Pali Vocabulary

三藏

Tipitaka / Three Baskets (Pali Canon)

neuter noun compound: ti (three) + piṭaka (basket — neuter noun)

The complete Pali Canon — the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism, preserved in the Pali language. Three divisions: (1) Vinaya Piṭaka — the rules of monastic discipline (227 rules for monks, 311 for nuns), along with their origins and commentaries; (2) Sutta Piṭaka — the discourses of the Buddha (five collections/Nikāyas: Dīgha, Majjhima, Saṃyutta, Aṅguttara, Khuddaka); (3) Abhidhamma Piṭaka — philosophical and psychological analysis of the Dhamma (7 books). The Tipiṭaka was preserved orally for centuries before being written down in Sri Lanka c. 1st century BCE.

尼柯耶

Collection / Group (of suttas)

masculine noun (a-stem): from ni + kāya (body/group) — 'collected body'

A collection of suttas. The five Nikāyas of the Sutta Piṭaka: (1) Dīgha Nikāya (DN) — Long Discourses (34 long suttas, e.g., Mahāparinibbāna Sutta); (2) Majjhima Nikāya (MN) — Middle Length Discourses (152 suttas, e.g., Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta); (3) Saṃyutta Nikāya (SN) — Connected Discourses (7,762 suttas in 56 groups); (4) Aṅguttara Nikāya (AN) — Numerical Discourses (9,557 suttas arranged by number 1–11); (5) Khuddaka Nikāya (KN) — Minor Collection (18 texts including Dhammapada, Theragāthā, Jātaka).

經

Discourse / Thread of teaching

neuter noun (a-stem): from sīvati (to sew) or suṇāti (to hear) — 'thread' or 'that which is heard'

A discourse of the Buddha (or occasionally a senior disciple). Each sutta follows a recognisable structure: opening formula (Evaṃ me sutaṃ — 'Thus have I heard'), setting (time, place, and audience), the teaching itself, and a closing declaration of approval. Suttas range from a few lines to many pages. The Sutta Piṭaka contains thousands of suttas. In Mahayana Buddhism the equivalent texts (in Sanskrit) are called Sūtras.