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The '''Pali Canon''' is the scripture collection of Theravada Buddhism.<ref>Gethin, ''Sayings of the Buddha'', Oxford World Classics, 2008, page xiii</ref> "Pali Canon" is the usual English name;<ref>Gombrich, foreword to Pali Text Society edition of Geiger, ''Pali Grammar''; there are typographical variants: Pali/Pāli/Pāḷi Canon/canon</ref> it is also known by the name "Tipiṭaka".<ref>Harvey, ''Introduction to Buddhism'', Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed, 2012, page 459</ref> It is in Pali,<ref>Harvey, ''Introduction to Buddhism'', Cambridge University Press, 1st ed, 1990, page 3</ref> which is a language of ancient India.<ref>Harvey, ''Introduction to Buddhism'', Cambridge University Press, 1st ed, 1990, page xx</ref> Mahayana Buddhism tends to regard the Tipiṭaka as a sort of "[[Old Testament]]"<ref>''Encyclopaedia Britannica'', 2002 printing, volume 11, page 791 (article Tipitaka)</ref>. Most scholars recognize the Canon as the oldest source for the Buddha's teachings.<ref>Mousa, ''World Religions Demystified'', McGraw-Hill, 2014, page 35; Schopen, ''Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks'', University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 1997, pages 23f / reprinted from ''Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik'', volume 10 (1985), page 9 / also quoted in "The historical authenticity of early Buddhist literature: a critical evaluation", ''Vienna Journal of South Asian Studies'', Vol XLIX (2005)/[https://ocbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/awynne2005wzks.pdf], page 37</ref> | The '''Pali Canon''' is the scripture collection of Theravada [[Buddhism]].<ref>Gethin, ''Sayings of the Buddha'', Oxford World Classics, 2008, page xiii</ref> "Pali Canon" is the usual English name;<ref>Gombrich, foreword to Pali Text Society edition of Geiger, ''Pali Grammar''; there are typographical variants: Pali/Pāli/Pāḷi Canon/canon</ref> it is also known by the name "Tipiṭaka".<ref>Harvey, ''Introduction to Buddhism'', Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed, 2012, page 459</ref> It is in Pali,<ref>Harvey, ''Introduction to Buddhism'', Cambridge University Press, 1st ed, 1990, page 3</ref> which is a language of ancient India.<ref>Harvey, ''Introduction to Buddhism'', Cambridge University Press, 1st ed, 1990, page xx</ref> Mahayana Buddhism tends to regard the Tipiṭaka as a sort of "[[Old Testament]]"<ref>''Encyclopaedia Britannica'', 2002 printing, volume 11, page 791 (article Tipitaka)</ref>. Most scholars recognize the Canon as the oldest source for the Buddha's teachings.<ref>Mousa, ''World Religions Demystified'', McGraw-Hill, 2014, page 35; Schopen, ''Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks'', University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 1997, pages 23f / reprinted from ''Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik'', volume 10 (1985), page 9 / also quoted in "The historical authenticity of early Buddhist literature: a critical evaluation", ''Vienna Journal of South Asian Studies'', Vol XLIX (2005)/[https://ocbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/awynne2005wzks.pdf], page 37; Schopen himself is one of those scholars who question the prevailing view, and Norman asks what it actually means ("The value of the Pāli tradition", ''Jagajjyoti: Buddha Jayanti Annual: 1984'', 1-9 / ''Collected Papers, volume III'', Pali Text Society, 23-44)</ref> | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
The Canon is traditionally regarded by the [[Theravada]] as the Word of the Buddha (died around 400 BC<ref>consensus of scholars: Gethin, ''Sayings of the Buddha'', Oxford World Classics, 2008, page xv</ref>), though not always literally.<ref>Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism'', Routledge, London, 1st edn, 1988 / 2nd edn, 2006, page 20</ref> It is said in the Canon itself that whatever is well said is the Word of the Buddha.<ref>''The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha'', Wisdom Publications / Pali Text Society, page 1120; ''Gradual Sayings'', Pali Text Society, volume IV, page 112</ref> | The Canon is traditionally regarded by the [[Theravada]] as the Word of the Buddha (died around 400 BC<ref>consensus of scholars: Gethin, ''Sayings of the Buddha'', Oxford World Classics, 2008, page xv</ref>), though not always literally.<ref>Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism'', Routledge, London, 1st edn, 1988 / 2nd edn, 2006, page 20</ref> It is said in the Canon itself that whatever is well said is the Word of the Buddha.<ref>[https://suttacentral.net/an8.8/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin]; [https://suttacentral.net/an8.8/en/bodhi?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false] / ''The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha'', Wisdom Publications / Pali Text Society, page 1120; ''Gradual Sayings'', Pali Text Society, volume IV, page 112</ref> | ||
