bhaddacak.github.io

Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana Tipiṭaka Restructured

Unlike students of Buddhism in the past who had difficulty in finding Pāli texts to read, today we have several versions of them easily accessible via the Internet. The most complete collection is of the Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana Tipiṭaka (CST), formerly known as CSCD distributed by Vipassana Research Institute. This collection has been the main source of materials for many students of Buddhism and Pāli, including me.

A better edited collection recently is of SuttaCentral. Although this is not complete, it serves as a beginner-friendly source with a good coverage of English translations. Because of the fragmented data in this site plus its idiosyncracy, albeit well-organized, it is difficult to work with in some situations.

Although the data of CST are reliable and good in many respects, the collection is not perfect. To programmers who make use of the data, several features are needed to be improved and many points are needed to be fixed so that we can make a better reader or search program. Moreover, to scholars, it should be an easier way to refer to the texts. This is a hard problem because referencing method depends heavily on the structure of the texts. Now the old days of PTS referring system have gone and several new systems arise. Here we will have another referencing system, which reflects the data we use.

That is to say, the target users of this collection are researchers and serious learners. So, we organize the texts in the way that related works are put together, able to be used at hand. And each book in the collection is mostly identified by its name. That is the best approach to Pāli literary studies. Moreover, by the motto of this site, “Buddhists should be able to read Pāli texts by themselves”, we do not offer any translation here.

For more information about the structure of the collection, see CST-Kit.

For the information on Pāli literature is vast and somewhat perplexing to beginners, I will ignore most of them here. For those who want to delve into the details, please consult other better sources, for example, Oskar von Hinüber’s A Handbook of Pāli Literature (Walter de Gruyter, 1996) or K.R. Norman’s Pāli Literature (Otto Harrassowitz, 1983).

Vinayapiṭaka

While the main texts in the Vinaya are of a handful, their related works are rich. All the texts are listed in the tree below, including their name and abbreviation for referring. Pāli learners should know all these names and their relationships. The most important exegesis is undoubtedly Samantapāsādikā by Buddhaghosa, because several subsequent works go around it. Unlike the original, I promote the Pātimokkha, both of the Bhikkhu and Bhikkhunī, to the main group. This makes sense because by their content they are not exegeses, but recapitulations.

Most texts in the Vinaya can be synchronized in the reader. To understand how it works, see HERE, or better try it yourself in the reader. Other texts with similar structure can be used in the same manner.

============
Vinayapiṭaka
============
  |- Bhikkhuvibhaṅga 1 (Buv1)
  |   |- Samantapāsādikā 1 (Sp1)
  |       |- Sāratthadīpanī 1 (Sd1)
  |       |- Vimativinodanī 1 (Vmv1)
  |       |- Vajirabuddhi 1 (Vjb1)
  |
  |- Bhikkhuvibhaṅga 2 (Buv2)
  |   |- Samantapāsādikā 2 (Sp2)
  |       |- Sāratthadīpanī 2 (Sd2)
  |       |- Vimativinodanī 2 (Vmv2)
  |       |- Vajirabuddhi 2 (Vjb2)
  |       |- Pācityādiyojanā (Pc-y)
  |
  |- Bhikkhunīvibhaṅga (Biv)
  |   |- Samantapāsādikā 3 (Sp3)
  |       |- Sāratthadīpanī 3 (Sd3)
  |       |- Vimativinodanī 3 (Vmv3)
  |       |- Bhikkhunīvibhaṅgayojanā (Biv-y)
  |
  |- Mahāvagga (Mv)
  |   |- Samantapāsādikā 4 (Sp4)
  |       |- Sāratthadīpanī 4 (Sd4)
  |       |- Vimativinodanī 4 (Vmv4)
  |       |- Vajirabuddhi 4 (Vjb4)
  |       |- Mahāvaggayojanā (Mv-y)
  |
  |- Cūḷavagga (Cv)
  |   |- Samantapāsādikā 5 (Sp5)
  |       |- Sāratthadīpanī 5 (Sd5)
  |       |- Vimativinodanī 5 (Vmv5)
  |       |- Vajirabuddhi 5 (Vjb5)
  |       |- Cūḷavaggayojanā (Cv-y)
  |
  |- Parivāra (Pvr)
  |   |- Samantapāsādikā 6 (Sp6)
  |       |- Sāratthadīpanī 6 (Sd6)
  |       |- Vimativinodanī 6 (Vmv6)
  |       |- Vajirabuddhi 6 (Vjb6)
  |       |- Parivārayojanā (Pvr-y)
  |
  |- Bhikkhupātimokkha (Bup)
  |   |- Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī (Kkh1)
  |       |- Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī-purāṇaṭīkā (Kkh-pt1)
  |       |- Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī-abhinavaṭīkā (Kkh-nt1)
  |
  |- Bhikkhunīpātimokkha (Bip)
      |- Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī (Kkh2)
          |- Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī-purāṇaṭīkā (Kkh-pt2)
          |- Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī-abhinavaṭīkā (Kkh-nt2)

