Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s5.t1.1

v1.c7.s5.t1.1

Like Tripitaka in Chinese or Pali version, “bod yig gyi bkav bstan vgyur” of *Sutra Pitika*, *Vinaya Pitika* and *Abhidharma Pitika* (Three Treasures) is renowned as a complete collection of Buddhist sutra. In Tripitaka, *Sutra Pitika* refers to the sermons attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha, *Vinaya Pitika* refers to the discipline in practice to act according to the rules and regulations and Abhidharma Pitika refers to the philosophical works such as discourses, discussions or treatises on the dogma and doctrines of Buddhism. Meanwhile, “Bod yig gyi bkav bstan vgyur” is the common name of all Tibetan Buddhism scriptures and falls into two parts: “bkav vgyur” (original) and “bstan vgyur” (counterpart). The former refers to *Sutra Pitika* and *Vinaya Pitika* and the latter refers to *Abhidharma Pitika*. The “bod yig gyi bkav bstan vgyur” includes over 4,570 sutras in early, middle and late Buddhist Period and encompasses *sutra*, *vinaya* and *abhidharma* (Three Treasures), *Kriya Tantra*, *Carya Tantra*, *Yoga Tantra* and *Maha-anuttara Yoga Tantra* plus grammer, poetry, arts, logic, astronomy, calendar, medicine and technology etc. *Tripitaka* in Chinese or Pali version contains no major part of sutras in Tantric Buddhist *hetu-vidya* and *Pramānavāda*, suggesting the importance of “bod yig gyi bkav bstan vgyur” in study into Buddhism.