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ChartComparingPali,ChineseandTibetanCanons
TheVinaya
TheHinayanaSutras
TheMahayanaSutras
TheCommentaries
TheAbhidharma
Other
I.KANJUR(TheWordofthe
Buddha)

THEVINAYA
ThePaliCanon

TheChineseCanon

VINAYAPITAKA

XII.VinayaSection
(Volumes2224)

A.Suttavibhanga:PatimokkhaMonasticcodeor
rulesfortheSangha
1.227rulesformonks
2.311rulesfornun

A.Disciplinarytextsofa
varietyofHinayana
Schools:Bhikkhuni
PatimokkhaTheravada,
Mahasanghika,
Mahisasaka,Sarvastivada,
Dharmagupta,andMula
Sarvastivada

TheTibetanCanon

VINAYA(Volumes113)

B.Khandhaka:Mattersconcerningthe
organizationoftheSangha
1.Mahavagga:Regulationsforordination,
retreats,clothing,food,etc.
2.Cullavagga:Proceduralmattersandthe
historyofthefirsttwocouncils.
B.Bodhisattvadiscipline:
BrahmajalaSutra
C.TheParivara:(Appendixsummarizingthe
rules)

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THEHINAYANASUTRAS
ThePaliCanon

TheChineseCanon

TheTibetanCanon

SUTTAPITAKA
A.DighaNikaya:34longdiscourses
2SamaaphalaSutta
11Kevatta(Kevaddha)Sutta
12LohiccaSutta
15MahaNidanaSutta
16MahaParinibbanaSutta
21SakkapahaSutta
22MahaSatipatthanaSutta
26CakkavattiSutta
27AggannaSutta
31Sigalovada

I.AgamaSection
Approximately67hinayana
(Volumes12):151texts
texts:
thatcorrespondtothePali
Canon,butweretranslated
fromtheSanskritofthe
Sarvastivadatradition.
Agamameansthose
handeddownbytradition.

B.MajjhimaNikaya:154mediumlength
discourses:
2SabbasavaSutta
4BhayabheravaSutta
7VatthupamaSutta
8SallekhaSutta
22AlagagaddujupamaSutta
45CuladhammasamadanaSutta
55JivakaSutta
63CulaMalunkyaSutta
72AggiVacchagottaSutta
74DighanakhaSutta
86AngulimalaSutta
87PiyajatikaSutta
102DevadahaSutta
104SamagamaSutta
108MoggallanaSutta
117MahaCattarisakaSutta
118AnapanasatiSutta
143AnathapindikovadaSutta
145PunnovadaSutta
C.SamyuttaNikaya:56groupsofdiscourses
arrangedbysubjectmatter:
I.4KasiBharadvajaSutta
I.8MettaSutta
I.42KindadaSutta
I.71GhatvaSutta
III.13DonapakaSutta

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VI.1AyacanaSutta
XII.48LokayatikaSutta
XV.1419MataSutta
XVI.13SadhammapatirupakaSutta
XX.7AniSutta
XXII.81ParileyyakaSutta
XXII.122SilavantSutta
XXXV.28AdittapariyayaSutta
XXXV.145KammaSutta
XLII.2TalaputaSutta
LVI.11DhammacakkapavattanaSutta
LVI.48ChiggalaSutta
D.AnguttaraNikaya:Discoursesgroupedby
incrementallistsofsubjects:
III.65KalamaSutta
IV.77AcintitaSutta
V.27SamadhiSutta
E.KhuddakaNikaya:Acollectionoffifteen
minortexts
1.Khuddakapatha:Shortsuttas
2.Dhammapada:Popularcollectionof423
versesonethics.Dhammapada

