Sutta Pitaka
Topic: Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "Kinship, Caste and Class - Early Societies"; Class 12, Ch 4 "Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings"
Meaning
The Sutta Pitaka is one of the three "baskets" of the Buddhist Tipitaka. It holds the Buddha's teachings, often told as conversations and stories. The oldest versions are in Pali. They were passed on by word of mouth at first and written down long after the Buddha's death. It is a key source for both Buddhist ideas and the social life of early India.
Example
The Sutta Pitaka includes the Buddha's advice to the householder Sigāla on how masters should treat their servants. It also records king Ajātasattu of Magadha describing rival teachers to the Buddha. It contains the Therigāthā, verses by bhikkhunīs (nuns). In one of these verses, Punna, a slave water-carrier, mocks the idea that bathing washes away sin.
Don't confuse with
- Vinaya Pitaka: This basket holds the rules for the sangha, not the Buddha's teachings.
- Abhidhamma Pitaka: This basket deals with philosophical matters.
Related concepts
- Tipitaka
- Vinaya Pitaka
- Abhidhamma Pitaka
- Abhidhamma Divas
- Pali
- Pali classical language
- Buddhist councils
- First Buddhist council
- Second Buddhist council
- Sthaviravada and Mahasanghika