Chapter III - What Is Suttanta Pitaka?

The Suttanta Pitaka is a collection of all the discourses in their entirety delivered by the Buddha on various occasions (A few discourses delivered by some of the distinguished disciples of the Buddha, such as the Venerable Sariputta, Maha Moggallana, Ananda, etc , as well as some narratives are also included in the books of the Suttanta Pitaka.) The discourses of the Buddha compiled together in the Suttanta Pitaka were expounded to suit different occasions, for various persons with different temperaments Although the discourses were mostly intended for the benefit of bhikkhus, and deal with the practice of the pure life and with the exposition of the Teaching, there are also several other discourses which deal with the material and moral progress of the lay disciples

The Suttanta Pitaka brings out the meaning of the Buddha's teachings, expresses them clearly, protects and guards them against distortion and misconstruction Just like a string which serves as a plumb-line to guide the carpenters in their work, just like a thread which protects flowers from being scattered or dispersed when strung together by it, likewise by means of suttas, the meaning of Buddha's teachings may be brought out clearly, grasped and understood correctly and given perfect protection from being misconstrued.

The Suttanta Pitaka isjlivided into five separate collections known as Nikayas. They are Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya, Mguttara Nikaya and Khuddaka Nikaya.