According to a tradition generally regarded quite favourably by scholars, the Canon was written down from oral tradition in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the last century BC | According to a tradition generally regarded quite favourably by scholars, the Canon was written down from oral tradition in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the last century BC,<ref>Gethin, ''Buddhist Path to Awakening'', Brill, Leiden / New York / Köln, 1992, page 8. For more on the early evolution of the Canon see the following: [https://www.academia.edu/5212434/The_Early_Development_of_Buddhist_Literature_and_Language_in_India]; [https://www.academia.edu/1417355/Pali_oral_literature]; ''Pāli Literature: Including the Canonical Literature in Prakrit and Sanskrit of All the Hīnayāna Schools of Buddhism'', K.R. Norman, Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 1983 (volume 7, fascicle 2 of History of Indian Literature), [https://archive.org/stream/PaliLiterature/Pali%20Literature_djvu.txt] pages 15-107; [https://ia902804.us.archive.org/11/items/0002ahandbookofpaliliteratureoskarvonhinuber/0002%20A-Handbook-of-Pali-Literature-Oskar-Von-Hinuber.pdf Hinuber, ''Handbook of Pali Literature'', de Gruyter, Berlin, 1996], pages 10-155; ''Indian Buddhism'', A. K. Warder, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1st edition, 1970, 2nd edition, 1980, 3rd edition, 2000; ''Indian Buddhism'', Hajime Nakamura, Kansai University of Foreign Studies, Hirakata, Japan; ''A History of Indian Buddhism'', Akira Hirakawa, vol 1, Shunjusha, Tokyo, 1974, translated and edited by Paul Groner, University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 1990; ''Histoire du bouddhisme indien'', Etienne Lamotte, University of Louvain, 1958 (English translation ''History of Indian Buddhism'', translated by Sara Webb-Boin under the supervision of Jean Dantinne, 1988); [https://www.academia.edu/24142977/Review_of_Richard_F._Gombrich_What_the_Buddha_Thought_London_Equinox_2009_ | ||
]; ''Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens'', volume 38, pages 158f (in German, with English abstract near end); Gethin, ''Foundations of Buddhism'', Oxford University Press, 1998, pages 47, 83; [http://www.purifymind.com/RichardGombrich.htm]; Samuel, ''Introducing Tibetan Buddhism'', Routledge, 2012, pages 47f</ref> though hardly any manuscripts survive from before the 16th century.<ref>Oberlies, ''Pali Grammar'', volume I, Pali Text Society, 2019, page 7</ref> | |||
Collected printed editions of the Canon have been appearing since about 1893,<ref>Bechert & Gombrich, ''World of Buddhism'', Thames & Hudson, London, 1984, page 78; see also Wiles et al in ''Journal of the Pali Text Society'', volume XXXIV, [https:// | Collected printed editions of the Canon have been appearing since about 1893,<ref>Bechert & Gombrich, ''World of Buddhism'', Thames & Hudson, London, 1984, page 78 says the first edition appeared in Siam (Thailand) in 1893 (reviews of this edition: Robert Chalmers, ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (New Series)'', volume XXX (number 1), pages 1-10l; C. R. Lanman, ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', volume 16, pages ccxliv-ccliv); see also Wiles et al in ''Journal of the Pali Text Society'', volume XXXIV, [https://palitextsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/07-Wiles-et-al-JPTS-34-2021.pdf], p 174, for a reference to a report of a Burmese edition about the same time; a comparative review of a numbrer of editions is "Zu einigen neueren Ausgaben des Pāli-Tipiṭaka", Frank-Richard Hamm, ''Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft'', 112 (neue Folge, Band 37), 1962, pages 353-378 (the German original is available on Jstor for those with access; English translation: "On some recent editions of the Pāli Tipiṭaka", in ''German Scholars on India: Contributions to Indian Studies'', ed Cultural Department of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, New Delhi, volume I, pub Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, Varanasi, 1973, pages 123-135)</ref> and digitized versions since 1988.<ref>''Routledge Encyclopedia of Buddhism'', 2007, page 288</ref> It is now even available on an app. | ||
