nikāya
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Nikāya () is a Pāli word meaning "volume". It is often used like the Sanskrit word āgama () to mean "collection", "assemblage", "class" or "group" in both Pāḷi and Sanskrit. It is most commonly used in reference to the Pali Buddhist texts of the Tripitaka namely those found in the Sutta Piṭaka. It is also used to refer to monastic lineages, where it is sometimes translated as a 'monastic fraternity'.
~4 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Text collections
- Monastic divisions
- Nikaya Buddhism
- See also
- Notes
- Bibliography
Nikāya () is a Pāli word meaning "volume". It is often used like the Sanskrit word āgama () to mean "collection", "assemblage", "class" or "group" in both Pāḷi and Sanskrit. It is most commonly used in reference to the Pali Buddhist texts of the Tripitaka namely those found in the Sutta Piṭaka. It is also used to refer to monastic lineages, where it is sometimes translated as a 'monastic fraternity'.
The term Nikāya Buddhism is sometimes used in contemporary scholarship to refer to the Buddhism of the early Buddhist schools.