The Tripitaka, or the pali canon, is one of the earliest collections of Buddhist teachings and is the only text that is recognized as canonical by Theravada Buddhists. Tripitaka literally means “three baskets”, because of the way in which they were originally recorded. The Tripitaka was traditionally passed down by word of mouth, and later was transcribed during the third century B.C.E. Following the death of the Buddha, the contents of the Tripitaka were officially determined and recognized by the First Buddhist Council. The Tripitaka were organized into three separate pitakas. The Vinayak pitaka deals with the rules and regulations for the sangha, regulations for nuns, and guidelines for interaction between sangha and the laity. The Sutra
