经

A warp, that which runs lengthwise; to pass through or by, past; to manage, regulate; laws, canons, classics. Skt. (sa) sūtras; threads, threaded together, classical works. Also called 契經 and 經本. The (sa) sūtras in the Tripiṭaka are the sermons attributed to the Buddha; the other two divisions are 律 the Vinaya, and 論 the śāstras, or Abhidharma; cf. 三藏. Every (sa) sūtra begins with the words 如是我聞 'Thus did I hear', indicating that it contains the words of Śākyamuni.