  ----------------------------------------
  Independent Vinaya Exegeses/Compositions
  ----------------------------------------
      |- Vinayasaṅgaha (Vns)
      |   |- Vinayālaṅkāra (Vnl)
      |
      |- Vinayavinicchaya (Vnv)
      |   |- Vinayavinicchayaṭīkā (Vnv-t)
      |
      |- Uttaravinicchaya (Utv)
      |   |- Uttaravinicchayaṭīkā (Utv-t)
      |
      |- Khuddasikkhā (Khds)
      |   |- Khuddasikkhā-purāṇaṭīkā (Khds-pt)
      |   |- Khuddasikkhā-abhinavaṭīkā (Khds-nt)
      |
      |- Mūlasikkhā (Mls)
          |- Mūlasikkhāṭīkā (Mls-t)

Suttantapiṭaka

The first four main nikāyas in the Suttanta have simple structure, suitable to use the traditional way of referring (see below). However, I use all text names in these nikāyas because by this way students can get better familiarity with the texts, particularly those written by Buddhaghosa. The main subcommentaries in the first three nikāyas have the same name. This can be a little confusing. Writers may call them by the traditional way instead, if they like, for example, D1-t, M1-t, and S1-t.

Texts in Khuddakanikāya have various structures. Some are simple, but some are really complex (see Milindapañha mentioned below). To avoid confusion, it is better not to call their exegeses by names. So, in this nikāya (onward to the Abhidhamma) I use a different naming scheme.

To make our life easier, I decide to move Visuddhimagga from the other group to be an exegetical text in the Suttanta, and I exclude the rest in that group altogether. Putting Visuddhimagga here makes sense. This can also make our collection tidier and unified.

