Pāli Canon

The Pāli Canon, also known as the Tipitaka, is a collection of scriptures in the Pāli language, central to Theravada Buddhism. It consists of three "baskets": the Vinaya Pitaka (rules for monastic discipline), the Sutta Pitaka (discourses attributed to the Buddha), and the Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophical and doctrinal analysis). Composed between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st century CE, it serves as a foundational text for understanding Buddhist teachings, ethics, and meditation practices, preserving the earliest recorded teachings of the Buddha and providing insight into the path toward enlightenment.