IncludesChinese
Dhammapada

IncludesTibetan
Dhammapada

3.Udana:80solemnutterancesoftheBuddha
4.Itivuttaka:112Shortsuttas
5.Suttanipata:70suttasinverse
6.Vimanavatthu:Accountsoftheheavenly
rebirthsofthevirtuous
7.Petavatthu:51poemsaboutrebirthasa
hungryghost
8.Theragatha:Versesby264maleElders
9.Therigatha:Versesbyaround100female
elders.
10.Jataka:547storiesabouttheBuddhas

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II.StorySection(Volumes

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previouslives

34):68Jatakatexts:
CombinationofMahayana
andpremahayanastories
onaccountsofthe
buddhaspastlives.Past
ConditionSutras:The
ParableSutra

11.Niddesa:Commentaryonportionsofthe
Suttanipata
12.Patisambhidamagga:Abhidharmastyle
analysisofpointsofdoctrine
13.Apadana:Versestoriesaboutthepresent
andformerlivesofmonksandnuns
14.Buddhavamsa:Anaccountofthe24
previousBuddhas
15.Cariyapitaka:Jatakastoriesaboutthe
virtuesofbodhisattvas

THEMAHAYANASUTRAS

ThePaliCanon

TheChineseCanon

TheTibetanCanon

III.Prajnaparamita
Prajnaparamita(Volumes
Section(Volumes58):42 1434):PerfectionofWisdom
texts,PerfectionofWisdom Sutras,HeartSutra,
Sutras,HeartSutra,
Vajracchedikaprajnaparamita
Vajracchedika
Sutra
prajnaparamitaSutra
IV.Saddharmapundarika
Section(Volume9):16
textsrelatingtotheLotus
Sutra
V.AvatamsakaSection Avatamsaka(Volumes4146)
(Volumes910):31texts
relatingtotheAvatamsaka
(FlowerOrnament)Sutra

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VI.RatnakutaSection
Ratnakuta(Volumes3540)
(Volumes1112):64early
Mahayanatexts:
AmitayurdhyanaSutra,
SukhavativyuhaSutras
(PureLand)
VII.Mahaparinirvana
Section(Volume12):23
textsconcerningthe
MahaparinirvanaSutra

Parinirvana(Volumes7879)

VIII.GreatAssemblyor
CollectionSection
(Volume13):28texts
containingearlysutras,
beginningwiththeGreat
AssemblySutra.Tendto
focusonesotericmaterials.
Translationsnotfound.
IX.SutraCollection
OtherMahayanaSutras:
Section(Volumes1417): Over200textsincludingthe
423textsprimarilyof
VimalakirtiNirdesaSutra
miscellaneousmahayana
sutras:Bhaishajyaguru
Sutra,
KsitagarbhaBodhisattva
Sutra,
LankavataraSutra,
PlatformSutraofMaster
HuiNeng,
SamdhinirmocanaSutra,
Srimalaidevisimhanada
Sutra,
ShurangamaSutra,
SuvarnabhasottamaSutra,
VimalakirtiNirdesaSutra
(Luk),
SutrainFortyTwo
Sections,
BathingtheBuddhaSutra
X.TantraSection
Tantra(Volumes80100),300
(Volumes1821):572texts textsincludingtheSupreme
onvajrayanaandtantric
Yogaorhighesttantratexts.
materials:includesthe
VairocanaSutraandthe
DiamondCrownSutraof
theYogadivision.Itdoes
notincludethehighestor

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SupremeYogadivision
texts,butdoesinclude
manytextsthatarenotin
theTibetanCanon.

THEABHIDHARMA
ThePaliCanon

TheChineseCanon

ABHIDHAMMAPITAKA(Scholastictreatises)
A.Dhammasangani:Psychologicalanalysisof
ethics
B.Vibhanga:Analysisofvariousdoctrinal
categories

TheTibetanCanon

XIII.AbhidharmaSection Abhidharma:8volumes:
(Volumes2629):
Vasubandhus
Tranlationsof
Abhidharmakosa
Sarvastivadin,
Dharmaguptaka,and
SautrantikaAbhidharma
texts:Vasubandhus
Abhidharmakosa

