Pali literature is concerned mainly with Theravada Buddhism, of which Pali (IAST: pāl̤i) is the traditional language. The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pāli Canon, the authoritative scriptures of Theravada school.

Pali literature includes numerous genres, including Suttas (Buddhist discourses), Vinaya (monastic discipline), Abhidhamma (philosophy), poetry, history, philology, hagiography, scriptural exegesis, and meditation manuals.

History

The Pali language is a composite language which draws on various Middle Indo-Aryan languages.Norman, Kenneth Roy (1983). Pali Literature. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. pp. 2–3. .

Much of the extant Pali literature is from Sri Lanka, which became the headquarters of Theravada for centuries. Most extant Pali literature was written and composed there, though some was also produced in outposts in South India.Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 3-4. UCL Press. Most of the oldest collection of Pali Literature, the Pali Canon, was committed to writing in Sri Lanka at about the first century BCE (though it contains material that is much older, possibly dating to the period of pre-sectarian Buddhism).Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, Cambridge University Press, 1990, p. 3.Tse-Fu Kuan. Mindfulness in similes in Early Buddhist literature in Edo Shonin, William Van Gordon, Nirbhay N. Singh. Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness, page 267.Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, p. 38. UCL Press.

At around the start of the common era, some of the earliest Pali commentaries and exegetical manuals (which are now sometimes included within the Pali Canon itself) were written, mainly the Suttavibhanga, Niddesa, Nettipakarana and Petakopadesa.Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 38-39. UCL Press. Other works like the Cariyapitaka, the Buddhavamsa and the Apadana may also belong to this post-Asokan period.Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 39-41. UCL Press.

During the first millennium, Pali literature consisted of two major genres: histories (vamsa) and commentaries (atthakatha). The histories include the Dipavamsa and the Mahavamsa, which are verse chronicles of Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka.

The commentarial works include the writings of Buddhaghosa (4th or 5th century CE), who wrote the influential Visuddhimagga along with various commentaries on the Pali Canon. Several other commentators worked after Buddhaghosa, such as Buddhadatta (c. fifth century), Ananda (sixth century), Dhammapala (at some point before the 12th century) and other anonymous commentators which we do not know by name.

The reform period between the 10th to 13th centuries saw an explosion of new Pali literature. Part of the impulse behind these literary efforts was the fear that warfare on the island could lead to the decline of Buddhism.Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 5-6. UCL Press. This literature includes the work of prominent scholars such as Anuruddha, Sumangala, Siddhattha, Sāriputta Thera, Mahākassapa of Dimbulagala and Moggallana Thera.Perera, HR; Buddhism in Sri Lanka A Short History, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, pageGornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 14-16. UCL Press.

They worked on compiling subcommentaries to the Tipitaka, grammars, summaries and textbooks on Abhidhamma and Vinaya such as the influential Abhidhammattha-sangaha of Anuruddha. They also wrote kavya style Pali poetry and philological works. Their work owed much to the influence of Sanskrit grammar and poetics, particularly as interpreted by the Sri Lankan scholar Ratnamati. During this period, these new Pali doctrinal works also show an increasing awareness of topics found in Sanskrit Buddhist Mahayana literature.Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 29-30, 37. UCL Press.

From the 15th century onwards, Pali literature has been dominated by Burma, though some has also been written in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, as well as Ceylon. This Burmese literature has in turn been dominated by writings directly or indirectly concerned with the Abhidhamma Pitaka, the part of the Canon variously described as philosophy, psychology, metaphysics etc.

Canonical and post-canonical Pali literature

Pali Tipitaka

The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pali Tipitaka, the main scripture collection of the Theravada school. These are of Indian origin, and were written down during the reign of Vattagamani Abhaya (29—17 B.C.) in Sri Lanka.Norman (1983), p. 10.

The Tipitaka ("Triple Basket"), also known as Pali Canon, is divided into three "baskets" (Pali: ):Norman (1983), pp. 18, 30, 96.