The vast majority of commentarial literature is connected with just four names: Buddhaghosa, Dhammapala, Sariputta and Nanakitti.<ref>[https://palitextsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/ | The vast majority of commentarial literature is connected with just four names: Buddhaghosa, Dhammapala, Sariputta and Nanakitti.<ref>[https://palitextsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/JPTS-XXVI-7.pdf ''Journal of the Pali Text Society'', volume XXVI], page 134</ref> | ||
==Table of contents== | ==Table of contents== | ||
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**Samyutta Nikaya (Connected discourses of the Buddha) | **Samyutta Nikaya (Connected discourses of the Buddha) | ||
**Anguttara Nikaya (Numerical discourses of the Buddha) | **Anguttara Nikaya (Numerical discourses of the Buddha) | ||
**Khuddaka Nikaya: the contents of this section vary between editions, with some including all the following but others omitting one or more | **Khuddaka Nikaya: the contents of this section vary between editions, with some including all the following but others omitting one or more.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120820132850/http://society.worldtipitaka.info/world-tipitaka-project/world-tipitaka-roman-script/comparative-tipitaka-volumes] (see [https://web.archive.org/web/20120722154929/http://society.worldtipitaka.info/world-tipitaka-project/world-tipitaka-roman-script/reference-to-pali-tipitaka-editions-in-various-scripts] for the code letters used there). For more on this issue see the following: ''A Textual and Historical Analysis of the Khuddaka Nikāya'', Oliver Abeynayake, Colombo, 1984, pages 38-40 (cited in ''Encyclopaedia of Buddhism'', ed G.P.Malalasekera, Goverment of Ceylon / Sri Lanka, volume 6, page 209); [https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.9149/mode/2up Bode, ''Pali Literature of Burma'', Royal Asiatic Society, London, 1909], pages 4f (& review in ''Journal of the Burma Research Society'', volume 1); Bollee in ''Pratidanam'' (Kuiper Festschrift), Mouton, The Hague / Paris; Bond in [https://archive.org/details/the-encyclopedia-of-indian-philosophies/7%20Abhidharma%20Buddhism%20to%20150%20AD/page/403/mode/2up ''Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies'', ed Karl H. Potter, Motilal, Delhi, volume VII, page 403]; [https://vk.com/doc1116419_631732571?hash=5SFcWytLfST3PuG85XNTVbezYFWZNbz26Qdilv0ZQ6D ''The Pāli Language'', T. Y. Elizarenkova and V. N. Toporov, Nauka, Moscow, 1976], page 40; [https://ia902804.us.archive.org/11/items/0002ahandbookofpaliliteratureoskarvonhinuber/0002%20A-Handbook-of-Pali-Literature-Oskar-Von-Hinuber.pdf Hinuber, ''Handbook of Pali Literature'', de Gruyter, Berlin, 1996], page 76; Norman, ''Philological App[roach to Buddhism'', School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 1996, page 141 (there is a reissue of this book by the Pali Text Society, but it has not been checked for whether the pagination is the same); ''Journal of the Pali Text Society'', 1882, [https://palitextsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/JPTS_I_8.pdf], page 48, and [https://palitextsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/JPTS_I_9.pdf], pages 60f; [https://www.academia.edu/34870189]; [https://theravadastudies.org/recordings/]; Sayadaw Nandamāla, [https://nandamala.org/netti/#more-51824 ''Introduction to Nettipakaraṇa''], page 5; [https://archive.org/details/TipitakaStudiesOutsideMyanmarmonkSarana], page 2; Rewata Dhamma, ''The Buddha and His Disciples'', Dhamma Talaka Pubns, Birmingham, 2001, page 91</ref> | ||
***Khuddakapatha (Minor readings) | ***Khuddakapatha (Minor readings) | ||
***Dhammapada (Word of the doctrine) | ***Dhammapada (Word of the doctrine) | ||
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***Theragatha (Poems of early Buddhist monks) | ***Theragatha (Poems of early Buddhist monks) | ||
***Therigatha (Poems of early Buddhist nuns) | ***Therigatha (Poems of early Buddhist nuns) | ||
***Apadana (Legends<ref>"Illustrator of ultimate meaning" (in 1 volume with "Minor readings"), page 2; a translation of this book is available at [http://apadanatranslation.org/]</ref>) | ***Apadana (Legends<ref>"Illustrator of ultimate meaning" (in 1 volume with "Minor readings"), page 2; a translation of this book is available at [http://apadanatranslation.com/] or [https://web.archive.org/web/20231004204901/http://apadanatranslation.org/]</ref>) | ||
***Buddhavamsa (Chronicle of Buddhas) | ***Buddhavamsa (Chronicle of Buddhas) | ||
***Cariyapitaka (Basket of conduct) | ***Cariyapitaka (Basket of conduct) | ||
Line 50: | Line 51: | ||
**Yamaka (Book of pairs) | **Yamaka (Book of pairs) | ||
**Patthana (Conditional relations) | **Patthana (Conditional relations) | ||
===Comparison with other Buddhist canons=== | |||
