<P> The Tripitakas were composed between about 500 BCE to about the start of the common era , likely written down for the first time in the 1st century BCE . The Dipavamsa states that during the reign of Valagamba of Anuradhapura ( 29 -- 17 BCE ) the monks who had previously remembered the Tipitaka and its commentary orally now wrote them down in books , because of the threat posed by famine and war . The Mahavamsa also refers briefly to the writing down of the canon and the commentaries at this time . Each Buddhist sub-tradition had its own Tripitaka for its monasteries , written by its sangha , each set consisting of 32 books , in three parts or baskets of teachings : ( 1 ) the basket of expected discipline from monks ( Vinaya Piṭaka ) , ( 2 ) basket of discourse ( Sūtra Piṭaka , Nikayas ) , and ( 3 ) basket of special doctrine ( Abhidharma Piṭaka ) . The structure , the code of conduct and moral virtues in the Vinaya basket particularly , have similarities to some of the surviving Dharmasutra texts of Hinduism . Much of the surviving Tripitaka literature is in Pali , with some in Sanskrit as well as other local Asian languages . </P>
<P> The Tripitakas were composed between about 500 BCE to about the start of the common era , likely written down for the first time in the 1st century BCE . The Dipavamsa states that during the reign of Valagamba of Anuradhapura ( 29 -- 17 BCE ) the monks who had previously remembered the Tipitaka and its commentary orally now wrote them down in books , because of the threat posed by famine and war . The Mahavamsa also refers briefly to the writing down of the canon and the commentaries at this time . Each Buddhist sub-tradition had its own Tripitaka for its monasteries , written by its sangha , each set consisting of 32 books , in three parts or baskets of teachings : ( 1 ) the basket of expected discipline from monks ( Vinaya Piṭaka ) , ( 2 ) basket of discourse ( Sūtra Piṭaka , Nikayas ) , and ( 3 ) basket of special doctrine ( Abhidharma Piṭaka ) . The structure , the code of conduct and moral virtues in the Vinaya basket particularly , have similarities to some of the surviving Dharmasutra texts of Hinduism . Much of the surviving Tripitaka literature is in Pali , with some in Sanskrit as well as other local Asian languages . </P>
name the books in which the rules made for the buddhist sangha were written down
name the books in which the rules made for the buddhist sangha were written down
The Tripitakas
The Tripitakas