The Sangha and the Buddhist Scriptures

Buddhists speak of the Three Jewels, taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma (his teaching) and the Sangha (the community). The Buddha founded orders of monks and, according to tradition after initial hesitation, of nuns, who lived by detailed monastic rules called the Vinaya. Monastics depended on lay people for food and support, while laypeople earned merit through generosity, creating an exchange that still shapes Buddhist societies. After the Buddha's death, teachings were preserved orally and organized at councils.

The Pali Canon, or Tripitaka ('three baskets'), was written down in Sri Lanka around the 1st century BCE and contains the Vinaya, the discourses (Suttas) and philosophical analysis (Abhidhamma). Mahayana traditions added many later sutras, such as the Lotus and Heart Sutras, in Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan. The variety of canons shows that Buddhism, like other religions, debated which texts carried authority.