Practicing Success
Who compiled the teachings of the Buddha into the Tipitaka? |
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The teachings of the Buddha and other revered teachers were primarily conveyed orally through discussions and debates. Men and women, and possibly even children, attended these discourses and engaged in discussions about what they heard. Interestingly, none of the Buddha's speeches were written down during his lifetime. However, after his passing in the fifth or fourth century BCE, his disciples compiled his teachings during a council of "elders" or senior monks at Vesali (present-day Vaishali, Bihar). These compilations were collectively known as the Tipitaka, signifying three baskets that contained different types of texts. Initially transmitted orally, they were later written down and classified based on their length and subject matter. |