Purchase Solution

Pali Canon in Buddhism

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

What is the Pali Canon in Buddhism? I keep running across this in my readings. Can you briefly explain this term to me.

Purchase this Solution
Solution Summary

This solution explains the Pali Canon in Buddhism including its history, size, and content (three pitakas).

Solution Preview

1. What is the Pali Canon in Buddhism?

The Pali Canon is the standard scripture collection of the Theravada Buddhist tradition.[1] It was not printed until the nineteenth century, but is now available in electronic form. However, the English translation by the Pali Text Society is not yet complete. The Canon was written down from oral tradition in the last century B.C.E., at the occasion of the Fourth Buddhist Council[2] (sources more than a millennium later state the location as Alokavihara). It is the most complete surviving early Buddhist canon and one of the first to be written down.[3] It is composed in the Pali language, and falls into three general categories, called pitaka (piṭaka, basket) in Pali. Because of this, the canon is traditionally known as the Tipitaka (Tipiṭaka; three baskets).[4] The three pitakas are as follows.

1. Vinaya Pitaka, dealing with rules for monks and nuns
2. Sutta Pitaka, discourses, most ascribed to the Buddha, but some to disciples
3. ...

Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
Old Testament Scriptures

Do you know where to find famous passages in the old testament? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

Bible Verse Knowledge

Do you know where these famous biblical verses are found? Test your verse knowledge with this quiz.

Basic Bible Quiz

A bible knowledge quiz.

Biblical Locations

Find out how much you know about where things happened in the Bible with this quiz.

The Disciples

How much do you know about these key followers of Jesus?

View More Free Quizzes
Related BrainMass Solutions

  • Theravadin and Mahayana Buddhism and Zen

    Theravada Buddhism uses Pali Canon and Tripitaka scriptures only. Mahayana Buddhism uses books of the Theravada Tripitaka plus many other sutras like the Lotus Sutra as scripture.

  • Zen Buddhism

    Buddhist monks taught methods of meditation found in the Pali Canon. These in turn were soon mingled with Taoist meditational techniques. Most of the translations attributed to An Shih Kao, deal with meditation (dhyana) and concentration (samadhi).

  • Is Buddhism a religion?

    Instead, Buddhism does not demand blind faith from its adherents. Rather, blind belief is substituted by confidence based on knowledge, which, in Pali, is known as saddha. 2.

  • Contemporary Issues in Eastern Religions

    The second is desire for being, called in Pali bhavatanha. And the third is desire for non-being, called in Pali vibhavatanha."

  • Contemporary Buddhist Practices

    In the second part of the paper, he turns to classic discussions of skillful means in the Pali canon as well as contemporary discussions in Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhism.

  • History of Buddhism

    This became Theravada's Pali Canon, from which so much of our knowledge of Buddhism stems.

  • Religious Beliefs During the Gupta Period

    Buddhists began to use Sanskrit instead of Pali and idol worship became common. The mutual understanding of Hinduism and Buddhism resulted in fusion of their religions. For example, Hinduism had accepted Buddha as an embodiment of Vishnu.

  • Comparing Buddhism and Confucianism

    Arguing for Confucianism While Buddhism teaches the Pali - middle way & tolerance, I believe that the quasi-religious philosophy of Confucianism is of more import as the ideals in it are classic and would be relevant to any civilization without the

  • Understanding Buddhism

    In early Buddhism, there is no time that elapses between the time of death and life. The analogy is like the flame of a candle igniting another candle (Pali tradition). Another tradition adds an intermediate stage between death and rebirth.

View More Related Solutions