Pali Canon
Over two thousand years ago, Gautama Buddha reached a spiritual enlightenment, or bodhi, and began teaching others of his time the fundamentals by which to do the same. Originally, his teachings were passed on orally, as was traditional of the times, and in this manner spread throughout the Indian subcontinent and parts of Asia.
Over time, the teachings were written down, but as over four hundred years had passed since Gautama Buddha’s death, it is unclear how strong the connection is between the written Pali Canon and his original teachings. Regardless, the Pali Canon is still often called the Word of Buddha, but this is obviously not in the literal sense as the Canon also contains works from more modern disciples.
The traditional Pali Canon belongs to the Southern Buddhist, or Theravada, tradition of Buddhism. Other branches of Buddhism, particularly the Mahayana Buddhists, feel the Pali Canon is somewhat equivocal to the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, but not all feel that way. Some give the Pali Canon equal status with other, more recent interpretations and commentaries.
The traditional Pali Canon is divided into three parts called pikatas. Roughly translated, this means basket, and as there are three sections, the Canon is often referred to as the tipitaka, or three baskets. The term basket is thought to indicate a collection or carrier, as these categories are collections of various commentaries and subcommentaries.
