Hi! I posted before about wanting to some day become a monk, I’d still like this, however before crashing into the heart of Buddhism without understanding it, I’d like to start out slow.

The sect that I’ve become interested in the most is Theravada, while doing some small research I saw that there are texts which teach the lessons of Buddha, the Tripitaka.

Is there a way to access these texts, and if so would reading it in English be okay?

I don’t mind buying books in my search to understanding, talking with others that might know, but I do draw the line at buying subscriptions and other types of capitalism which I believe muddy the waters. Any and all advice is appreciated, thank you.