A History of Pali Literature

by Bimala Churn Law

This book, published for the first time in 2 volumes in 1933, has become a class in Pali studies. It presents an exhaustive picture of the Pali literature, both canonical and post-canonical, giving summaries of all the Pali books, from the Vinaya Pitaka which specifies the rules of conduct of bikkhus and bikkhunis to the Jataka tales containing popular stories. Here are presented the first Buddhist books in history, which became the scriptures that form the base for the Theravada Buddhism.

Providing a huge amount of information about early Buddhism as well as about ancient Indian history, this is an invaluable reference book for the scholar as well as for the general reader interested in Buddhism.

Table of Contents:

• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chronology of the Pali Canon
• Canonical Pali literature
• Pali counterparts of the seven Abhidhamma treatises of the Sarvastivada School
• Extra canonical works presupposed by Pali commentaries
• Pali commentaries
• Pali chronicles
• Pali manuals
• Pali literary pieces
• Pali grammars, lexicographies and works of prosody
• Conclusion
• Appendices
• Index.