Pali Literature and Canonical Texts
Structure of the Tipiṭaka
The Pali canon is divided into three piṭakas. The Vinaya Piṭaka contains Suttavibhaṅga, Khandhaka and Parivāra. The Sutta Piṭaka contains the five nikāyas: Dīgha, Majjhima, Saṃyutta, Aṅguttara and Khuddaka. The Abhidhamma Piṭaka contains seven books: Dhammasaṅgaṇī, Vibhaṅga, Dhātukathā, Puggalapaññatti, Kathāvatthu, Yamaka and Paṭṭhāna.
Khuddaka Nikāya
This is the nikāya most often examined because of its accessible verse and narrative: Khuddakapāṭha, Dhammapada, Udāna, Itivuttaka, Sutta Nipāta, Vimānavatthu, Petavatthu, Theragāthā, Therīgāthā, Jātaka, Niddesa, Paṭisambhidāmagga, Apadāna, Buddhavaṃsa and Cariyāpiṭaka. The Dhammapada has 423 verses arranged in 26 vaggas; the Jātaka collects birth stories; the Theragāthā and Therīgāthā preserve verses of monks and nuns.
Post-canonical literature
Milindapañha records the dialogue of King Milinda and Nāgasena. Visuddhimagga, by Buddhaghosa, is a systematic manual of doctrine and meditation. Mahāvaṃsa and Dīpavaṃsa are chronicles. Commentaries (aṭṭhakathā) explain canonical texts.
Worked example
A question asks where the Dhammapada belongs. Reason: it is a collection of verses, not a Vinaya rule text and not an Abhidhamma treatise; it sits in the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Sutta Piṭaka. Its opening verse, 'Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā, manoseṭṭhā manomayā', illustrates its ethical-psychological focus: mind precedes phenomena.
Traps
Do not place Milindapañha in the Abhidhamma Piṭaka; do not confuse Visuddhimagga with a canonical text; do not list only four nikāyas; do not attribute the Dhammapada to the Vinaya. Keep the Pali titles spelled correctly.