The other two major Buddhist canons at the present day are in Chinese and Tibetan respectively ([https://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln260/Buddhist%20Canons.htm]). These three canons are quite different, but overlap.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-buddhism/page/755/mode/2up Macmillan ''Encyclopedia of Buddhism'', 2004 (Volume Two), page 756]</ref> All three canons include versions of the Vinaya<ref>Warder, ''Indian Buddhism'', Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 3rd edition, 2000, pages 496f</ref> and the Dhammapada.<ref>Nakamura, ''Indian Buddhism'', Kansai University of Foreign Studies, Hirakata, Japan, pages 40-43</ref> The Chinese canon additionally includes versions of the first four nikayas,<ref>Warder, pages 493f; Nakamura, 1980, pages 33-39</ref> the Itivuttaka<ref>Warder, page 495; see [https://palitextsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/JPTS_V_28-1.pdf ''Journal of the Pali Text Society'' 1906-7] for a detailed account of this</ref> and the Milindapanha.<ref>Nakamura, page 114, note 5</ref> Also included in one or both of these other canons are versions of parts of certain books: the Suttanipata,<ref>Warder, pages 494f</ref> the Apadana ([https://buddhistuniversity.net/exclusive_01/Bad%20Karma%20of%20the%20Buddha%20-%20Guang%20Xing.pdf]) and the Petakopadesa.<ref>Stefano Zacchetti, "An early Chinese translation corresponding to Chapter 6 of the ''Peṭakopadesa'': An Shigao's ''Yin chi ru jing'' T603 and its Indian original: a preliminary survey", ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies'', 65.1 (2002), pages 74ff ([https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies/article/abs/an-early-chinese-translation-corresponding-to-chapter-6-of-the-petakopadesa-an-shigaos-yin-chi-ru-jing-t-603-and-its-indian-original-a-preliminary-survey/4AFF7A8884AD8B97EE6F23D0F97AF9B8], not open access)</ref> Likewise, in one or both of these other canons can be found texts similar to the Jataka<ref>''Britannica'' Micropedia, sv</ref> and Abhidhamma ([https://archive.org/details/the-encyclopedia-of-indian-philosophies/7%20Abhidharma%20Buddhism%20to%20150%20AD/page/101/mode/2up]). | |||
==Where next?== | ==Where next?== | ||
* ''The Lion's Roar: an Anthology of the Buddha's Teachings Selected from the Pāḷi Canon'', David Maurice, Rider, London, 1962; American | * ''The Lion's Roar: an Anthology of the Buddha's Teachings Selected from the Pāḷi Canon'', David Maurice, Rider, London, 1962; American edition, Citadel, New York, 1967: online at [http://www.kbrl.gov.mm/book/download/002593], [https://www.bps.lk/olib/mi/mi023_Maurice_The-Lions-Roar.epub.pdf]; this seems to be the only anthology including selections from all three pitakas; it also represents all five nikayas, but not all the individual books listed above; this book can give some idea of what the Canon is like | ||
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120820132850/http://society.worldtipitaka.info/world-tipitaka-project/world-tipitaka-roman-script/comparative-tipitaka-volumes Parallel volume-by-volume table of contents of a number of editions]; see [https://web.archive.org/web/20120722154929/http://society.worldtipitaka.info/world-tipitaka-project/world-tipitaka-roman-script/reference-to-pali-tipitaka-editions-in-various-scripts] for the code letters used there. | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120820132850/http://society.worldtipitaka.info/world-tipitaka-project/world-tipitaka-roman-script/comparative-tipitaka-volumes Parallel volume-by-volume table of contents of a number of editions]; see [https://web.archive.org/web/20120722154929/http://society.worldtipitaka.info/world-tipitaka-project/world-tipitaka-roman-script/reference-to-pali-tipitaka-editions-in-various-scripts] for the code letters used there. | ||
* Detailed outlines (from shortest to longest) | * Detailed outlines (from shortest to longest) | ||
** ''An Analysis of the Pāli Canon'', edited by Russell Webb, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 3rd edition, 2008; online at [https://www.bps.lk/library-search-select.php?id=bp607s]; includes extensive bibliography | ** ''An Analysis of the Pāli Canon'', edited by Russell Webb, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 3rd edition, 2008; online at [https://www.bps.lk/library-search-select.php?id=bp607s]; includes extensive bibliography | ||
** ''An Outline Of the Pāḷi Canon'', compiled from various sources by Allan R. Bomhard, Charleston Buddhist Fellowship, Charleston, SC USA, 2013 (2557), updated version 2022; online at [https://www.academia.edu/38036561/Bomhard_An_Outline_Of_the_P%C4%81li_Canon_revised_August_2022_?email_work_card=title] | ** ''An