In this continuing battles, in the 4th century, rivals
claimed the Sacred Tooth Relic and in these
circumstances a royal Prince Danta and Princess Hemamali
disguised themselves as wandering Ajivaka ascetics, and
the Princess hiding the Tooth Relic in her hair knot,
reached Sri Lanka and handed over the Sacred Tooth Relic
to King Siri Meghavanna. In view of the fact, Mahavihara
was more or less an educational establishment of
Bhikkhus and unconnected with laity, whereas Abhayagiri
was engaged in the teaching of more Mahayana in the
Sanskrit medium and less Theravada in the Pali medium,
was also a polytechnic where sculpture, metal craft,
painting and other crafts too were taught. Therefore,
the King handed over the Sacred Tooth Relic to the
Abhayagiri, and had a Tooth Relic Vihara built to
accommodate it. From this Vihara the Tooth Relic was
conducted in a procession annually to Abhayagiri and
exhibited For three months for the devotees both of the
clergy and laity to pay their homage. On conclusion of
three months in another grand procession the Tooth Relic
was conducted back to the Vihara. The Vinaya Atthakatha
records, Dipavamsa was composed at Mahavihara
Granthakara Privena in the region of Jettha - Tissa 11
(332 -34 AD). During the reign of Bhuddhadatta (341 - 70
AD), the learned bhikkhus of Mahavihara authored
Mulasikha and Khuddaka (vinaya summaries and Ven.
Bhuddatatta too from the very same vihara authored
several works.
Buddaghosa
The ‘Golden Age’ of Maha Vihara was the arrival from
India the grammarian Bhandantacariya Buddhaghosa, during
the reign of Mahanama (412 -434 AD) and taking up
residence at Mahavihara. Arahant Mahinda brought the
Commentaries on Tripitaka, introduced a script similar
to Brahmin script to the then colloquial Sinhala
language, and had the commentaries translated into
Sinhala. However, in the translated form, through the
centuries many distortions and interpolations, appeared
in contrast to the original Pali Tripitaka. Even today
such Sinhala interpolations and new terms have gained
ground, such as, ‘Puja’ being called ‘sathkara’.
A new form of the Hindu priests abodes ‘Ashrams’ of
India is adopted by Sinhala monks as ‘asapuwa’.
Entering the order means relinquishing all family ties,
but now a monk addresses the listeners to his ‘desanas’
as ‘magee gnatins’ (My relations), and he calls upon his
Sinhala, Christian, Muslim, Hindu gnatins. The bhikkhus
of old were named after their places of birth as a
prefix and the bhikkhus name after it. This naming after
the village is also now done away with and gives the
prefix either of ‘Pattu’ ‘Nuwara’ etc., concealing the
name of their village of birth. Pattu or Nuwara is only
an administrative division not a village. This
concealment of the name of the village, is prompted by
one reason, as villages in Sri Lanka are caste-based.
The question now arises, from where did Buddhaghosa come
to Sri Lanka and why? The rainbow is created by the
spectrum of colours of the sun passing through the
vapours in the air. The rainbow of amazing grace heralds
the sunbathe on the entire eco-system for life and
energy. This amazing grace of a rainbow was the arrival
of Bhadantacarya Buddhagosha at Mahavihara Anuradhapura
to resurrect the Pali scriptures and redeem them from
many interpolations and corruptions, through the Sinhala
language. Buddhaghosa’s biography has to be culled from
only epilogues and prologues in his own works.
A Brahmin student from Morandakhetaka, variously called
as Mudantakhedaka, Murandahetaka, meaning ‘land of
peacock’ eggs, a village 51 miles from Nagarjunakonda
and 58 miles from Amaravati called Kotanemalipuri and
Gudlapalli, in modern Andhra Pradesh of India, went over
to Buddha Gaya, and having called at the Sinhala
monastery the incumbent of which was Ven. Revata of Sri
Lanka, recited Patanjali’s system in Sanskrit with each
phrase complete and well rounded. Ven. Revata thinking
this brahmin of great understanding who ought to be
tamed said, “Who is that braying the ass’s bray?. The
brahmin said, “What then, do you know of the ass’s
bray?” Revata answered.
“I know it” and he then not only expounded himself, but
explained each statement in the proper way and also
pointed out contradictions. The brahmin urged Revata,
“Now expound your own doctrine Revata expounded a text
from the Abhidhamma, but the brahmin could not solve its
meaning.
