Understanding Buddhist Scriptures

佛經的含義

The teachings of the Buddha are referred to as Buddhist scriptures in general. Tripitaka is the traditional term for Buddhist scriptures, where various schools’ collections are divided into three pitakas (baskets). The Sutra Pitaka refers to the basket of Discourse, Vinaya Pitaka is the basket of Discipline, while Abhidhamma Pitaka is the basket of Further Doctrine. Scriptures are categorized according to the nature and origin of is content. This Tripitaka system is commonly acknowledged by various schools of Buddhism.

佛經是對佛教經典的一種簡略說法。有廣義和狹義兩種。漢文佛教經典總稱為“大藏經”，包括印度和中國的佛教主要著述在內。廣義的佛經總稱“三藏”，佛教的聖典是“經”“律”“論”三大典藏，也就是所謂之三藏，狹義的佛經專指經藏。其把佛教典籍分為經、律、論三藏是按照其所載內容來分的，這是一種最基本的分類，也是使用頻率最高的一種分類。經、律、論所載內容分別：

1) Sutra Pitaka – The Basket of Discourse is a compilation of what the Buddha has taught through his forty-five years of teaching after his enlightenment.

經，一般被認為是佛說過的話的匯編，它是佛教教義的基本依據。

2) Vinaya Pitaka – The Basket of Discipline is the codes of conduct established for monastics as well as lay practitioners in the Buddhist communities. These rules were established during the time of the Buddha as preventative measures to misconducts and gradually refined into systematic Buddhist precepts through time.

律是佛教組織為教徒或信眾制定的紀律或行為規範，它的基本原則一般被認為是佛所確定的，而系統化的佛教戒律是後來才逐步形成的。

3) Abhidhamma Pitaka – The Basket of Further Doctrine is a detailed scholastic analysis and further insights on the Buddha’s teachings. Majority of the scriptures within this category are compiled by Bodhisattvas and ancient renowned Buddhist scholars, instead of the Buddha himself.

論是對經、律等佛典中教義的解釋或重要思想的闡述。它在佛教中一般被認為是菩薩或各派的論師所做，可也有一些極少數的論被認為是佛自己做的。

Buddhist monastics who are qualified to teach on the Buddhist scriptures are referred to as Venerable Dharma Masters. Those who specialize in sutra teaching are Sutra Dharma masters; Vinaya teachers are the Discipline masters; and Adhidhamma teachers are the scholastic masters. A Tripitaka Master, such as Dharma Master Hsuan Tsang, is a highly respected profound scholar with deep insights on the entire Tripitaka collections.

通達佛法能為人講說的人稱為法師，精通經藏的稱為經師，精通律藏的稱為律師，精通論藏的稱為論師，遍通經、律、論三藏的稱為三藏法師，如唐三藏法師玄奘。