Outline Of the Pāḷi Canon'', compiled from various sources by Allan R. Bomhard, Charleston Buddhist Fellowship, Charleston, SC USA, 2013 (2557), updated version 2022; online at [https://www.academia.edu/38036561/Bomhard_An_Outline_Of_the_P%C4%81li_Canon_revised_August_2022_?email_work_card=title] | ||
** ''Guide to Tipiṭaka'', compiled by U Ko Lay, Burma Piṭaka Association, Rangoon, 1986; reprinted in India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand; now online at numerous websites, e.g. [http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/tipitaka.pdf], [http://www.archive.org/details/guidetotipitaka029042mbp], [http://www.archive.org/stream/guidetotipitaka029042mbp#page/n1/mode/2up | ** ''Guide to Tipiṭaka'', compiled by U Ko Lay, Burma Piṭaka Association, Rangoon, 1986; reprinted in India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand; now online at numerous websites, e.g. [http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/tipitaka.pdf], [http://www.archive.org/details/guidetotipitaka029042mbp], [http://www.archive.org/stream/guidetotipitaka029042mbp#page/n1/mode/2up] | ||
** ''A History of Pali Literature'' by Bimala Churn Law, originally published in 2 volumes in 1933 (Volume I on the Canon), reprinted in 1 volume, online at [http://www.academia.edu/4088767/A_History_of_Pali_Literature_by_Bimala_Churn_Law] | ** ''A History of Pali Literature'' by Bimala Churn Law, originally published in 2 volumes in 1933 (Volume I on the Canon), reprinted in 1 volume, online at [http://www.academia.edu/4088767/A_History_of_Pali_Literature_by_Bimala_Churn_Law] | ||
* [https://palitextsociety.org The Pali Text Society] publishes Pali texts, translations, an ''Introduction to Pali'', a ''Pali-English Dictionary'', etc. | * [https://palitextsociety.org The Pali Text Society] publishes [https://palitextsociety.org/product-category/original-texts-in-pali/ Pali texts], [https://palitextsociety.org/product-category/translations/ translations], an [https://palitextsociety.org/product/introduction-to-pali/ ''Introduction to Pali''], a [https://palitextsociety.org/product/pali-english-dictionary/ ''Pali-English Dictionary''], etc.; many of these, and other, books are available online, and can be found through search engines | ||
*Complete text (in Pali) | *Complete text (in Pali) | ||
** | **Latin script | ||
*** | ***[https://web.archive.org/web/20190627171205/http://www.btmar.org/content/tipitaka-del-sexto-concilio-buddhista-textos-pali ''Chaṭṭhasaṅgītipiṭakaṁ''], 40 volumes, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Yangon, 2008; also [https://web.archive.org/web/20190627170838/http://www.btmar.org/content/tipitaka-del-sexto-concilio-buddhista-comentarios commentaries] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20190627171521/http://www.btmar.org/content/tipitaka-del-sexto-concilio-buddhista-subcomentarios subcommentaries] (commentaries on commentaries) | ||
*** | ***[http://web.archive.org/web/20100615203958/http://buddhistethics.org/palicanon.html Sri Lanka Tripitaka Project]; also includes many other Pali texts | ||
*** | ***[http://suttacentral.net/ SuttaCentral]; see [https://suttacentral.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/suttacentral-upgrade-2014/], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120820133726/http://society.worldtipitaka.info/world-tipitaka-project/the-project/introduction] for background on this; also includes early Buddhist literature in other languages, and many translations into English and other languages | ||
** | ***[http://www.tipitaka.org Vipassana Research Institute], Igatpuri, India; also includes commentaries, subcommentaries and other Pali texts; various formats, including app | ||
*** | **scripts used in Theravada countries | ||
***[https://www.pali-text-images.net/ Anandajoti]: more than one edition | |||
***[https://web.archive.org/web/20120606015925/http://dhamma4khmer2.org/Tipitaka_Reading_1.html ''Braḥ Traipiṭakapāḷi''], 110 volumes, Phnom Penh, 1931-1969; includes Khmer translations on right-hand pages | |||
***[http://www.aathaapi.net/tipitaka/ ''Buddha Jayanti Tripitaka''], 52 volumes [in 58], published under the patronage of the government of Ceylon / Sri Lanka, 1957-1989; includes Sinhalese translations on right-hand pages | |||
***[http://www.kbrl.gov.mm/catalog/Index/39?page=32 Kabaaye Buddha Research Library] (click on Eng to get the page in English instead of Burmese); also includes many other books in Pali, Burmese, and English | |||
**watch this space: | **watch this space: | ||
***[http://www.budsir.org BUDSIR (BUDdhist Studies Information Retrieval)] has carried an under construction notice for years; supposed to have a Thai edition | |||
***[http://www.budsir.org] has carried an under construction notice for years | ***[https://palitextsociety.org/non-pts-editions-of-pali-texts/ King Chulalongkorn Edition 1893] links to scans of most volumes of a Siamese edition of the Canon; maybe the others will be added sometime | ||
***[https://opencontext.org/projects/b6de18c6-bba8-4b53-9d9e-3eea4b794268 Kuthodaw Pagoda Project] | |||
***[https://palitextsociety.org/non-pts-editions-of-pali-texts/] links to scans of most volumes of a Siamese edition of the Canon | |||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
<references/> | <references/> |
