The theee baskets of the Tripitaka are divided by subject matter. The first of these is Vinaya Pitaka, or the Discipline Basket. This sets out the structure of living the monastic life of the Sangha. The first two hundred and twenty seven regulations contained in this basket are guidelines and rules for Bikkhus, or monks, covering everything from basic robe making to general morality. There are also additional rules for Bikkhunis (nuns). There then follows rules about interaction between the two, and how to interact with those who are not monks or nuns.
Sutra Pitaka, or Discourse Basket, is the second basket and it holds Buddha's teachings and sermons regarding behavioral and spiritual guidelines for all Buddhists. Abhidarma Potaka is the third basket and is essentially the miscellaneous section, containing poems and songs, stories, and the recollections of Buddha about his former lives and existences. "The Dharmapada" is based on Buddhas's daily life and it includes basic philosophical discussions.
In Mahayana Buddhism the Tripitaka is considered the holy text but this is in addition to over two thousand other sacred writings known as Sutras. They were written just as Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism were diverging in different directions. The most important is the Lotus Sutra and in it Buddha assembles other buddhas, and Buddhists, and teaches them the basic tenets of Mahayana Buddhism. He explains to those gathered around him that the goal of becoming a Bodhisattva is to realize one's own Buddha-nature. The Lotus Surra is the primary text from which all of the other strands of Mahayana are born. We then come to the Heart Sutra, almost as important as the Lotus Sutra. It is actually only a couple of pages in length but it details the concept and character of Nirvama and how to achieve it. It also sets out how emptiness and ultimate reality should be perceived. The Sutras of Perfection and Wisdom develop emptiness more and Nagarajina uses this as the basis of his writings which also became part of the Buddhist Texts. The Heart Sutra is told by Bodhisattva Avolokoteshvara and describes the five skandhas, which are body (i.e. the physical form) emotions, five senses, consciousness and tendencies. This section is often chanted. A third Sutra, Land of Bliss, describes the pure land created by Amitabha Buddha, and suggests ways in which people can enter it, detailing actions, thoughts and the ways to breads oneself for entry.
Next we come back to the writings of Nagarjuna, an early Buddhist thinker. He was the first to make the key concepts of Buddhism into a clearer "road map" and his most important text is @Memorial Verses on the Middle Way" in which he adds his interpretation to the Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom, and elaborated upon the concepts of Emptiness and Impermanence. He demonstrates that everything only exists in relation to other things. Since one thing changes, everything changes, so revealing a fluidity and constantly changing nature to everything. This doesn't only apply to human beings but to everything in the universe. The only permanent and unchanging thing is the universe itself. This is Emptiness.
The texts of Vajrayana Buddhism draws upon this and and holds the Tripitaka with great reverence. It places greater importance upon the literature that contains wisdom and weaves in a number of Tantric texts as well. Added to this are the works that the Tibetan monks wrote on their own. One of these texts is the Great Stagrs of Enlightenment which writes about the importance of ethical behavior and mental discipline before engaging in Tantric practices. The second text is the Tibetan Book of the Dead which sets out the stages of death and the afterlife, from being about to die, at the moment of death, once dead, and in preparation for rebirth. It is also in this book that the teaching for how to achieve Nirvana without the necessity of rebirth is detailed.
