Appendix IV: An Introduction to Canonical Literature

There are three major baskets of the Buddha-Dhamma

Vinaya Pitaka - Basket of Discipline
Sutta Pitaka - Basket of Discourses
Abhidhamma Pitaka - Basket of Abstruse Dhamma

A. Vinaya Pitaka

Thera are five major books in the Vinaya Pitaka.

Pārājika Pāli
It contains the disciplinary rules pertaining to major offenses.
Pācittiya Pāli
It contains certain vinaya rules connected with the Paṭimokkha, the violation of which can be expiated in some way.
Mahavagga Pāli
This section is divided into chapters called Khandakas. The introductory chapter gives an account of the incidents immediately following the Buddha's Enlightenment leading up to the foundation of the Order of the Saṅgha. It also gives various rules for members of the Saṅgha.
Cullavagga Pāli
This volume consists of twelve chapters and they brings the ecclesiastical history of the Buddhist Order down to the Second Buddhist Council.
Parivāra Pāli
This is the concluding chapter of the Vinaya Pitaka. It is a digest (Synopsis) of the other parts of the Vinaya and consists of nineteen chapters.

a. Commentaries on the Vinaya Pitaka

Samantapāsādikā
Kankhāvitarani

The Samantapāsādikā was written by Buddhaghosa Thera at the request of Buddhasiri Thera. The Kankhāvitarani was written by Buddhaghosa Thera at the request of Sona Thera.

b. Sub-Commentaries on the Vinaya Pitaka:

Sāratthadipani
Vajirabuddhi - ṭikā
Vimativinodani
Vinayattha-mañjusā

The Sāratthadipani is a sub-Commentary (ṭikā) on Samantapāsādikā and it was written by Sāriputta Thera in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The Vajirabuddhi-ṭikā is an explanation of difficult passages in the Vinaya Commentaries and written by Mahāvajirabuddhi Thera of Sri Lanka. The Vimativinodani was written by Kassapa Thera. The Vinayattha-mañjusā is on the Kankhāvitarani and was written by Buddhaghosa Thera.

B. Sutta Pitaka

There are five major books in the Sutta Pitaka.

Dīgha Nikāya
Long discourses of the Buddha. It consists of 34 long suttas or discourses.
Majjhima Nikāya
Middle Length Sayings. It consists of 152 suttas.
Samyutta Nikāya
Kindred Sayings. It consists of 7762 suttas
Aṅguttara Nikāya
Numerical Sayings. lt consists of 9557 suttas.
Khuddaka Nikāya
Minor Readings. It consists of 15 independent books, viz.;
1. Khuddaka Pātha
  It contains extracts from earlier works. Going refuge, Ten precepts, Thirty-Two (32) parts of the body and five suttas, i.e. Maṅgala, Ratana, Karaniya Metta Tirokudda and Nidhikanda.
2. Dhammapada
  It concludes important stanzas (gathās) collected together from various books in the Canon. The Dhammapada containts 423 verses divided into 26 sections (vaggas).
3. Udāna
  A short collection of eighty stories. It contains solemn utterances of the Buddha made on special occasions.
4. Iti-Vuttaka
  It contains one hundred and ten (110) suttas. The term “Iti-vuttaka” means, “Thus spoke the Buddha”.
5. Sutta Nipāta
  It consists of five (5) vaggas, i.e. Urāga, Cūla, Maha, Atthaka and Parayana. The first four vaggas consist of forty-five short lyrics while the fifth contains sixteen suttas.
6. Vimānavatthu
  It describes the splendour of various celestial abodes belonging to different divine-beings (devas). Here, the monks report their previous life in heavens.
7. Petavatthu
  It consists of stories of persons born in the peta-world (world of ghost) owing to various misdeeds.
8. Thera-gāthā
  A collection of poems which contain the life-stories of monks. They are the poems of joy uttered by them on their new-found freedom.
9. Therī-gāthā
  A collection of poems which contain the life-stories of nuns.
10. Jātaka
  It contains the stanzas pertaining to the five hundred and forty seven (547) former birth stories of the Buddha. Here, the Jātaka stories are not found but the theory of every Jātaka story.
11. Niddesa
  A commentarial work. It is divided into two parts, viz. The Mahā-Niddesa and the Culla-Niddesa.
12. Patisambhidamagga
  It describes how analytical knowledge can be acquired by an Arahant (Perfected One). It presents a systematic exposition of important topics of Buddhism.
13. Apadāna
  It contains five hundred and forty seven (547) 'biographies of monks and forty (40) biographies of nuns.
14. Buddhavaṃsa
  It contains the lives of twenty five (25) Buddhas of whom the Buddha was the last.
15. Cariyapitaka
  It contains the certain stories of the previous births of the Enlightened-Ones, chiefly setting forth the ten (10) perfections (pāramis)