Latest revision as of 11:39, 14 February 2025
The Pali Canon is the scripture collection of Theravada Buddhism.[1] "Pali Canon" is the usual English name;[2] it is also known by the name "Tipiṭaka".[3] It is in Pali,[4] which is a language of ancient India.[5] Mahayana Buddhism tends to regard the Tipiṭaka as a sort of "Old Testament"[6]. Most scholars recognize the Canon as the oldest source for the Buddha's teachings.[7]
Background
The Canon is traditionally regarded by the Theravada as the Word of the Buddha (died around 400 BC[8]), though not always literally.[9] It is said in the Canon itself that whatever is well said is the Word of the Buddha.[10]
According to a tradition generally regarded quite favourably by scholars, the Canon was written down from oral tradition in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the last century BC,[11] though hardly any manuscripts survive from before the 16th century.[12]
Collected printed editions of the Canon have been appearing since about 1893,[13] and digitized versions since 1988.[14] It is now even available on an app.
The vast majority of commentarial literature is connected with just four names: Buddhaghosa, Dhammapala, Sariputta and Nanakitti.[15]
Table of contents
English titles are taken from the Pali Text Society: titles of translations published by them, except for 2 books they haven't yet translated (at least 1 volume of).
- Vinaya Pitaka (Book of the discipline)
- Sutta or Suttanta Pitaka
- Digha Nikaya (Dialogues of the Buddha)
- Majjhima Nikaya (Middle length discourses of the Buddha)
- Samyutta Nikaya (Connected discourses of the Buddha)
- Anguttara Nikaya (Numerical discourses of the Buddha)
- Khuddaka Nikaya: the contents of this section vary between editions, with some including all the following but others omitting one or more.[16]
- Khuddakapatha (Minor readings)
- Dhammapada (Word of the doctrine)
- Udana (Verses of uplift)
- Itivuttaka (As it was said)
- Suttanipata (Group of discourses)
- Vimanavatthu (Stories of the mansions)
- Petavatthu (Stories of the departed)
- Theragatha (Poems of early Buddhist monks)
- Therigatha (Poems of early Buddhist nuns)
- Apadana (Legends[17])
- Buddhavamsa (Chronicle of Buddhas)
- Cariyapitaka (Basket of conduct)
- Jataka (Stories of the Buddha's former births)
- Niddesa (Exposition[18])
- Maha Niddesa
- Culla or Cula Niddesa
- Patisambhidamagga (Path of discrimination)
- Netti (The guide)
- Petakopadesa (Piṭaka-disclosure)
- Milindapanha (Milinda's questions)
- Abhidhamma Pitaka
- Dhammasangani (A Buddhist manual of psychological ethics)
- Vibhanga (Book of analysis)
- Dhatukatha (Discourse on elements)
- Puggalapannatti (Designation of human types)
- Kathavatthu (Points of controversy)
- Yamaka (Book of pairs)
- Patthana (Conditional relations)
Comparison with other Buddhist canons
The other two major Buddhist canons at the present day are in Chinese and Tibetan respectively ([20]). These three canons are quite different, but overlap.[19] All three canons include versions of the Vinaya[20] and the Dhammapada.[21] The Chinese canon additionally includes versions of the first four nikayas,[22] the Itivuttaka[23] and the Milindapanha.[24] Also included in one or both of these other canons are versions of parts of certain books: the Suttanipata,[25] the Apadana ([21]) and the Petakopadesa.[26] Likewise, in one or both of these other canons can be found texts similar to the Jataka[27] and Abhidhamma ([22]).
Where next?
- The Lion's Roar: an Anthology of the Buddha's Teachings Selected from the Pāḷi Canon, David Maurice, Rider, London, 1962; American edition, Citadel, New York, 1967: online at [23], [24]; this seems to be the only anthology including selections from all three pitakas; it also represents all five nikayas, but not all the individual books listed above; this book can give some idea of what the Canon is like
- Parallel volume-by-volume table of contents of a number of editions; see [25] for the code letters used there.