==============
Suttantapiṭaka
==============
  |- Dīghanikāya
  |   |
  |   |- Sīlakkhandhavagga (D1)
  |   |   |- Sumaṅgalavilāsinī 1 (Smv1)
  |   |       |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Dīghanikāya) 1 (Lpd1)
  |   |       |- Sīlakkhandhavagga-abhinavaṭīkā (Sv-nt)
  |   |
  |   |- Mahāvagga (D2)
  |   |   |- Sumaṅgalavilāsinī 2 (Smv2)
  |   |       |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Dīghanikāya) 2 (Lpd2)
  |   |
  |   |- Pāthikavagga (D3)
  |       |- Sumaṅgalavilāsinī 3 (Smv3)
  |           |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Dīghanikāya) 3 (Lpd3)
  |
  |- Majjhimanikāya
  |   |
  |   |- Mūlapaṇṇāsa (M1)
  |   |   |- Papañcasūdanī 1 (Pps1)
  |   |       |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Majjhimanikāya) 1 (Lpm1)
  |   |
  |   |- Majjhimapaṇṇāsa (M2)
  |   |   |- Papañcasūdanī 2 (Pps2)
  |   |       |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Majjhimanikāya) 2 (Lpm2)
  |   |
  |   |- Uparipaṇṇāsa (M3)
  |       |- Papañcasūdanī 3 (Pps3)
  |           |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Majjhimanikāya) 3 (Lpm3)
  |
  |- Saṃyuttanikāya
  |   |
  |   |- Sagāthāvagga (S1)
  |   |   |- Sāratthappakāsinī 1 (Srp1)
  |   |       |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Saṃyuttanikāya) 1 (Lps1)
  |   |
  |   |- Nidānavagga (S2)
  |   |   |- Sāratthappakāsinī 2 (Srp1)
  |   |       |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Saṃyuttanikāya) 2 (Lps2)
  |   |
  |   |- Khandhavagga (S3)
  |   |   |- Sāratthappakāsinī 3 (Srp1)
  |   |       |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Saṃyuttanikāya) 3 (Lps3)
  |   |
  |   |- Saḷāyatanavagga (S4)
  |   |   |- Sāratthappakāsinī 4 (Srp4)
  |   |       |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Saṃyuttanikāya) 4 (Lps4)
  |   |
  |   |- Mahāvagga (S5)
  |       |- Sāratthappakāsinī 5 (Srp5)
  |           |- Līnatthappakāsinī (Saṃyuttanikāya) 5 (Lps5)
  |
  |- Aṅguttaranikāya
  |   |
  |   |- Ekakanipāta (A1)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 1 (Mnp1)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 1 (Srm1)
  |   |
  |   |- Dukanipāta (A2)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 2 (Mnp2)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 2 (Srm2)
  |   |
  |   |- Tikanipāta (A3)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 3 (Mnp3)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 3 (Srm3)
  |   |
  |   |- Catukkanipāta (A4)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 4 (Mnp4)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 4 (Srm4)
  |   |
  |   |- Pañcakanipāta (A5)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 5 (Mnp5)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 5 (Srm5)
  |   |
  |   |- Chakkanipāta (A6)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 6 (Mnp6)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 6 (Srm6)
  |   |
  |   |- Sattakanipāta (A7)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 7 (Mnp7)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 7 (Srm7)
  |   |
  |   |- Aṭṭhakanipāta (A8)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 8 (Mnp8)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 8 (Srm8)
  |   |
  |   |- Navakanipāta (A9)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 9 (Mnp9)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 9 (Srm9)
  |   |
  |   |- Dasakanipāta (A10)
  |   |   |- Manorathapūraṇī 10 (Mnp10)
  |   |       |- Sāratthamañjūsā 10 (Srm10)
  |   |
  |   |- Ekādasakanipāta (A11)
  |       |- Manorathapūraṇī 11 (Mnp11)
  |           |- Sāratthamañjūsā 11 (Srm11)
  |
  |- Khuddakanikāya
      |
      |- Khuddakapāṭha (Khp)
      |   |- Khuddakapāṭha-aṭṭhakathā (Khp-a)
      |
      |- Dhammapada (Dhp)
      |   |- Dhammapada-aṭṭhakathā (Dhp-a)
      |
      |- Udāna (Ud)
      |   |- Udāna-aṭṭhakathā (Ud-a)
      |
      |- Itivuttaka (It)
      |   |- Itivuttaka-aṭṭhakathā (It-a)
      |
      |- Suttanipāta (Snp)
      |   |- Suttanipāta-aṭṭhakathā (Snp-a)
      |
      |- Vimānavatthu (Vv)
      |   |- Vimānavatthu-aṭṭhakathā (Vv-a)
      |
      |- Petavatthu (Pv)
      |   |- Petavatthu-aṭṭhakathā (Pv-a)
      |
      |- Theragāthā (Thag)
      |   |- Theragāthā-aṭṭhakathā (Thag-a)
      |
      |- Therīgāthā (Thig)
      |   |- Therīgāthā-aṭṭhakathā (Thig-a)
      |
      |- Therāpadāna (Ap1)
      |   |- Therāpadāna-aṭṭhakathā (Ap-a1)
      |
      |- Therīapadāna (Ap2)
      |
      |- Buddhavaṃsa (Bv)
      |   |- Buddhavaṃsa-aṭṭhakathā (Bv-a)
      |
      |- Cariyāpiṭaka (Cp)
      |   |- Cariyāpiṭaka-aṭṭhakathā (Cp-a)
      |
      |- Jātaka (Ja)
      |   |- Jātaka-aṭṭhakathā 1 (Ja-a1)
      |   |- Jātaka-aṭṭhakathā 2 (Ja-a2)
      |   |- Jātaka-aṭṭhakathā 3 (Ja-a3)
      |
      |- Mahāniddesa (Nidd1)
      |   |- Mahāniddesa-aṭṭhakathā (Nidd-a1)
      |
      |- Cūḷaniddesa (Nidd2)
      |   |- Cūḷaniddesa-aṭṭhakathā (Nidd-a2)
      |
      |- Paṭisambhidāmagga (Psm)
      |   |- Paṭisambhidāmagga-aṭṭhakathā (Psm-a)
      |
      |- Milindapañha (Mil)
      |
      |- Nettippakaraṇa (Nett)
      |   |- Nettippakaraṇa-aṭṭhakathā (Nett-a)
      |   |   |- Nettippakaraṇa-ṭīkā (Nett-t)
      |   |- Nettivibhāvinī (Nettv)
      |
      |- Peṭakopadesa (Ptkp)
   
