The “twelve branches of excellent speech” or the “twelve categories of the Buddha’s teachings” are discourses (Tib. mdo’i sde, Skt. sūtra), verse narrations (Tib. dbyangs kyis bsnyad pa’i sde, Skt. geya), prophecies (Tib. lung du bstan pa’i sde, Skt. vyākaraṇa), poetic verses (Tib. tshigs su bcad pa’i sde, Skt. gāthā), aphorisms (Tib. ched du brjod pa’i sde, Skt. udāna), ethical narrations (Tib. gleng gzhi brjod pa’i sde, Skt. nidāna), narrative discourses (Tib. rtogs pa brjod pa’i sde, Skt. avadāna), parables (Tib. de lta bu byung ba’i sde, Skt. itivṛttaka), past-life stories (Tib. skye pa’i rabs kyi sde, Skt. jātaka), extensive sayings (Tib. shin tu rgyas pa’i sde, Skt. vaipulya), marvels (Tib. rmad du byung ba’i chos kyi sde, Skt. abidhutadharma), and resolutions (Tib. gtan la bab par bstan pa’i sde, Skt. upadeśa).

The classification of all aspects of the Buddha’s teachings into twelve types: sūtra, geya, vyākaraṇa, gāthā, udāna, nidāna, avadāna, itivṛttaka, jātaka, vaipulya, adbhutadharma, and upadeśa.

The “twelve branches of excellent speech” or the “twelve categories of the Buddha’s teachings” are discourses (Tib. mdo’i sde, Skt. sūtra), verse narrations (Tib. dbyangs kyis bsnyad pa’i sde, Skt. geya), prophecies (Tib. lung du bstan pa’i sde, Skt. vyākaraṇa), poetic verses (Tib. tshigs su bcad pa’i sde, Skt. gāthā), aphorisms (Tib. ched du brjod pa’i sde, Skt. udāna), ethical narrations (Tib. gleng gzhi brjod pa’i sde, Skt. nidāna), narrative discourses (Tib. rtogs pa brjod pa’i sde, Skt. avadāna), parables (Tib. de lta bu byung ba’i sde, Skt. itivṛttaka), past-life stories (Tib. skye pa’i rabs kyi sde, Skt. jātaka), extensive sayings (Tib. shin tu rgyas pa’i sde, Skt. vaipulya), marvels (Tib. rmad du byung ba’i chos kyi sde, Skt. abidhutadharma), and resolutions (Tib. gtan la bab par bstan pa’i sde, Skt. upadeśa).