Nikāya is a
Pāḷi word meaning "volume." It is used like the
Sanskrit word
āgama "basket" to mean "collection," "assemblage," "class" or "group" in both Pāḷi and Sanskrit. It is most commonly used in reference to the
Buddhist texts of the
Sutta Piṭaka but can also refer to the monastic divisions of
Theravāda Buddhism.