  ------------------------------------------
  Independent Suttanta Exegeses/Compositions
  ------------------------------------------
      |- Visuddhimagga (Vism)
          |- Visuddhimagga-mahāṭīkā (Vism-t)

Abhidhammapiṭaka

Main texts in the Abhidhamma are of a handful, but their internal structure is complex and somewhat messy. Only for Paṭṭhāna1, I took days for text cleaning. Still, it is not perfectly tidy, but far better than the original.

Only Aṭṭhasālinī (Dhammasaṅgaṇī-aṭṭhakathā) is mentioned by name because it is normally called by that. Other books use the traditional scheme. In this group we can see the use of sub-subcommentaries. If we open related texts properly by chained opening, they can be synchronized at once. Try this yourself in the reader.

================
Abhidhammapiṭaka
================
  |- Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Dhs)
  |   |- Aṭṭhasālinī (As)
  |       |- Dhammasaṅgaṇī-mūlaṭīkā (Dhs-t)
  |           |- Dhammasaṅgaṇī-anuṭīkā (Dhs-at)
  |
  |- Vibhaṅga (Vbh)
  |   |- Vibhaṅga-aṭṭhakathā (Vbh-a)
  |       |- Vibhaṅga-mūlaṭīkā (Vbh-t)
  |           |- Vibhaṅga-anuṭīkā (Vbh-at)
  |
  |- Dhātukathā (Dhk)
  |   |- Dhātukathā-aṭṭhakathā (Dhk-a)
  |       |- Dhātukathā-mūlaṭīkā (Dhk-t)
  |           |- Dhātukathā-anuṭīkā (Dhk-at)
  |
  |- Puggalapaññatti (Pp)
  |   |- Puggalapaññatti-aṭṭhakathā (Pp-a)
  |       |- Puggalapaññatti-mūlaṭīkā (Pp-t)
  |           |- Puggalapaññatti-anuṭīkā (Pp-at)
  |
  |- Kathāvatthu (Kv)
  |   |- Kathāvatthu-aṭṭhakathā (Kv-a)
  |       |- Kathāvatthu-mūlaṭīkā (Kv-t)
  |           |- Kathāvatthu-anuṭīkā (Kv-at)
  |
  |- Yamaka (Ym)
  |   |- Yamaka-aṭṭhakathā (Ym-a)
  |       |- Yamaka-mūlaṭīkā (Ym-t)
  |           |- Yamaka-anuṭīkā (Ym-at)
  |
  |- Paṭṭhāna 1 (Pt1)
  |   |- Paṭṭhāna-aṭṭhakathā (Pt-a)
  |       |- Paṭṭhāna-mūlaṭīkā (Pt-t)
  |           |- Paṭṭhāna-anuṭīkā (Pt-at)
  |
  |- Paṭṭhāna 2 (Pt2)
  |
  |- Paṭṭhāna 3 (Pt3)