Vinaya Piṭaka (Basket of the Monastic Discipline) Suttavibhaṅga: Pāṭimokkha (a list of rules for monastics) and commentary Khandhaka: 22 chapters on various topics Parivāra: analyses of rules from various points of view Sutta Piṭaka (Basket of Sayings/Discourses), mostly ascribed to the Buddha, but some to his disciples. Digha Nikāya, the "long" discourses. Majjhima Nikāya, the "middle-length" discourses. Saṁyutta Nikāya, the "connected" discourses. Anguttara Nikāya, the "numerical" discourses. Khuddaka Nikāya, the "minor collection". Abhidhamma Piṭaka (Basket of Abhidhamma, i.e. Philosophical Psychology). According to K.R. Norman, "It is clear that the Abhidhamma is later than the rest of the canon."Norman (1983), p. 96. Dhammasaṅganī Vibhaṅga Dhātukathā Puggalapaññatti Kathāvatthu Yamaka Paṭṭhāna

Paracanonical texts

Paracanonical texts are works written after the closure of the canon. One of the collections of paracanonical books is the quasi-canonical texts.

Quasi-canonical texts

"Quasi-canonical texts" is used by Western scholars to refer to various texts on the fringes of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, usually to refer to the following texts sometimes regarded as included in the Pali Canon's Khuddaka Nikaya The first two of these texts are present in the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Burmese and Sri Lankan Tipitaka but not in the Thai edition. The third text is included only in the Burmese edition. The fourth text is included only in the Sinhalese edition. They are also not mentioned by Buddhaghosa as being part of the canon.Norman (1983), pp. 31, 108-113. Nettipakarana - "The Book of Guidance", a work on exegesis and hermeneutics Petakopadesa - "Instruction on the Pitaka", another text on exegesis and hermeneutics Milindapañha - The Questions of King Milinda. A dialogue between a monk and an Indo-Greek king. Suttasaṃgaha - A collection of important suttas from the Tipitaka

In the common editions known to the modern Buddhist world, the Nettipakaraṇa, Peṭakopadesa, and Milindapañha are generally considered to be part of the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Sutta Piṭaka.

Other paracanonical texts Other paracanonical works include the commentaries (aṭṭhakathā), the treatises (like the Visuddhimagga), and the historical works.

Exegesis

Atthakatha

A collection of Pali Commentaries (Aṭṭhakathā) were written in Sri Lanka by various (some anonymous) authors, such as Buddhagosa, Dhammapala, Mahanama, Upasena, and Buddhadatta. Buddhagosa writes that he based his commentaries on older works which were brought to Sri Lanka when Buddhism first arrived there, and were translated into Sinhalese. K.R. Norman has written that there is evidence that some parts of the commentaries are very old.Norman (1983), p. 119.

Tika

Sub-commentarial works (Ṭīkā) are secondary commentaries, that is to say, commentaries on the Aṭṭhakathās. Dhammapala is one early author of ṭīkās.Norman (1983), p. 148.

Añña In the classification established at the Sixth Buddhist Council (Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana), Añña (literally meaning "Other") refers to the group of non-canonical texts outside the Tipiṭaka, Aṭṭhakathā (commentaries), and Ṭīkā (sub-commentaries). This literary category encompasses important doctrinal expositions such as Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga, historical chronicles (vaṃsa) like the Mahāvaṃsa and Sāsanavaṃsa, grammatical treatises (byākaraṇa), and collections of moral and ethical maxims (nīti). Works in this category have played a key role in synthesizing, preserving, and transmitting Theravāda teachings across South and Southeast Asia throughout history.

