ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Post-canonical Buddhist texts

Okay kiddo, so you know how there's a religion called Buddhism, right? Well, it has some really old books that people use to learn about it and practice it. These books are called the "canonical texts." They are very important to Buddhists because they were teachings from the Buddha himself!

But here's the thing - as time went on, some other people had more ideas about Buddhism and wanted to talk about them too. So they started writing down their own thoughts and teachings. These books aren't as old as the canonical texts, but they're still important to some Buddhists. We call them "post-canonical" texts, because they were written after the original ones.

Sometimes, these post-canonical texts talk about things that weren't in the original ones. They might talk about new practices, new teachings, or new stories. But even though they're not as old and important as the canonical texts, they can still be helpful and interesting for people who want to learn more about Buddhism!