  --------------------------------------------
  Independent Abhidhamma Exegeses/Compositions
  --------------------------------------------
      |- Abhidhammāvatāra (Abhv)
      |   |- Abhidhammāvatāra-purāṇaṭīkā (Abhv-pt)
      |   |- Abhidhammāvatāra-abhinavaṭīkā (Abhv-nt)
      |  
      |- Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha (Abhs)
      |   |- Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha-ṭīkā (Abhs-t)
      |  
      |- Abhidhammamātikā (Abhm)
      |   |- Abhidhammamātikā-ṭīkā (Abhm-t)
      |  
      |- Nāmarūpapariccheda (Nrp)
      |  
      |- Paramatthavinicchaya (Prv)
      |  
      |- Saccasaṅkhepa (Scs)

Statistical summary

From 2,698 fragmented files in the original CSCD collection, now we have only 203 files. Most of documents in the other group (Añña) are excluded, except Visuddhimagga.

File summary

  Vinaya Suttanta Abhidhamma total
main 8 42 9 59
exegetical 45 68 31 144
total 53 110 40 203

Word summary

  Vinaya Suttanta Abhidhamma total
main 33,246 136,874 18,309 163,974
exegetical 220,286 511,567 157,961 721,700
total 232,665 563,609 165,819 783,587

Top 50

Frequency Term
203709 ti
148314 ca
141737 na
109392
70347 pana
65021 hoti
58078 taṃ
50982 tattha
49786 evaṃ
48800 pe
44761 kho
44540 so
39934 nāma
36724 hi
35259 tassa
35039 vuttaṃ
34935 te
34509 bhikkhave
27314 attho
24920 ayaṃ
24021 viya
23520 tena
22050 tesaṃ
20729 atha
20591 me
20422 katvā
20195 yaṃ
20051 āha
19228 idaṃ
18912 dhammaṃ
18852 tasmā
18788 dhammā
18441 yathā
18142 bhagavā
17897 uppajjati
17701 dhammo
17359 ettha
17204 paccayo
16747 yo
16522 tato
16484 ekaṃ
16447 tathā
16305 attano
16088 no
15589 dve
15499 bhante
15492 paṭicca
15285 bhikkhu
13753 atthi
13393 idha

The longest term

Here is the longest compound found in the exegetical Vinaya group.

avippavāsasammutisanthatasammutibhattuddesakasenāsanaggāhāpakabhaṇḍāgārika- cīvarappaṭiggāhakayāgubhājakaphalabhājakakhajjabhājakaappamattakavissajjaka- sāṭiyaggāhapakapattaggāhāpakaārāmikapesakasāmaṇerapesakasammutīti

Guidelines for text referencing

Texts in the collection can be accessed by URL with their abbreviation, for example, to get to Bhikkhuvibhaṅga 1, you can go to https://bhaddacak.github.io/cst?buv1. If a specific paragraph number is given, it can directly jump to that point. For example, https://bhaddacak.github.io/cst?buv1=24 leads to the starting point of the first Pārājika.

Some documents have complex structure with multiple number series, such as the Pātimokkha. They can be specifically accessed by adding group number in the query using a colon. For example, https://bhaddacak.github.io/cst?bup=5:1 leads to the first rule of Pācittiya. If the group number is not used, it will always go to the first series.

Text referencing in writings

Referring texts by URL is convenient in most online situations. In writings for publications, the format is slightly different. First, make clear to the reader that this collection is used by referring to its origin, i.e., CST-Kit. Then, mention texts by their abbreviation, optionally with a point of reference. This can be a paragraph number, if any, or a distinct portion of text.

For example, to the first mātikā of Pārājika rule, we can refer by Buv1 39 or use a decimal separator like Buv1.39 or use Roman numeral for book volume (if any) as in the legacy system, hence Buv I 39. To the first sermon (Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta) in Mahāvagga, we can use, for example, Mv 13-17 or Mv.13-17.