- Detailed outlines (from shortest to longest)
- An Analysis of the Pāli Canon, edited by Russell Webb, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 3rd edition, 2008; online at [26]; includes extensive bibliography
- An Outline Of the Pāḷi Canon, compiled from various sources by Allan R. Bomhard, Charleston Buddhist Fellowship, Charleston, SC USA, 2013 (2557), updated version 2022; online at [27]
- Guide to Tipiṭaka, compiled by U Ko Lay, Burma Piṭaka Association, Rangoon, 1986; reprinted in India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand; now online at numerous websites, e.g. [28], [29], [30]
- A History of Pali Literature by Bimala Churn Law, originally published in 2 volumes in 1933 (Volume I on the Canon), reprinted in 1 volume, online at [31]
- The Pali Text Society publishes Pali texts, translations, an Introduction to Pali, a Pali-English Dictionary, etc.; many of these, and other, books are available online, and can be found through search engines
- Complete text (in Pali)
- Latin script
- Chaṭṭhasaṅgītipiṭakaṁ, 40 volumes, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Yangon, 2008; also commentaries and subcommentaries (commentaries on commentaries)
- Sri Lanka Tripitaka Project; also includes many other Pali texts
- SuttaCentral; see [32], [33] for background on this; also includes early Buddhist literature in other languages, and many translations into English and other languages
- Vipassana Research Institute, Igatpuri, India; also includes commentaries, subcommentaries and other Pali texts; various formats, including app
- scripts used in Theravada countries
- Anandajoti: more than one edition
- Braḥ Traipiṭakapāḷi, 110 volumes, Phnom Penh, 1931-1969; includes Khmer translations on right-hand pages
- Buddha Jayanti Tripitaka, 52 volumes [in 58], published under the patronage of the government of Ceylon / Sri Lanka, 1957-1989; includes Sinhalese translations on right-hand pages
- Kabaaye Buddha Research Library (click on Eng to get the page in English instead of Burmese); also includes many other books in Pali, Burmese, and English
- watch this space:
- BUDSIR (BUDdhist Studies Information Retrieval) has carried an under construction notice for years; supposed to have a Thai edition
- King Chulalongkorn Edition 1893 links to scans of most volumes of a Siamese edition of the Canon; maybe the others will be added sometime
- Kuthodaw Pagoda Project
- Latin script
Notes
- ↑ Gethin, Sayings of the Buddha, Oxford World Classics, 2008, page xiii
- ↑ Gombrich, foreword to Pali Text Society edition of Geiger, Pali Grammar; there are typographical variants: Pali/Pāli/Pāḷi Canon/canon
- ↑ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed, 2012, page 459
- ↑ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, Cambridge University Press, 1st ed, 1990, page 3
- ↑ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, Cambridge University Press, 1st ed, 1990, page xx
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2002 printing, volume 11, page 791 (article Tipitaka)
- ↑ Mousa, World Religions Demystified, McGraw-Hill, 2014, page 35; Schopen, Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks, University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 1997, pages 23f / reprinted from Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik, volume 10 (1985), page 9 / also quoted in "The historical authenticity of early Buddhist literature: a critical evaluation", Vienna Journal of South Asian Studies, Vol XLIX (2005)/[1], page 37; Schopen himself is one of those scholars who question the prevailing view, and Norman asks what it actually means ("The value of the Pāli tradition", Jagajjyoti: Buddha Jayanti Annual: 1984, 1-9 / Collected Papers, volume III, Pali Text Society, 23-44)
- ↑ consensus of scholars: Gethin, Sayings of the Buddha, Oxford World Classics, 2008, page xv
- ↑ Gombrich, Theravada Buddhism, Routledge, London, 1st edn, 1988 / 2nd edn, 2006, page 20
- ↑ [2]; [3] / The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publications / Pali Text Society, page 1120; Gradual Sayings, Pali Text Society, volume IV, page 112