According to the Sixth Buddhist Council's compilation, the Añña corpus is systematically categorized into standalone treatises and several major collections (saṅgaha), which include:

Standalone works: The Visuddhimagga and Saṅgāyanapucchavissajjanā. Leḍīsayāḍoganthasaṅgaha (Works of Ledi Sayadaw): Niruttidīpanī, Paramatthadīpanī, Anudīpanīpāṭha, and Paṭṭhānuddesa dīpanīpāṭha. Buddhavandanāganthasaṅgaha (Devotional works): Namakkāraṭīkā, Mahāpaṇāmapāṭha, Lakkhaṇāto buddhathomanāgāthā, Sutavandanā, Kamalāñjalī, Jinālaṅkāra, Pajjamadhu, and Buddhaguṇagāthāvali. Vaṃsaganthasaṅgaha (Chronicles): Cūlaganthavaṃsa, Mahāvaṃsa, and Sāsanavaṃsa. Byākaraṇaganthasaṅgaha (Grammatical treatises): Kaccāyanabyākaraṇaṃ, Moggallānabyākaraṇaṃ, Saddanītippakaraṇaṃ (padamālā & dhātumālā), Padarūpasiddhi, Moggallānapañcikā, Payogasiddhipāṭha, Vuttodayapāṭha, Abhidhānappadīpikāpāṭha, Abhidhānappadīpikāṭīkā, Subodhālaṅkārapāṭha, Subodhālaṅkāraṭīkā, and Bālāvatāra gaṇṭhipadatthavinicchayasāra. Nītiganthasaṅgaha (Ethical maxims): Lokanīti, Suttantanīti, Sūrassatinīti, Mahārahanīti, Dhammanīti, Kavidappaṇanīti, Nītimañjarī, Naradakkhadīpanī, Caturārakkhadīpanī, and Cāṇakyanīti. Pakiṇṇakaganthasaṅgaha (Miscellaneous texts): Rasavāhinī, Sīmavisodhanīpāṭha, and Vesantaragīti. Sihaḷaganthasaṅgaha (Sinhalese tradition works): Moggallānavuttivivaraṇapañcikā, Thūpavaṃsa, Dāṭhāvaṃsa, Dhātupāṭhavilāsiniyā, Dhātuvaṃsa, Hatthavanagallavihāravaṃsa, Jinacaritaya, Jinavaṃsadīpaṃ, Telakaṭāhagāthā, Milidaṭīkā, Padamañjarī, Padasādhanaṃ, Saddabindupakaraṇaṃ, Kaccāyanadhātumañjusā, and Sāmantakūṭavaṇṇanā.

Classical treatises

Buddhaghosa Visuddhimagga – A comprehensive and influential manual of Theravāda doctrine and meditation practice. Considered Buddhaghosa’s magnum opus.

Buddhadatta Vinayavinicchaya – A verse summary of the first four books of the Vinaya. Uttaravinicchaya – A verse summary of the Parivāra, the final book of the Vinaya. Abhidhammavatara – An early effort at summarizing the doctrines in the Abhidhamma. Ruparupa-vibhaga – A short manual on Abhidhamma.

Summaries and manuals on monastic discipline Khuddasikkha and Mulasikkha – Brief verse summaries on monastic discipline, used for basic training. Simalankara – A treatise dealing with monastic boundaries (sima).

Abhidhamma manuals and commentaries

Acariya Anuruddha Abhidhammattha-sangaha – A concise and popular summary of the Abhidhamma, widely used as an introductory text (11th–12th century). Namarupa-pariccheda – A verse introduction to the Abhidhamma. Paramattha-vinicchaya – Attributed to Acariya Anuruddha; K.R. Norman suggests it may be the work of a different Anuruddha.Norman (1983), p. 152

Other authors Saccasankhepa – By Culla-Dhammapala, a short treatise on Abhidhamma ("Elements of Truth") (7th century). Khemappakarana – By the nun Khema, a brief manual on the Abhidhamma. Mohavicchedani – By Mahakassapa of the Chola dynasty, a guide to the matikas (topics) of the seven books of the Abhidhamma (12th century). Nāmacāradīpikā – By Chappata (15th century).

Lay instruction and applied teachings