Target content References
The first mātikā of Pārājika rule Buv1 39, Buv1.39, Buv I 39
The first sermon in Mahāvagga Mv 13-17, Mv.13-17

Referencing to exegeses

This can be baffling to new learners, but with the good organization of paragraph numbers, referring to subordinate texts is as easy as the main texts. We have two following methods:

  1. Using the name of text (recommended). For example, at the first point mentioned above, we can refer to the commentary by Sp1 39 and the main subcommentary by Sd1 39. And to the first sermon, the commentary is Sp4 13 (there is little text here), and the main subcommentary Sd4 13-17 (there is much more text here). See more examples in the table below.
  2. Using the traditional way. By adding a suffix to the main text, it can change the text mentioned relatively. Here are suffixes used typically:
    • -a aṭṭhakathā (commentary)
    • -t (or -ṭ) ṭīkā/mūlaṭīkā (subcommentary)
    • -pt purāṇaṭīkā (old subcommentary)
    • -nt navaṭīkā/abhinavaṭīkā (new subcommentary)
    • -at anuṭīkā (sub-subcommentary)
    • -y yojanā (a kind of commentary)

    For example, the commentary to the Pārājika above can be Buv1-a 39 (= Sp1 39), and the subcommentary Buv1-t 39 (equivalent to Sp1-t 39 = Sd1 39). And of the first sermon can be Mv-a 13 (= Sp4 13) and Mv-t 13-17 (equivalent to Sp4-t 13-17 = Sd4 13-17).

Target content By text name By traditional way
The commentary to the first mātikā above Sp1 39, Sp1.39, Sp I 39 Buv1-a 39, Buv-a1.39, Buv-a I 39
The subcommentary to the first mātikā above Sd1 39, Sd1.39, Sd I 39 Buv1-t 39, Buv-t1.39, Buv-t I 39
The commentary to the first sermon in Mahāvagga Sp4 13, Sp4.13, Sp IV 13 Mv-a 13, Mv-a.13
The subcommentary to the first sermon in Mahāvagga Sd4 13-17, Sd4.13-17, Sd IV 13-17 Mv-t 13-17, Mv-t.13-17

As we have seen above, the first method is more convenient and less error-prone. Moreover, it can be used to refer to any text, not just the texts in the established hierarchy. But we have to learn how to mention a book by its name. This is not a problem because all researchers or serious students of Buddhism and Pāli should know that anyway.

However, for a simple structure of texts, using the traditional way can be less confusing. For example, to the first paragraph of the Brahmajālasutta in Dīghanikāya, we can refer to it by, for example, D1 1. And because there are no alternatives for exegeses in this group (except for the Sīlakkhandhavagga), we can simply refer to its commentary and subcommentary by D1-a 1 and D1-t 1 respectively (equivalent to Smv1 1 and Lpd1 1).

When no numbers to refer to

In some cases there is no proper series of number at all in the text. In publications, we can use page numbers for referring. In digital text like this, apart from using a bare abbreviation, we can use two following methods:

  1. Quoting a heading. This is a rough way to do, if structure can be found at all in the text. For example, in Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī 1 (the commentary to Bhikkhupātimokkha) we can refer to the first Pārājika by Kkh1 “Paṭhamapārājikavaṇṇanā.”
  2. Quoting an excerpt. To precisely refer to a text, there is no better way than to give a distinct portion of it. The portion should be long enough to make a unique search, for example, Kkh1 “Bhikkhūnaṃ sikkhāsājīvasamāpannoti yā bhikkhūnaṃ adhisīlasaṅkhātā sikkhā.”

The second method is commonly used in writing scholarly works. When a portion of text is mentioned in the body of the writing, it can be added a footnote. Then only the book abbreviation is needed in the note.

When numbers go complex

With the structure we get from the source, the running numbers in some documents can be really complex, for example, in those of Apadāna, Jātaka, Milindapañha, and some others. To make the synchronization to their commentary possible, I have to add group number, separating by a colon (:), to the sequences. This may look ugly, but necessary. To precisely refer to these texts, the group number has also to be added. For instance, Ja 3:1 means the first gāthā of tikanipāta (group 3) of the Jātaka. Other complex books can be treated in the same way.