He asked, “Whose system is this?” and Revata replied,
“It is the Enlightened One’s system” “Give it to me” he
said. But, Revata “You will have to take the Going Forth
into Homelessness” Then Revata gave him the going forth
and as the brahmin’s voice was a very deep, he was given
the name Buddhaghosa. Thereafter, he studied the three
Pitakas and composed a treatise called Nanodaya and then
the Atthasalini, a comment on the Dhammasangani. Next he
began work on a commentary to the Paritta. Revata having
seen it, said. Here only the text has been preserved.
There are no commentaries here, and likewise doctrine of
the Buddha. However, a sinhala commentary still exists,
which is pure, at Mahavihara Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka,
rendered into Sinhala by Arahant Mahinda. Go there learn
it and translate it into the language of the Maghadans
Pali”. Thus Buddhaghosa visited the Mahavihara at
Anuradhapura. On Buddhaghosa’s arrival at Mahavihara, he
was given the facility to stay in a long room and learn
the entire Sinhala commentaries under Ven. Sanghapala.
Buddhaghosa explained that his objective was to
translate the Sinhala commentaries to Pali. Ven.
Sanghapala summoned an assembly of scholar monks, and
Buddhaghosa was given two stanzas. to work on them and
if successful all the commentaries would be made
available to him.
Buddhaghosa did a successful translation of it and all
the Sinhala texts were given to him. Thereafter
Buddhaghosa composed in Pali, the Sinhala Commentaries
on Vinaya, Patimokkha, Digna-nikaya, Majhima Nikaya,
Samyutta-Nikaya, Anguttara - Nikaya, Khuddakapatha,
Suttanipata, Dhammapada, Jataka, Dhammasangani, Vibhanga
and five books of Pancapakaranatthakatha. Thus the
Sinhala commentaries were again rendered into the
Magadhan language of Pali, the language of the Buddha,
in which language the Buddha discoursed them.
Vishddhimagga (Path of Purification)
The masterpiece of Ven Buddhaghosa was his Visudhimagga,
a work unique in the literature of the world, especially
Pali. It systematically summarizes and interprets the
teaching of the Buddha contained in the Pali Tipitaka,
which is now recognised in Europe as the Oldest and most
authentic record of the Buddha’s word Visuddhimagga, as
the principal non-canonical authority of Theravada
Buddhism, it forms the fulcrum of a complete and
coherent method of exegesis of the Tripitaka, using the
‘Abhidhamma Method’ as it is called.
It sets out detailed practical instructions for
developing purification. Visudhimagga for the first time
was translated to English in 1956 by Ven. Bhikkhu
Nanamoli (Englishman Osbert Moore a graduate from Exeter
College, Oxford, who was born in England. In 1948, he
came to Sri Lanka, after having served as an army
staff-officer in Italy during the second World War.
While in Italy he had read an Italian book on Buddhism
by J. Evola, titled. The Doctrine of Awakening’, later
translated by a friend and fellow-officer, Harold Musson
into English in 1948. This kindled his interest in
Buddhism.
He came along with J.Evola and both of them entered the
Order at Island Hermitage Didanduwa, founded by Most
Venerable Nyanatiloka, a German, the first European
Bhikkhu. Nanamoli had his higher ordination in 1950, at
Vajirarama, Bambalapitiya, Colombo, having entered the
order in 1949. His friend too followed same, under the
name Nanavira. Nanamoli on March 1960, passed away at
Veheragama in Maho in a lonely village, while on one of
his walking tours. Nanamoli spent his monkhood of eleven
years, right through at Island Hermitage Didanduwa.
His translation of Visuddhimagga, (Path of Purification)
was first published by A. Semage, Publishers in 1956 for
the first time and later in mid 1990s by the Buddhist
Publication Society and presently this 838 paged work is
published for free distribution by The Corporate Body of
the Buddha Educational Foundation founded by Most
Venerable Bodagama Chandana Nayaka Thera. Those who wish
to obtain a copy may forward their request either by air
mail or E-mail to the following address: The Director,
The Corporate Body of The Buddha Educational Foundation,
11 F, 55 Hang Chow South Road Sec. 1. Taipei, Taiwan,
Republic of China. E-mail : overseas@budaedu, org. tw.
You may also visit the website:http//www.budaedy.org.tw.
In your requests please make mention, this information
was obtained from Budusarana, Buddhist Sinhala/English
weekly of Sri Lanka.
පුර අටවක
පසෙලාස්වක
අව
අටවක
අමාවක