Which Buddhist scripture collection is known as the “Three Baskets”?

The Buddhist scripture collection known as the “Three Baskets” is the Tripitaka, also called the Tipitaka in Pali. The name refers to three divisions: the Vinaya Pitaka, the rules for monastic discipline; the Sutta Pitaka, discourses and related teachings; and the Abhidhamma or Abhidharma Pitaka, systematic analyses of doctrine.

The Tripitaka is especially associated with the Theravada Buddhist canon preserved in Pali. Other Buddhist traditions preserve different collections and arrangements, including Chinese and Tibetan canons, so “Tripitaka” does not refer to one identical set of books across all Buddhism.

The title is a translation of the Sanskrit words tri, meaning three, and pitaka, meaning basket or collection. It is distinct from the Three Jewels, which are the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The Dhammapada is one text within the Sutta Pitaka, not the name of the entire canon.