The Sutras are held sacred by Mahayana Buddhists. They are a loose collection of texts designed to unify contradictions among the various teachings and thus very difficult to describe succinctly.

The Tripitaka (Pali Canon), which means “three baskets,” is the earliest collection of Buddha’s teachings and the only text revered by Theravada Buddhists. It includes the Vinaya Pitaka (“Discipline Basket”), the Sutta Pitaka (Sutra/ Sayings Basket), and the Abhidhamma Pitaka. The Vinaya Pitaka deals with rules for Theravada monks and nuns and explains etiquette and […]

Read about the Thai Buddhist calendar, which is similar to the Laotian and Cambodian tradition.

Read a description of Buddhist personal ceremonies, such as marriages and funeral rites.

Read a listing of Buddhist festivals and special days on Buddhanet.com.

A list of resources for the study of Buddhism compiled by Ron Epstein, who is now retired as a professor from San Francisco State University. It includes links to background information on Buddhist history, teachings in the Theravada and Mahayana traditions, Buddhist texts and such subjects as Buddhism and children and Buddhism and science.

An introduction to Buddhism posted in connection with a PBS documentary on Thailand.

Read the Basic Buddhism Guide posted by BuddhaNet, the website of the Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., based in Australia. BuddhaNet is an effort to create a nonprofit, online “cyber sangha” of people committed to the Buddha’s teachings and lifestyle — an effort to combine an ancient tradition with the information superhighway.

The Journal of Global Buddhism is an online scholarly academic journal. Charles S. Prebish is its editor emeritus.