a. Commentaries on the Sutta Pitaka

Sumaṅgalavilāsini
Papañcasūdani
Sāratthappakāsini
Manorathapūrani
Paramatthajoṭikā
Paramatthadīpani
Saddhammapajjoṭikā
Saddhammapakāsini
Visuddhajanavilāsini
Maduratthavilāsini

Sumangalavilāsini is on the Dīgha Nikaya and was written by the Thera Buddhaghosa at the request of Dathanāga Thera.

Papañcasūdani was written by Buddhaghosa Thera at the request of the monk Buddhamitta, it is on the Majjhima Nikaya.

Sāratthappakāsini is also a Buddhaghosa's Commentary on the Samyutta Nikaya written at the request of Joṭipala Thera.

Manorathapūrani was written by Buddhaghosa Thera at the request of Joṭipala and Jīvaka. lt is on the Aṅguttara Nikāya.

Paramatthajoṭikā is on the Khuddakapatha, Dhammapada, Jātaka and Sutta Nipāta and it was written by the Thera Buddhaghosa.

Paramatthadīpani was written by Dhammapala Thera on the Udāna, Iti-vuttaka, Vimānavatthu, Petavatthu, Theragatha, Therīgatha and Cariyapiṭaka.

Saddhammapajjoṭikā is the commentary on the Niddesa written by Upasena Thera. It was written in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) at the request of Deva Thera.

Saddhammapakāsini is the commentary on the Patisambhidamagga written by Mahanāma Thera of Ceylon.

Visuddhajanavilāsini is the commentary written on the Apadāna. Its authour is unknown.

Maduratthavilāsini is the commentary on the Buddhavaṃsa and was written by Buddhadatta Thera at the request of Buddhasīha Thera.

C. Abhidhamma Pitaka

“Abhidhamma” means the “Higher-teaching” or “abstruse dhamma”. There are seven (7) major books in the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.

Dhammasaṅgini
“Classification of Dhammas”. It enumerates and defines a number of categories of terms occurring in the other books (Nikāyas). The chief subject of this book is ethics.
Vibhaṅga
It deals with the different categories and formulas given in the Dhammasaṅgini.
Dhātukathā
“Discourses on Elements”. It discusses the truths, Dependent Origination and mental characteristics found in converted persons.
Puggalapaññatti
The subject matter of this book is person (puggala). It groups human types first under one term then under two and so on up to ten. It is considered to be the earliest book of the Abhidhamma piṭaka.
Kathāvatthuppakarana
It discusses five-hundred (500) views pertaining to Buddhism and another 500 views of other heretical doctrines.
Yamaka
It explains various teaching viz., Mūla (roots), Khandha (aggregates), Citta (consciousness), Sacca (truths) etc.
Patthāna
It explains the Causal Theory or “Conditional Relations” and it deals with twenty-four (24) modes of relations between things, mental and material.

a. Commentaries on the Abhidhamma Piṭaka

There are commentaries and sub-cominentaries on the Abhidhamma Piṭaka. An exegetical work on the whole Piṭaka is called the Abhidhamma Mūla Ṭikā and was written by Ānanda Vanaratana of the forest school in Ceylon. Some of the Commentaries are as follows:

Atthasālini
Sammohavinodani
Pañcappakaraṇatthakathā
Patthānappakaraṇatthakathā

Atthasālini is the commentary on the Dhammasaṅgini and was written by Buddhaghosa Thera.

Sammohavinodani was written by Buddhaghosa Thera on the Vibhaṅga.

Pañcappakaraṅatthakathā is a commentary written by Buddhaghosa Thera.

Patthānappakaraṅatthakathā was written by Buddhaghosa Thera at the request of Culla Buddhaghosa Thera.

There are many other treatises written on the Abhidhamma and their Commentaries are also found. Some of them are as follows:

Abhidhammāvatāra
Abhidhammapaññarasatthana
Abhidhammatthavikāsini
Abhidhammavibhānava
Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha

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