The teachings of the Buddha are preserved in the Pali Canon, an extensive, detailed, systematic and analytical record. Twenty-five centuries ago Pali was the lingua franca of northern India, the dialect in which the Buddha taught. Just as Sanskrit is the canonical language of Hinduism and Latin the canonical language of Catholicism, Pali is the classical language in which the teachings of the Buddha have been preserved. The Pali sources are the Tipiṭaka (the Pali Canon); the sub-commentaries, called the Aṭṭhakatha, Tika and others such as Anu-tika, Madhu-tika, etc. More information on the Tipiṭaka.