However, for Milindapañha2 the above method may not work because its numbers are so complex that they cannot be treated in the same way. By the book’s structure in this collection, the numbers correspond to question numbers. So, it may be better to refer to question numbers in their group instead. The first way to do is using the decimal system with part, group, and question number. For example, the well-known carriage analogy is the first question of Part 2-3, the first group (Mahāvagga), hence Mil 2-3.1.1. Another way to do is using the question name directly. So, in this case it is Mil 2-3 “Paññattipañho”.

Abbreviations

I have tried my best to abbreviate book names here. My primary goal is to make them distinct, short, and easy to use. Only English characters are used for simplicity and programming-friendliness. Some characters may not be well-chosen grammatically, Buv (Bhikkhuvibhaṅga) for instance. But this is the best we can get so far. Some texts use abbreviations from academic textbooks, some from SuttaCentral. Several are newly created. In a way, this can disrupt the traditional way of text referencing. But I think it is the time to make them all consistent and unified. Sending suggestions and complaints to me if you have a better idea.

Abbr. Description
A Aṅguttaranikāya
Abhm Abhidhammamātikā
Abhm-t Abhidhammamātikā-ṭīkā
Abhs Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha
Abhs-t Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha-ṭīkā (Abhidhammatthavibhāvinī)
Abhv Abhidhammāvatāra
Abhv-pt Abhidhammāvatāra-purāṇaṭīkā
Abhv-nt Abhidhammāvatāra-abhinavaṭīkā
Ap Apadāna
Ap-a Apadāna-aṭṭhakathā
As Aṭṭhasālinī (Dhammasaṅgaṇī-aṭṭhakathā)
Bip Bhikkhunīpātimokkha
Biv Bhikkhunīvibhaṅga
Biv-y Bhikkhunīvibhaṅga-yojanā
Bup Bhikkhupātimokkha
Buv Bhikkhuvibhaṅga
Bv Buddhavaṃsa
Bv-a Buddhavaṃsa-aṭṭhakathā
Cp Cariyāpiṭaka
Cp-a Cariyāpiṭaka-aṭṭhakathā
Cv Cūḷavagga
Cv-y Cūḷavagga-yojanā
D Dīghanikāya
Dhk Dhātukathā
Dhk-a Dhātukathā-aṭṭhakathā
Dhk-at Dhātukathā-anuṭīkā
Dhk-t Dhātukathā-mūlaṭīkā
Dhp Dhammapada
Dhp-a Dhammapada-aṭṭhakathā
Dhs Dhammasaṅgaṇī
Dhs-at Dhammasaṅgaṇī-anuṭīkā
Dhs-t Dhammasaṅgaṇī-mūlaṭīkā
It Itivuttaka
It-a Itivuttaka-aṭṭhakathā
Ja Jātaka
Ja-a Jātaka-aṭṭhakathā
Khds Khuddasikkhā
Khds-nt Khuddasikkhā-abhinavaṭīkā
Khds-pt Khuddasikkhā-purāṇaṭīkā
Khp Khuddakapāṭha
Khp-a Khuddakapāṭha-aṭṭhakathā
Kkh Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī
Kkh-nt Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī-abhinavaṭīkā
Kkh-pt Kaṅkhāvitaraṇī-purāṇaṭīkā
Kv Kathāvatthu
Kv-a Kathāvatthu-aṭṭhakathā
Kv-at Kathāvatthu-anuṭīkā
Kv-t Kathāvatthu-mūlaṭīkā
Lpd Līnatthappakāsinī3 (Dīghanikāya-ṭīkā)
Lpm Līnatthappakāsinī (Majjhimanikāya-ṭīkā)
Lps Līnatthappakāsinī (Saṃyuttanikāya-ṭīkā)
M Majjhimanikāya
Mil Milindapañha
Mls Mūlasikkhā-ṭīkā
Mls-t Mūlasikkhā
Mnp Manorathapūraṇī (Aṅguttaranikāya-aṭṭhakathā)
Mv Mahāvagga
