Buddhism in Five Minutes - Elizabeth J. Harris
5. What are the Holy Texts of Buddhism?
Buddhism in Five Minutes - Elizabeth J. Harris
Asanga Tilakaratne [+]
University of Colombo
Asanga Tilakaratne graduated from Peradeniya University, Sri Lanka, specializing in Buddhist Philosophy. He has published, both in Sinhala and English, more than one hundred papers on Buddhist studies. Of his more recent academic works, Theravada Buddhism: the View of the Elders (2012) was published by University of Hawaii Press. He co-edited with Prof. Oliver Abenayaka 2600 Years of Sambuddhatva: Global Journey of Awakening (2012), a work covering the history and the current status of global Buddhism of all three traditions. Prof. Tilakaratne founded Sri Lanka Association of Buddhist Studies (SLABS), an academic and professional organization of Buddhist scholars in Sri Lanka, and continues to serve as its joint secretary.
Description
Buddhism has a variety of collections of holy texts. They differ depending on the school or tradition. In this discussion we will look at holy texts belonging to three traditions of Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, referred to here according to their chronological order.