This is inspired by a comment on this [meta post][1].

Is the Pali Canon the only canon in Buddhism as it currently stands today? So would the term canon be completely synonymous with Pali Canon in the context of Buddhism? If that is true then what is the status of texts such as [Bodhicaryāvatāra][2] which aren't in the Pali canon?


  [1]: http://meta.buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/235/157
  [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattvacary%C4%81vat%C4%81ra