Āgama sutras ［阿含経］ (, Pali;  Agon-gyō): A group of sutras containing Shakyamuni’s earlier teachings, which Mahayanists later categorized as Hinayana. Āgama means “teachings handed down by tradition.” The Chinese Āgama sutras comprise four groups, each containing a number of sutras. The four groups, or the four Āgama sutras, as they are commonly known, are the Long Āgama Sutra, the Medium-Length Āgama Sutra, the Miscellaneous Āgama Sutra, and the Increasing by One Āgama Sutra. Theravāda Buddhism bases itself on the five Āgamas of the Pali canon, which are similar in composition to the four Chinese Āgama sutras. The five Āgamas are Dīgha-nikāya (long sutras), Majjhima-nikāya (medium-length sutras), Samyutta-nikāya (sutras on related topics), Anguttara-nikāya (sutras of numerical doctrines), and Khuddaka-nikāya (minor sutras). Nikāya means group or collection. The first four correspond respectively to the Chinese Long Āgama, Medium-Length Āgama, Miscellaneous Āgama, and Increasing by One Āgama sutras. See also five Āgamas; four Āgama sutras.