Buddhaghosa

Buddhaghosa
Buddhaghosa with three copies of Visuddhimagga, Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
OccupationBuddhist monk
Era5th century
MovementTheravada Buddhism

Buddhaghosa was a 5th-century Indian Theravada Buddhist commentator, translator and philosopher.[1][2] He worked in the Great Monastery (Mahāvihāra) at Anurādhapura, Sri Lanka and saw himself as being part of the Vibhajjavāda school and in the lineage of the Sinhalese Mahāvihāra.[3]

His best-known work is the Visuddhimagga ("Path of Purification"), a comprehensive summary of older Sinhala commentaries on Theravada teachings and practices. According to Sarah Shaw, in Theravada this systematic work is "the principal text on the subject of meditation."[4] The interpretations provided by Buddhaghosa have generally constituted the orthodox understanding of Theravada scriptures since at least the 12th century CE.[5][6]

He is generally recognized by both Western scholars and Theravadins as the most important philosopher and commentator of the Theravada,[2][7] but is also criticised for his departures from the canonical texts[citation needed].

  1. ^ (Hinüber 1996, p. 103) is more specific, estimating dates for Buddhaghosa of 370–450 CE based on the Mahavamsa and other sources. Following the Mahavamsa, (Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli 1999, p. xxvi) places Buddhaghosa's arrival as coming during the reign of King Mahanama, between 412 and 434 CE.
  2. ^ a b Strong 2004, p. 75.
  3. ^ Gethin, Rupert, Was Buddhaghosa a Theravādin? Buddhist Identity in the Pali Commentariesand Chronicles, 2012.
  4. ^ Shaw 2006, p. 5.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference crosby837 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Gombrich 2012, p. 51.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference v.Hinüber102 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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