Buddhism does not have a formal unity in terms of doctrine or historic revelation as Abrahamic Faiths do. As a result there is no a complete unity between Buddhists as to what the Buddhist Holy Book(s) are and some even say that there are no Buddhist Holy Books. Here are the various views and opinions on the matter. It should be noted that the arrangement is no endorsement or rejection of any viewpoint.

This question is a bit complicated because there are four main types of Buddhism, which are Mahayana, Theravada, Vajrayana, and Zen, and each of these has a variety of books which may be considered sacred to some extent. The oldest and most definitive such book, which is basic to Theravada Buddhism, is called the Pali Manuscript (after the ancient Pali language in which it was originally written).

Holy Book Answers

Triptaka

For about two centuries after The Buddha died, his teachings or Dhamma/Dharma were transmitted by oral tradition. They were eventually written down as 84,000 teachings of the Buddha. In the Pali Canon they are called "Sutras." They are the most ancient records of what The Buddha taught available to us and are the common heritage of the Buddhist tratidion. The Dhamma consists of three parts called the Tripitaka or Tipiṭaka (Pāli Canon). These three parts (often called "baskets") are:

Sutra Pitaka (collection of discourses) -- It is the compilation of the instant reactions and actions expressed by the Buddha during his life time. It shows the mental ability of an enlightened one.
Vinaya Pitaka (containing precepts ethics, and disciplinary methods) -- It speaks about the logic and importance behind a good discipline. This is specially very important for people who become monks or nuns.
Abhidhamma Pitaka (containing deeper teachings of the Dhamma). -- This is the bedrock phiilosophy of life and world. You have to prove anything before you can put it in this basket.

Each of these have subsections. For an Example, the Sutra Pitaka is divided into five parts. 1. Diiga nikaya 2. Majjima nikaya 3. Anguttara nikaya 4. Sanyutta nikaya 5. Khuddaka nikaya Each of these five parts, again contain several books each. The Khuddaka nikaaya - the smallest contains 15 books. The smallest book is the dhammapada, itself is equal in size to the bible. And it contains 403 verses. The Thripitaka, in general, would actually take up an entire book-rack it self. But the thipitaka only contains the speakings of the Buddha. Apart from the above books, there are various other books written through the ages to explain deeper parts, and for other various reasons.

The Tripitaka (three baskets) is a set of books that contains the Buddha's teachings. It is comprised of the Sutras, sermons and teachings of Buddha; Abhidharma, discourses on interpretation of the doctrine; and Vinay, rules for monks and nuns in monastic life. So the Tripitaka defines what Buddhism is and how we are to live our lives.

The Tripitaka (Tipitika) is the earliest collection of Buddhist writings. Initially, they were orally transmitted, but were written down by the third century BCE. The word means "the three baskets," and refers to the way the texts were first recorded. The early writing material was long, narrow dried palm leaves, which were sewn together on one side. Bunches of these were then stored in baskets. This is a large collection, running 45 volumes in one modern edition.

Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra) is worth reading to know about Mahāyāna sūtras.

Gosho

Nikko, Nichiren's successor, used the word gosho to refer to Nichiren's works and made efforts to collect, copy, and preserve them as sacred texts. As a result, a remarkable number of Nichiren's works have been passed down to the present, and many are extant in his own hand. In terms of content, the Gosho may be divided into four groups: (1) treatises setting forth doctrine, (2) writings remonstrating with government authorities, (3) letters offering advice, encouragement, or consolation to believers, or written in answer to questions (many in this category also include expressions of gratitude for offerings and support received), and (4) written records of Nichiren's oral teachings, including his lectures on the Lotus Sutra.

Traditions and Values form the Sacred Texts

Answer 1

You could divide Sacred Buddhist writings into three distinct parts. Not all Buddhists traditions value or accept all of these three forms of scripture equally.

Firstly you have the Buddhist Canon, the teachings attributed directly to the Buddha, the words and teachings actually coming from his mouth, remembered by his students and written down after his death.

There are then commentaries by many great Buddhist teachers based on the teachings of the Buddha or inspired by him.

Then a third category of scripture come from more esoteric sources like Bodhisattva's and Buddhas residing in different realms and the pure land.

Answer 2

All books containing the teachings of the Buddha or any highly realised person would be respected by Buddhists, but for many people the ideas of the Buddha and ones own mind are more important than the book in which the teachings may be written down.

All Texts are Sacred

Answer 1

A zen Buddhist holds that any & all texts are sacred. To include those which have yet to be created and the ones that have been lost to time. And all must be considered at least as important as whatever you are smelling at this moment.

