The Tripitaka (Pali Canon), Mahayana Sutras and the Tibetan Book of the Dead are three major noncanonical Buddhist texts. The Pali Canon, which means “the word of Buddha,” includes some of theBuddha's discourse, but it also incorporates the teachings of his pupils.
It is written in an ancient Indian language called Pali which is very close to the language that the Buddha himself spoke. The Tripitaka is a very large book. The English translation of it takes up nearly forty volumes. Buddhism is based on Buddha's teachings.
Buddhist scriptures are not contained within a single holy book, instead the teachings of Buddha are compiled into the "Tripitaka," which is a Sanskrit term meaning "Three Baskets." In Chinese, this compilation of ancient Indian sacred writings is called "San Zang," meaning "Three Storehouses."
The Tripitaka (called Tipitaka in Pali) is the earliest collection of buddhist writings. Initially, they were composed orally, but were written down by the third century bce. The word means "the three baskets," (tri=three, pitaka=baskets), and refers to the way the texts were first recorded.