Mv-y Mahāvagga-yojanā
Nett Nettippakaraṇa
Nett-a Nettippakaraṇa-aṭṭhakathā
Nett-t Nettippakaraṇa-ṭīkā
Nettv Nettivibhāvinī
Nidd Niddesa
Nidd-a Niddesa-aṭṭhakathā
Nrp Nāmarūpapariccheda
Pc-y Pācityādiyojanā
Pps Papañcasūdanī (Majjhimanikāya-aṭṭhakathā)
Pp Puggalapaññatti
Pp-a Puggalapaññatti-aṭṭhakathā
Pp-at Puggalapaññatti-anuṭīkā
Pp-t Puggalapaññatti-mūlaṭīkā
Prv Paramatthavinicchaya
Psm Paṭisambhidāmagga
Psm-a Paṭisambhidāmagga-aṭṭhakathā
Pt Paṭṭhāna
Pt-a Paṭṭhāna-aṭṭhakathā
Pt-at Paṭṭhāna-anuṭīkā
Pt-t Paṭṭhāna-mūlaṭīkā
Ptkp Peṭakopadesa
Pv Petavatthu
Pv-a Petavatthu-aṭṭhakathā
Pvr Parivāra
Pvr-y Parivāra-yojanā
S Saṃyuttanikāya
Scs Saccasaṅkhepa
Sd Sāratthadīpanī (Vinaya-ṭīkā)
Smv Sumaṅgalavilāsinī (Dīghanikāya-aṭṭhakathā)
Snp Suttanipāta
Snp-a Suttanipāta-aṭṭhakathā
Sp Samantapāsādikā (Vinaya-aṭṭhakathā)
Srm Sāratthamañjūsā (Aṅguttaranikāya-ṭīkā)
Srp Sāratthappakāsinī (Saṃyuttanikāya-aṭṭhakathā)
Sv-nt Sīlakkhandhavagga-abhinavaṭīkā
Thag Theragāthā
Thag-a Theragāthā-aṭṭhakathā
Thig Therīgāthā
Thig-a Therīgāthā-aṭṭhakathā
Ud Udāna
Ud-a Udāna-aṭṭhakathā
Utv Uttaravinicchaya
Utv-t Uttaravinicchaya-ṭīkā
Vbh Vibhaṅga
Vbh-a Vibhaṅga-aṭṭhakathā
Vbh-at Vibhaṅga-anuṭīkā
Vbh-t Vibhaṅga-mūlaṭīkā
Vism Visuddhimagga
Vism-t Visuddhimagga-mahāṭīkā
Vjb Vajirabuddhi (Vinaya-ṭīkā)
Vmv Vimativinodanī (Vinaya-ṭīkā)
Vnl Vinayālaṅkāra (Vinayasaṅgaha-ṭīkā)
Vns Vinayasaṅgaha
Vnv Vinayavinicchaya
Vnv-t Vinayavinicchaya-ṭīkā
Vv Vimānavatthu
Vv-a Vimānavatthu-aṭṭhakathā
Ym Yamaka
Ym-a Yamaka-aṭṭhakathā
Ym-at Yamaka-anuṭīkā
Ym-t Yamaka-mūlaṭīkā

Table of Contents

Notes

  1. Among all texts in Pāli literature, Paṭṭhāna is the biggest single piece of work, and it is the least read and understood. This may be a product of mathematically inclined scholastic monks in the former time. The main theme is the enumerations of Tikapaṭṭhāna (22 groups of three) and Dukapaṭṭhāna (100 groups of two), and combinations of them. If we see this in terms of Set theory and Relations, we can discern that why listing all possible cases is so ghastly and tiresome. I cannot believe that the Buddha would entertain this kind of ideas. The text was preserved, I think, just because later generations do not fully understand it, yet stunned by it. They then think “This must be something,” and keep it unread. 

  2. The structure of Milindapañha is a little messy because it combines pieces of old and new works together. In other publications, the structure can be considerably different. Here, the original questions are in the Part 2-3 in the book (where to cut between 2 and 3 is unclear). So, I leave the structure intact and use it as it is. For more information, see Hinüber’s A Handbook of Pāli Literature, pp. 82-86. 

  3. Līnatthappakāsinī is a common name. This form is most widely known. In the text, however, Līnatthappakāsanā is seen. Sometimes, it is called Līnatthappakāsanī