back to [[China]] was portrayed in the {{Wiki|novel}} [[Journey to the West]] as "[[Tang Sanzang]]" ({{Wiki|Tang Dynasty}} [[Tripiṭaka]] [[Master]]). Due to the [[popularity]] of the {{Wiki|novel}}, the term "[[sānzàng]]" is often erroneously understood as a [[name]] of the [[Monk]] [[Xuanzang]]. One such screen version of this is the popular 1979 Monkey (TV series).
  
The Chinese form of [[Tripiṭaka]], "sānzàng" (三藏), was sometimes used as an honorary title for a [[Buddhist monk]] who has mastered the teachings of the [[Tripiṭaka]]. In Chinese culture this is notable in the case of the Tang Dynasty [[Monk]] [[Xuanzang]], whose pilgrimage to [[India]] to study and bring Buddhist text back to China was portrayed in the novel Journey to the West as "Tang Sanzang" (Tang Dynasty [[Tripiṭaka]] Master). Due to the popularity of the novel, the term "sānzàng" is often erroneously understood as a name of the [[Monk]] [[Xuanzang]]. One such screen version of this is the popular 1979 Monkey (TV series).
+
The {{Wiki|modern}} [[Indian]] [[scholar]] [[Rahul Sankrityayan]] is sometimes referred to as [[Tripitakacharya]] in {{Wiki|reflection}} of his [[familiarity]] with the [[Tripiṭaka]].
  
The modern Indian scholar Rahul Sankrityayan is sometimes referred to as Tripitakacharya in reflection of his familiarity with the [[Tripiṭaka]].
 
</poem>
 
 
{{W}}
 
{{W}}
 
[[Category:Buddhist Terms]]
 
[[Category:Buddhist Terms]]
[[Category:Buddhist Texts]]
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[[Category:Tripitaka]]
[[Category:Sutras]]
 

Latest revision as of 08:36, 9 August 2022

Tripiṭaka-es.jpg

Tripiṭaka (Pali: Tipitaka) is a Sanskrit word meaning Three Baskets. It is the traditional term used by Buddhist traditions to describe their various canons of scriptures. The expression Three Baskets originally referred to three receptacles containing the scrolls on which the Buddhist scriptures were originally preserved. Hence, the Tripiṭaka traditionally contains three "baskets" of teachings: a Sūtra Piṭaka (Sanskrit; Pali: Sutta Pitaka), a Vinaya Piṭaka (Sanskrit & Pali) and an Abhidharma Piṭaka (Sanskrit; Pali: Abhidhamma Piṭaka).

The three categories

Tripitaka is the three main categories of texts that make up the Buddhist canon.

Sutras

See also: Mahayana sutras and Sutta Pitaka

These are mainly teachings and sermons of Buddha originally transcribed in Sanskrit or Pali. They may contain descriptions of Buddha and parables which may help lead to Enlightenment of the reader.

Abhidharma

See also: Abhidharma

Philosophical and psychological discourse and interpretation of Buddhist Doctrine.

Vinaya

See also: Vinaya

Rules and regulation of monastic Life that range from dress code and dietary rules to prohibition in personal conduct.

In Indian Buddhist schools

Each of the Early Buddhist Schools likely had their own recensions of the Tripiṭaka. According to some sources, there were some Indian schools of Buddhism that had five or seven piṭakas.

Mahāsāṃghika

Tripiṭak75,f.jpg

The Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya was translated by Buddhabhadra and Faxian in 416 CE, and is preserved in Chinese translation (Taishō Tripiṭaka 1425).

The 6th century CE Indian Monk Paramārtha wrote that 200 years after the parinirvāṇa of The Buddha, much of the Mahāsāṃghika school moved north of Rājagṛha, and were divided over whether the Mahāyāna teachings should be incorporated formally into their Tripiṭaka. According to this account, they split into three groups based upon the relative manner and degree to which they accepted the authority of these Mahāyāna texts. Paramārtha states that the Gokulika sect did not accept the Mahāyāna sūtras as buddhavacana ("words of The Buddha"), while the Lokottaravāda sect and the Ekavyāvahārika sect did accept the Mahāyāna sūtras as buddhavacana. Also in the 6th century CE, Avalokitavrata writes of the Mahāsāṃghikas using a "Great Āgama Piṭaka," which is then associated with Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Prajñāparamitā and the Daśabhūmika Sūtra.

According to some sources, Abhidharma was not accepted as canonical by the Mahāsāṃghika school. The Theravādin Dīpavaṃsa, for example, records that the Mahāsāṃghikas had no Abhidharma. However, other sources indicate that there were such collections of Abhidharma, and the Chinese pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang both mention Mahāsāṃghika Abhidharma. On the basis of textual evidence as well as inscriptions at Nāgārjunakoṇḍā, Joseph Walser concludes that at least some Mahāsāṃghika sects probably had an Abhidharma collection, and that it likely contained five or six Books.

Caitika

The Caitikas included a number of sub-sects including the Pūrvaśailas, Aparaśailas, Siddhārthikas, and Rājagirikas. In the 6th century CE, Avalokitavrata writes that Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Prajñāparamitā and others are chanted by the Aparaśailas and the Pūrvaśailas. Also in the 6th century CE, Bhāvaviveka speaks of the Siddhārthikas using a Vidyādhāra Piṭaka, and the Pūrvaśailas and Aparaśailas both using a Bodhisattva Piṭaka, implying collections of Mahāyāna texts within these Caitika schools.

