Sutras are a type of ancient and medieval Indian literature that form the basis of many foundational religious texts in various Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. In Hinduism, sutras are a distinct genre of collections of short aphorism-like statements that were collected around various philosophical subjects, rites, and rituals. Buddhist sutras (or suttas) are more cohesive canonical scriptures, considered by many to be the original oral teachings of Buddha or other later authors.