C.Dhatukatha:Classificationofpointsof
doctrine
D.Puggalapannatti:Classificationofhuman
types
E.Kathavatthu:Doctrinaldisputesamongthe
sects
F.Yamaka:Pairsofquestionsaboutbasic
categoriesofteachings
G.Patthana:causationanalyzedinto24groups

THECOMMENTARIES

ThePaliCanon

TheChineseCanon

TheTibetanCanon
II.THETENJUR

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Stotras(Hymnsofpraise):1
volume,64texts.
XII.Commentarieson
Commentariesonvarious
Sutras(Sastras)byIndian sutras:137volumes,567
authorsontheAgamasand texts:
MahayanaSutras(Volumes
2426):31textsAsangas AsvaghosasGurupancasika,
YogcarabhumiShastra,
AsvaghosasMahayana AtishasLampforthePathto
Enlightenment,
SraddhotpadaShastra,
Chandragomins
SthiramatisMahayana
Bodhisattvasamvaravimsaka,
Dharmarealmwithout
Distinction,Vasubandhus Shantidevas
Mahayana`satadharmaa Bodhicaryavatara,
prakaa`samukhashastra
andTrimsika
AsangasAbhisamaya
Alamkara

Prajnaparamita
commentaries:16volumes:
AsangasAbhisamaya
Alamkara

XIV.Madhyamaka
MadhyamakaTreatises:17
Section(Volume30):15 volumes:includesNagarjunas
textsonMadhyamaka
Mulamadhyamakakarika
thought.TheMadhyamaka Treatise,Chandrakirtis
textsoftheChineseCanon Madhyamakavatara
areconsiderablydifferent
fromtheTibetanrenditions
ofthesamesystemof
thought.TheChinese
collectionconsistsmostlyof
earlierworks.TheChinese
Canondoesnotcontainas
manyworksorasmany
schoolsofthissystemas
theTibetanCanon.
XV.YogacaraSection
YogacaraTreatises:29
(Volumes3031):49textsvolumes:LordMaitreya's
containsaverycomplete UttaratantraShastraand
collectionofthissystemof AbhisamayaAlamkaraas
thought.
transmittedtoDharmaKing
Asanga
XVI.Collectionof
Treatises(Volume32):65
Textsonmiscellaneous
worksonlogicandother
matters.TheHetuvidya

buddhism.org/Sutras/DHARMA/Tripitaka/CanonCompare.htm

Miscellaneoustexts:4
volumes:TsongkhapasLam
RimChenMo,Mountainof
Blessings,andThePrincipal
TeachingsofBuddhism.

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whichiscloselyconnected TechnicalTreatises:43
withVijnanavada(Yogacaravolumes(includeslogic,
school),isnotfully
grammar,lexicographyand
translatedintheChinese poetics,medicine,chemistry,
Canonandcannotcompareetc.):DharmakirtisPramana
favorablywiththeworksof Varttika,Dignagas,
DignagaandDharmakirti CommentaryonCompendium
collectedintheTibetan
onValidPerception
Canon.
XVII.Commentarieson
SutrasbyChineseauthors
(Volumes3339)
XVIII.Commentarieson
theVinayabyChinese
authors(Volume40)

Vinayacommentaries:16
volumes:Gunaprabhas
VinayaSutra

XIX.Commentarieson
theSastrasbyChinese
authors(Volumes4044)

OTHER
ThePaliCanon

TheChineseCanon

TheTibetanCanon

XX.ChineseSectarian
Writings(Volumes4448)
XXI.Historyand
Biography(Volumes49
42):95texts

Talesanddramas:4
volumes

XXII.Encyclopediasand
Dictionaries(Volumes53
54):16texts
XXIII.NonBuddhist
Doctrines(Volume54):8
textsonHinduism,
Manichean,andNestorian
Christianwritings
XXIV.Catalogs(Volume
55):40texts

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CatalogtoKanjur(Volume
101)

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