Bahuśrutīya

The Bahuśrutīya school is said to have included a Bodhisattva Piṭaka in their canon. The Satyasiddhi Śāstra, also called the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra, is an extant Abhidharma from the Bahuśrutīya school. This Abhidharma was translated into Chinese in sixteen fascicles (Taishō Tripiṭaka 1646). Its authorship is attributed to Harivarman, a third-century Monk from central India. Paramārtha cites this Bahuśrutīya Abhidharma as containing a combination of Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna doctrines, and Joseph Walser agrees that this assessment is correct.

Prajñaptivāda

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The Prajñaptivādins held that The Buddha's teachings in the various piṭakas were nominal (Skt. prajñapti), conventional (Skt. saṃvṛti), and causal (Skt. hetuphala). Therefore all teachings were viewed by the Prajñaptivādins as being of provisional importance, since they cannot contain the ultimate truth. It has been observed that this view of The Buddha's teachings is very close to the fully developed position of the Mahāyāna sūtras.

Sārvāstivāda

Scholars at present have "a nearly complete collection of sūtras from the Sarvāstivāda school" thanks to a recent discovery in Afghanistan of roughly two-thirds of Dīrgha Āgama in Sanskrit. The Madhyama Āgama (Taishō Tripiṭaka 26) was translated by Gautama Saṃghadeva, and is available in Chinese. The Saṃyukta Āgama (Taishō Tripiṭaka 99) was translated by Guṇabhadra, also available in Chinese translation. The Sarvāstivāda is therefore the only early school besides the Theravada for which we have a roughly complete Sūtra Piṭaka. The Sārvāstivāda Vinaya Piṭaka is also extant in Chinese translation, as are the seven Books of the Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma Piṭaka. There is also the encyclopedic Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra (Taishō Tripiṭaka 1545), which was held as canonical by the Vaibhāṣika Sarvāstivādins of northwest India.

Mūlasārvāstivāda

Portions of the Mūlasārvāstivāda Tripiṭaka survive in Tibetan translation and Nepalese manuscripts. The relationship of the Mūlasārvāstivāda school to Sarvāstivāda school is indeterminate; their vinayas certainly differed but it is not clear that their Sūtra Piṭaka did. The Gilgit manuscripts may contain Āgamas from the Mūlasārvāstivāda school in Sanskrit. The Mūlasārvāstivāda Vinaya Piṭaka survives in Tibetan translation. The Gilgit manuscripts also contain Vinaya texts from the Mūlasārvāstivāda school in Sanskrit.

Dharmaguptaka

See also: Gandhāran Buddhist Texts

A complete version of the Dīrgha Āgama (Taishō Tripiṭaka 1) of the Dharmaguptaka school was translated into Chinese by Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian (竺佛念) in the Later Qin dynasty, dated to 413 CE. It contains 30 sūtras in contrast to the 34 suttas of the Theravadin Dīgha Nikāya. A.K. Warder also associates the extant Ekottara Āgama (Taishō Tripiṭaka 125) with the Dharmaguptaka school, due to the number of rules for monks and nuns, which corresponds to the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya is also extant in Chinese translation (Taishō Tripiṭaka 1428), and Buddhist monks and nuns in East Asia adhere to the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya.

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The Dharmaguptaka Tripiṭaka is said to have contained a total of five piṭakas. These included a Bodhisattva Piṭaka and a Mantra Piṭaka (Ch. 咒藏), also sometimes called a Dhāraṇī Piṭaka. According to the 5th century Dharmaguptaka Monk Buddhayaśas, the translator of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya into Chinese, the Dharmaguptaka school had assimilated the Mahāyāna Tripiṭaka (Ch. 大乘三藏).

Mahīśāsaka

The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya is preserved in Chinese translation (Taishō Tripiṭaka 1421), translated by Buddhajīva and Zhu Daosheng in 424 CE.

Kāśyapīya

Small portions of the Tipiṭaka of the Kāśyapīya school survive in Chinese translation. An incomplete Chinese translation of the Saṃyukta Āgama of the Kāśyapīya school by an unknown translator circa the Three Qin (三秦) period (352-431 CE) survives.

In the Theravada school

The complete Tripiṭaka set of the Theravāda school is written and preserved in Pali in the Pali Canon. Buddhists of the Theravāda school use the Pali variant Tipitaka to refer what is commonly known in English as the Pali Canon.

Use of the term in Indo-Tibetan and East Asian Mahāyāna

The term Tripiṭaka had tended to become synonymous with Buddhist scriptures, and thus continued to be used for the Chinese and Tibetan collections, although their general divisions do not match a strict division into three piṭakas. In the Chinese tradition, the texts are classified in a variety of ways, most of which have in fact four or even more piṭakas or other divisions.

The Chinese form of Tripiṭaka, "sānzàng" (三藏), was sometimes used as an honorary title for a Buddhist monk who has mastered the teachings of the Tripiṭaka. In Chinese culture this is notable in the case of the Tang Dynasty Monk Xuanzang, whose pilgrimage to India to study and bring Buddhist text back to China was portrayed in the novel Journey to the West as "Tang Sanzang" (Tang Dynasty Tripiṭaka Master). Due to the popularity of the novel, the term "sānzàng" is often erroneously understood as a name of the Monk Xuanzang. One such screen version of this is the popular 1979 Monkey (TV series).

The modern Indian scholar Rahul Sankrityayan is sometimes referred to as Tripitakacharya in reflection of his familiarity with the Tripiṭaka.

Source

Wikipedia:Tripitaka