Essence of Tipitaka
by U Ko Lay

This book is a good beginning book to understanding the parts, structure, and meanings of the Tipitaka. Tipitaka is the Pali word meaning "Three Baskets" used to describe the body of discourses and teachings (in three categories) credited to Siddhartha Gotama, or the historical Buddha. It is also called the Pali Canon. Specialized monks memorized his stories and discourses for centuries before coming together to put them into one body of work.

A descriptive overview is given for each section, or "basket" of the Tipitaka, including the Vinaya Pitaka (code of disciplinary rules for monks and nuns), Abhidamma Pitaka (collection of philosophical treatises), and the Sutta Pitaka (Buddha's discourses).

The author of this concise guide to the Tipitaka is U Ko Lay, who was formerly the Vice-Chancellor of Mandalay University and was a devoted student of Sayagyi U Ba Khin.