Aster's Asterisms

Buddhist scripture can largely be divided into three categories: the Pāli Canon, the Chinese Buddhist Canon, and the Tibetan Buddhist Canon.

Note that although Tripiṭaka traditionally refers to the Pāli Canon, all forms are self-proclaimed Tripiṭaka (but the Pāli Canon adheres to the three-basket structure the most strictly.)

Pāli Canon

The Pāli Canon refers to the scripture of Theravāda written in Pāli. It is derived into three categories: the Vinaya Piṭaka (which deals with the rules of the sangha), the Sutta Piṭaka (which deals with discourses of the Buddha), and the Abhidhamma Piṭaka (which are treatises on philosophy and doctrine). The Abhidhamma Piṭaka is purely found within the Pāli Canon, lacking much of the overlap that the Vinaya and Sutta Piṭakas have in other Canons.

Chinese Buddhist Canon

The Chinese Buddhist Canon, or the Great Storage of Scriptures (大藏經) refers to the scripture of East Asian Buddhism (largely Mahāyāna) preserved in Classical Chinese. Due to the nature of how the Canon was compiled, there are many different individual Canons. The most widespread one, and the one I will be using, is the Taishō Tripiṭaka.

Tibetan Buddhist Canon

The Tibetan Buddhist Canon refers to the scripture of Tibetan Buddhism, composed of the Kangyur (the recorded teachings of the Buddha) and the Tengyur (commentaries on the Kangyur), preserved in Tibetan.