- ↑ Gethin, Buddhist Path to Awakening, Brill, Leiden / New York / Köln, 1992, page 8. For more on the early evolution of the Canon see the following: [4]; [5]; Pāli Literature: Including the Canonical Literature in Prakrit and Sanskrit of All the Hīnayāna Schools of Buddhism, K.R. Norman, Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 1983 (volume 7, fascicle 2 of History of Indian Literature), [6] pages 15-107; Hinuber, Handbook of Pali Literature, de Gruyter, Berlin, 1996, pages 10-155; Indian Buddhism, A. K. Warder, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1st edition, 1970, 2nd edition, 1980, 3rd edition, 2000; Indian Buddhism, Hajime Nakamura, Kansai University of Foreign Studies, Hirakata, Japan; A History of Indian Buddhism, Akira Hirakawa, vol 1, Shunjusha, Tokyo, 1974, translated and edited by Paul Groner, University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 1990; Histoire du bouddhisme indien, Etienne Lamotte, University of Louvain, 1958 (English translation History of Indian Buddhism, translated by Sara Webb-Boin under the supervision of Jean Dantinne, 1988); [https://www.academia.edu/24142977/Review_of_Richard_F._Gombrich_What_the_Buddha_Thought_London_Equinox_2009_ ]; Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens, volume 38, pages 158f (in German, with English abstract near end); Gethin, Foundations of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 1998, pages 47, 83; [7]; Samuel, Introducing Tibetan Buddhism, Routledge, 2012, pages 47f
- ↑ Oberlies, Pali Grammar, volume I, Pali Text Society, 2019, page 7
- ↑ Bechert & Gombrich, World of Buddhism, Thames & Hudson, London, 1984, page 78 says the first edition appeared in Siam (Thailand) in 1893 (reviews of this edition: Robert Chalmers, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (New Series), volume XXX (number 1), pages 1-10l; C. R. Lanman, Journal of the American Oriental Society, volume 16, pages ccxliv-ccliv); see also Wiles et al in Journal of the Pali Text Society, volume XXXIV, [8], p 174, for a reference to a report of a Burmese edition about the same time; a comparative review of a numbrer of editions is "Zu einigen neueren Ausgaben des Pāli-Tipiṭaka", Frank-Richard Hamm, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, 112 (neue Folge, Band 37), 1962, pages 353-378 (the German original is available on Jstor for those with access; English translation: "On some recent editions of the Pāli Tipiṭaka", in German Scholars on India: Contributions to Indian Studies, ed Cultural Department of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, New Delhi, volume I, pub Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, Varanasi, 1973, pages 123-135)
- ↑ Routledge Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2007, page 288
- ↑ Journal of the Pali Text Society, volume XXVI, page 134
- ↑ [9] (see [10] for the code letters used there). For more on this issue see the following: A Textual and Historical Analysis of the Khuddaka Nikāya, Oliver Abeynayake, Colombo, 1984, pages 38-40 (cited in Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, ed G.P.Malalasekera, Goverment of Ceylon / Sri Lanka, volume 6, page 209); Bode, Pali Literature of Burma, Royal Asiatic Society, London, 1909, pages 4f (& review in Journal of the Burma Research Society, volume 1); Bollee in Pratidanam (Kuiper Festschrift), Mouton, The Hague / Paris; Bond in Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, ed Karl H. Potter, Motilal, Delhi, volume VII, page 403; The Pāli Language, T. Y. Elizarenkova and V. N. Toporov, Nauka, Moscow, 1976, page 40; Hinuber, Handbook of Pali Literature, de Gruyter, Berlin, 1996, page 76; Norman, Philological App[roach to Buddhism, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 1996, page 141 (there is a reissue of this book by the Pali Text Society, but it has not been checked for whether the pagination is the same); Journal of the Pali Text Society, 1882, [11], page 48, and [12], pages 60f; [13]; [14]; Sayadaw Nandamāla, Introduction to Nettipakaraṇa, page 5; [15], page 2; Rewata Dhamma, The Buddha and His Disciples, Dhamma Talaka Pubns, Birmingham, 2001, page 91
- ↑ "Illustrator of ultimate meaning" (in 1 volume with "Minor readings"), page 2; a translation of this book is available at [16] or [17]
- ↑ Bodhi, Suttanipata translation, Pali Text Society, 2017, page 18; a translation of this book is available at [18]
- ↑ Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004 (Volume Two), page 756
- ↑ Warder, Indian Buddhism, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 3rd edition, 2000, pages 496f
- ↑ Nakamura, Indian Buddhism, Kansai University of Foreign Studies, Hirakata, Japan, pages 40-43
- ↑ Warder, pages 493f; Nakamura, 1980, pages 33-39
- ↑ Warder, page 495; see Journal of the Pali Text Society 1906-7 for a detailed account of this
- ↑ Nakamura, page 114, note 5
- ↑ Warder, pages 494f
- ↑ Stefano Zacchetti, "An early Chinese translation corresponding to Chapter 6 of the Peṭakopadesa: An Shigao's Yin chi ru jing T603 and its Indian original: a preliminary survey", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 65.1 (2002), pages 74ff ([19], not open access)
- ↑ Britannica Micropedia, sv