1. Section 2: Sacred stories and sacred scriptures
By: Daniel Espejo, Alan saldaña, connor White, Pablo lopez

2. INtroduction Siddhartha wrote no text, and neither did his followers
After his death his memories were only passed down as down through recitation gatherings
Sacred texts of Buddhism were developed over a number of centuries
The texts include a variety of literary genres, and written in a number of languages that were translated into other languages with little accuracy.
Adding to the scriptures and liberal translations brought tensions and division in Buddhism.
NO branches of Buddhism can agree in which texts are considered sacred or not

3. Overview of Buddhist Scriptures
Buddhism has a vast number of scriptures, but few texts are accepted as authentic and authoritative by every school of Buddhism.
It is understood that the scriptures are teachings of the historical Buddha - who was not a god - or other enlightened masters.
Other religions consider their scriptures to be the revealed word of God or gods.
The teachings in Buddhist scriptures are directions for practice, or how to realize enlightenment for oneself.
What's important is to understand and practice what the texts are teaching, not just "believe in" them.

4. What Scriptures mean to a Buddhist
Many scriptures are called "sutras" in Sanskrit or "sutta" in Pali.
The word sutra or sutta means "thread." The word "sutra" in the title of a text indicates the work is a sermon of the Buddha or one of his major disciples.
Many sutras probably have other origins.
Sutras come in many sizes.
Beyond the sutras, there are also commentaries, rules for monks and nuns, fables about the lives of the Buddha, and many other kinds of texts also considered to be "scripture."

5. The Two Major Schools of Buddhism
About two millennia ago, Buddhism split into two major schools, called today Theravada and Mahayana
Most Buddhist scriptures are associated with one or the other, divided into Theravada and Mahayana canons.
Theravadins do not consider the Mahayana scriptures to be authentic.
Mahayana Buddhists, on the whole, consider the Theravada canon to be authentic, but in some cases, Mahayana Buddhists think some of their scriptures have superseded the Theravada canon in authority.

6. Scriptures of Theravada buddhism
Earliest Buddhist scriptures were known as Tripitaka.
Tripitaka: From the Sanskrit meaning “Three Baskets,” and also known as the Pali Canon in Theravada Buddhism, the compilation of three collections of early Buddhist text.
The “Three Baskets” are known as Vinaya Pitaka, Sutra Pitaka, Abidharrna Pitaka

7. Baskets Meaning Vinaya Pitaka
Code of monastic discipline for monks and nuns.
227 rules for monks and 311 for nuns.
Highlight offenses in descending order of serious-ness.
A story is accompanied to each rule to explain it.
Records the life and ministry of the Buddha.

8. SUTRA PITAKA Made up of discourses attributed to Siddhartha Gautama.
Many of the discourses became part of the Buddhist doctrine. (Ex: Morality)
The Buddha’s birth and attainment can be found in this Pitaka.

9. Abidharma Pitaka Examines the Buddhists psychological teachings.
It analyzes the Buddhists doctrine in detail.
It pertains more to the monks or serious students rather than regular Buddhists.
The Mahayana and Vajrayana version of this Pitaka contains additional treasures.

10. PALI CANON
Pali Canon the authoritative Buddhist scripture of the Theravada Buddhist.
Pali Canon is written in Pali language
Another name for the Tripitaka
Authoritative scripture for the Theravada Buddhists.
Contains the words of the historical Buddha

11. Scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhists have a number of texts they find sacred, the most popular is The Lotus of the True Law (Lotus Sutra).
Lotus Sutra: Scripture where Enlightenment is made available not only to monastics, but to all because of the great compassions of bodhisattvas
Lotus sutra is attributed to the Buddha where it is believed it contains the final teachings of the Buddha, making the Triptaka second in important status.

12. The Lotus Sutra popularity comes from the universality of its message
It teaches that all people posses Buddha-nature and everyone can receive Enlightenment
It explains the bodhisattva ideal that a person while working on it’s Nirvana, it should be helping others by sharing wisdom and compassion

13. PERFECTION OF WISDOM
Another popular Mahayana Scripture is the Perfection of Wisdom, explains on how to achieve the perfection of wisdom of a bodhisattva.
A person must transcend the world of existence and resolve seeming contradictions by treating themselves as paradoxes, and it teaches them to attain perfect wisdom by going beyond ordinary and rational knowledge.
Example: light and darkness, where in the Perfection of Wisdom they are seen as the same .

14. Scriptures of Vajrayana Buddhism
Vajrayana Buddhists use Mahayana scriptures but they use tantric text from India and China.
The Kanjur, or “Teachings” has a number of sutras or discourses on the Buddha’s teachings, also it contains Theravada and Mahayana scriptures.
The Tanjur, or “Translation of the Treatises” are commentaries on the Kanjur
Vajrayana Buddhism places focus on tantric tradition of India
Tantric texts are more on how to do the rituals or meditations to gain enlightenment.

15. TANTRIC TECHNIQUES
Two examples of tantric techniques in Vajrayana are the use of mandalas and the mantra to help with the focusing of meditation.
The mandala is a scared geometric symbolic of the universe,
A mantra is a sacred word or phrase that helps with the focusing during meditation.

16. Tibetan book of the dead
It is the more popular scripture within Vajrayana Buddhism
Contains writings on death, dying, and rebirth
Describes what consciousness is like between death and rebirth.
The popularity of it comes from when it’s read while someone is dying, or when someone has died.

17. Sources
An Overview of Buddhist Scriptures - ThoughtCo. 0D0F6B7F50E28862A9&rd=1&h=9qFLvSQmL6ghT41XiV28nM7z9g2ZkRHsqJn3xVnN73 M&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2fwww.thoughtco.com%2fbuddhist-scriptures-an-overview &p=DevEx,
Clemmons, Nancy. Exploring the religions of our world. Ave Maria Press, 2008.