Actually, Buddhists wrote nothing down till over 400 or 500 years after Buddha. Till then, it was all orally transmitted, first by his disciples, then by later generations of their disciples. They don't really know who said what. Writing began about the 1st century BC and most Buddhist scriptures were written down over a period of 600 years or so thereafter. The record of transmission is much shakier than with Christianity.
.... Theravada and Mahayana CanonsAbout two millennia ago, Buddhism split into two major schools, called today Theravada and Mahayana. 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consider the Theravada canon to be authentic, but in some cases Mahayana Buddhists think some of their scriptures have superseded the Theravada canon in authority.
To add to the confusion, schools of Mahayana Buddhism have different views about which Mahayana scriptures are authentic and authoritative. Some Mahayana scriptures are important to some schools and ignored by others. For example, the Lotus Sutra is the only scripture accepted by the Nichiren school, but it plays no part in Tibetan Buddhism.
Theravada Buddhist ScripturesThe scriptures of the Theravada school are collected in a work called the Tipitaka (or Tripitaka in Sanskrit).
The most complete and most common version of the Tipitaka is in the Pali language. This Pali Tipitaka, also called the Pali Canon, contains the scriptures followed by Theravada Buddhism. The Pali Canon is thought to be the words of the historical Buddha and some of his disciples, preserved for a time by oral tradition and then written down in the 1st century BCE. For a more complete explanation of the origins of the Tipitaka, please see " The Pali Canon: The First Buddhist Scriptures."
There are ancient versions of parts of the Tipitaka in other languages. For example, there are sutras in Sanskrit that correspond to some of the sutras in the Pali Sutra-pitaka, and the collection of these early discourses is called the Agamas.
There also have been versions of the Abhidharma that are considerably different from the one in the Pali Canon. Some of these exist today only in fragments. But one, called the Sarvastivada Abhidharma, is still intact. Saravastivada was an early sect of Buddhism that emerged in the 3rd century BCE.
Mahayana Buddhist ScripturesAlthough there are myths and stories that associate each of the Mahayana sutras to the historical Buddha, historians tell us the works were mostly written between the 1st century BCE and the 5th century CE, and a few even later than that. For the most part, the provenance and authorship of these texts are unknown.
The mysterious origins of these works give rise to questions about their authority. As I've said Theravada Buddhists disregard the Mahayana scriptures entirely. Among Mahayana Buddhist schools, some continue to associate the Mahayana sutras with the historical Buddha. Others acknowledge that these scriptures were written by unknown authors. But because the deep wisdom and spiritual value of these texts have been apparent to so many generations, they are preserved and revered as sutras anyway.
Many of the Mahyana sutras are thought to have been originally written in Sanskrit, but the oldest extant versions are Chinese translations, and the original Sanskrit is lost.
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If you're serious about seeking enlightenment in Buddhism, you'll want to know the rules for Buddhist monks and nuns:
The first step was home-leaving. Candidates recited the Ti Samana Gamana (Pali), " taking the three refuges" in the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. Then the novices shaved their heads and put on their patched, yellow-orange robes.
The Ten Cardinal PreceptsNovices also agreed to follow the Ten Cardinal Precepts, which are: - No killing
- No stealing
- No sexual intercourse
- No lying
- No taking of intoxicants
- No eating at the wrong time (after the midday meal)
- No dancing or music
- No wearing of jewelry or cosmetics
- No sleeping on raised beds
- No acceptance of money
These ten rules eventually were expanded to 227 rules, recorded in the Vinaya-pitaka of the Pali Canon.
Full OrdinationIn time a novice could apply for full ordination as a monk. To qualify he had to meet certain standards of health and character. Then a senior monk presented the candidate to the assembly of monks and asked three times if anyone objected to his ordination. If there were no objections, he would then be ordained.
The only possessions monks were allowed to keep were three robes, one alms bowl, one razor, one needle, one girdle, and one water strainer. Most of the time they slept under trees. They begged for their food in the morning and ate one meal a day, at noon. Monks were to gratefully receive and eat whatever they were given, with a few exceptions. They could not store food or save anything to eat later. For more on the food rules for monks, see " Buddhism and Vegetarianism." The Buddha also ordained women as nuns. For the story of the first Buddhist nuns and the rules they followed, please see " The First Buddhist Women."
DisciplineAs explained earlier, monks endeavored to live by the Ten Cardinal Precepts and the other rules of the Vinaya-pitaka. The Vinaya also prescribes penalties, ranging from simple confession to permanent explusion from the order. On days of a new and full moon, monks gathered in an assembly to recite the canon of rules. After each rule was recited, the monks paused to allow for confessions of breaking the rule.
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