The Theravada holy texts , called the Pali Canon , are written in Pali . These usages differentiate the Pali found in the ( ( Sutta Pitaka ) ) from later compositions such as the Pali commentaries on the canon and folklore ( e.g. , the stories of the JÄ taka commentaries ) , and comparative study ( and dating ) of texts on the basis of such loan-words is now a specialized field unto itself . Pali was not exclusively used to convey the teachings of the Buddha , as can be deduced from the existence of a number of secular texts , such as books of medical science\/instruction , in Pali .