No Holy Book Answers

Simply No Holy Book

Answer 1

In my opinion (I am a Buddhist), Buddhism is not a religion. It does not have a "holy" book.

Answer 2

Zen Buddhist teachers like D.T. Suzuki are quire emphatic that the concept of holy book is contrary to Buddhist thought. If you can express your ideas in writing, it is not Zen.

Answer 3

The Buddha did not write any books. There is no holy book of Buddhism in the way that the BIBLE is the holy book of Christianity. Buddhism has no creed. There is no God concept in Buddhism. In Zen Buddhism, for example, there is nothing at all supernatural. There are thousands of pages of scriptures that supposedly report the oral teachings of the Buddha that were redacted and organized centuries after his death. They are helpful in suggesting ways of thinking and practicing the Way to minimizing suffering, but it's misleading to think of them as holy books. The idea that there is such a thing as Buddhism is only a couple of centuries old. It was just a way that western explorers and missionaries understood when they encountered some people in the east practicing.

Answer 4

There is no holy book in Buddhism, it is not a religion. It is a way to reach Nirvana to cease the cycle of reincarnation. The Bhudda reached Nirvana, and the Dalai Lama's are like teachers to show us the way. It is classified by some as a religion, but there are no gods, and there is no praying. There is no holy text, and there is no heaven or hell.

Amenable to Other Religions' Holy Books

Answer 1

If you are asking this from a religious perspective, with a religious view of what is holy, the answer is that there is no holy book of Buddhism (in my opinion). Buddhism is not about the worship of a God or a Son of God, or any other deity. There is no sacred being in Buddhism. (I practice Zen Buddhism.) A Christian Buddhist might say, "The holy book of Buddhism is this life I am living, and the holy word of God is the sound of children laughing." "A Christian Buddhist?" you ask. Yes, a Buddhist can be a Christian (or whatever). Refer to the writing of Thomas Merton as an example.

Important Missives & Teachings that do not Rise to the Level of Holy Books

Answer 1

It is true that there is nothing like a holy book fell from the sky or written by something like a GOD in Buddhism. But there are books compiled by some highly intelligent disciples of the Buddha.

Answer 2

There is no one holy book of Buddhism. There are many books in which the teachings of the Buddha have been recorded, and then there are many books of commentary by revered scholars, lamas, Boddhisattvas and others are recorded. The Buddha said to not believe what he said, but to examine the truth for yourself, so there is no book equivalent to the Bible, the Torah or the Koran, which are believed to be the literal word of God.

Answer 3

Buddhism doesn't have a holy book/ sacred text. There are just books that have been written by monks and scholars about Buddha and about the religion that are guides that tell practicing Buddhists how to live, different prayers, rituals etc.

The holy book for the Buddhist is Tipitaka

Answer 4

From Wikipedia:Buddhist schools disagree on what the historical teachings of Gautama Buddha were, so much so that some scholars claim Buddhism doesn't have a clearly definable common core. Also, there is significant disagreement over the importance of various scriptures. For instance, the Tipitaka's Nikayas (Agamas to Mahayana Buddhists) are recognized by most Buddhist schools. However, in addition to this, the Mahayana branch regard the Mahayana sutras as more significant, scriptures that the Theravadins find irrelevant. Also, Vajrayana Buddhists find great value in the Tantras.

Answer 5There is no "holy" text in Buddhism that is the equivalent of the Bible, Torah or Koran, which are thought to be the word of God. In Buddhism there are many sutras, which are recordings of teachings given by the Buddha or other advanced Dharma practitioners. The Buddha said that no one should simply believe what he said, but we should all think for ourselves and discover the truth through analytical meditation. Answer: There are Sutras. One just contains sayings and dialogs of Buddha. Others are written by masters of Buddhism.

But the sutras are not revered. You are not a bad Buddhist because you never read the sutras. The sutras are mean to inspire and provoke thought...nothing more.

There are Zen Buddhism temples who have a revolving bookcase with all the sutras on it. It is say you gain as much merit spinning the bookcase once as reading the sutras.

The relationship of Buddhists to the Sutras is different than Christians to the Bible.

Answer:There is no "Buddhist Bible", really, but there are many names for a number of different texts that are important in Buddhism:

The Pali Cannon is a large collection of books that are said to contain all of the teachings of the Buddha.

Sutras are individual texts in Buddhism, and often individual sects or groups of practitioners will particularly study and revere one Sutra.

The Dhammapada may be the closest thing to a "Buddhist Bible". It contains the core of the Buddhas teachings in verse. It is one of the most common collections of the Buddha's words

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