Buddhist Spectrum

Buddhagosha: Great Buddhist

Lionel WIJESIRI

In history of Buddhist literature, the name of Venerable Buddhaghosa stands out preeminent as that of the greatest Buddhist commentator. Venerable Buddhaghosa did for the Pali Tripitaka what Sayaria did for Vedic literature.

Many a word and expression, many points of Buddhist theology and many cruces of philosophy would not have been clearly intelligible to later generations but for the immense labour that Venerable Buddhaghosa contributed upon the interpretation of the Pali texts.

Venerable Buddhaghosa handing over the commentaries after completion - a painting

Venerable Buddhaghosa has introduced in his commentaries an immense mass of legends and fables, folktales and traditions, history and biography, which has made his contribution a huge store-house from which any historian searching for ancient Buddhist sociology can draw without end.

History

However, our great regret is that we know only a very little about the personal history of this great character. Only three primary sources of information exist: short prologues and epilogues attached to Venerable Buddhaghosa’s work; details of his life recorded in the Mahavansa; and a later biographical work called the Buddhaghosuppatti.

The biographical excerpts attached to works attributed to Venerable Buddhaghosa reveal relatively few details of his life, but were presumably added at the time of his actual composition.

The Mahavansa records that Venerable Buddhaghosa was born in the early fifth century into a Brahmin family in the kingdom of Magadha. He is said to have been born near Buddha Gaya, and had been a master of the Vedas.

He travelled through India engaging in philosophical debates. One day, he encountered a Buddhist monk named Revata, and for the first time, he faced defeat in a debate over the meaning of a Vedic doctrine, and then being bewildered by the presentation of a teaching from the Abhidhamma.

Impressed, Buddhaghosa became a Buddhist monk and undertook the study of the Tripitaka and its commentaries. Before long, when he understood from his Elders that there was a large volume of commentarial texts available at the Mahavihara in Sri Lanka, Venerable Buddhaghosa decided to visit Mahavihara.

In Sri Lanka, he was surprised with the very large volume of commentarial texts that had been assembled and preserved by the monks of the Mahavihara.

Permission

After carefully studying for few months, Venerable Buddhaghosa sought permission to synthesize the assembled Sinhalese-language commentaries into a comprehensive single commentary composed in the Pali language.

The elder monks did not give him permission outright but sought to first test Venerable Buddhaghosa’s knowledge, by assigning him the task of elaborating the doctrine regarding two verses of the suttas. Venerable Buddhaghosa responded by composing the Visuddhimagga. When his three texts were found to completely summarize all of in the Tripitaka and match in every respect, the elder monks acceded to his request and provided Venerable Buddhaghosa with the full body of their commentaries.

Morality

Just like the Noble Eightfold Path, Visuddhimagga can be divided into three parts; Sila, Samadhi. Panna. The first two chapters deal with Morality. There are many very moving and inspiring stories about the heroic virtue of the monks.

The second section of Visuddhimagga deals with concentration. The Kammatthana, the forty (samatha) meditation subjects are described, together with whether they lead to the jhanas and which of the six temperaments they are suitable for.

These are: the ten Kasinas, The ten kinds of foulness (of corpses), the ten Recollections of the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha, one’s own morality, one’s own generosity, the Devas, peace, death, the thirty-two repulsive parts of the body, and mindfulness of the breathing (anapana-sati). Then there are the Illimitable; (The Four Brahma-Viharas), The One Perception (of the loathsomeness of Food), The One Analysis, (of all matter into the four elements), and the four Immaterial states.

Wisdom

The third part of Visuddhimagga deals with insight or vipassana meditation as wisdom. Venerable Buddhaghosa states that the function of panna is “to abolish the darkness of delusion” and that it is “manifested as non-delusion.” Its proximate cause is concentration. He provides the analogy of a tree to discuss the development of panna: The soil of the tree are the five aggregates, twelve sense bases and 18 elements, 22 faculties, four noble truths and dependent origination. The roots are purification of virtue and purification of consciousness.

Purification

The trunk is made up of purification of view, purification by overcoming doubt, purification by knowledge and vision of what is and is not the path, purification by knowledge and vision of the way and purification by knowledge and vision. Venerable Buddhaghosa instructs that, to achieve panna, one should first learn about the soil, then the roots and then the trunk.

Venerable Buddhaghosa went on to write commentaries on most of the other major books of the Pali Canon, with his works becoming the definitive Theravada interpretation of the scriptures. Having synthesized or translated the whole of the Sinhalese commentary preserved at the Mahavihara, Venerable Buddhaghosa returned to India.

Venerable Buddhaghosa is also credited with composing the Samantapasadika and the commentaries on the Vinaya Pitaka, and the Manorathapurani commentary on the Sutra Pitaka. Some also ascribe to him the commentary on the Jatakas (Jatakatthakatha).

Since 12th century, many monks from Theravada traditions in Southeast Asia sought ordination or re-ordination in Sri Lanka because of the reputation of the Sri Lankan Mahavihara lineage for doctrinal purity and scholarship.

The result was the spread of the teachings of the Mahavihara tradition- and thus Venerable Buddhaghosa - throughout the Theravada world. Venerable Buddhaghosa’s commentaries thereby became the standard method by which the Theravada scriptures were understood, establishing Venerable Buddhaghosa as the definitive interpreter of Theravada doctrine.

Venerable Buddhaghosa’s works also played a significant role in the revival and preservation of the Pali language as the scriptural language of the Theravada, and as a lingua franca in the exchange of ideas, texts, and scholars between Sri Lanka and the Theravada countries of mainland Southeast Asia.

Philosophy

The development of new analyses of Theravada doctrine, both in Pali and Sinhalese, seems to have dried up prior to Venerable Buddhaghosa’s emergence in Sri Lanka. In India, new schools of Buddhist philosophy (such as the Mahayana) were emerging, many of them making use of classical Sanskrit both as a scriptural language and as a language of philosophical discourse.

The monks of the Mahavihara may have attempted to counter the growth of such schools by re-emphasizing the study and composition in Pali, along with the study of previously disused secondary sources that may have vanished in India, as evidenced by the Mahavansa.

Early indications of this resurgence in the use of Pali as a literary language may be visible in the composition of the Dipavamsa and the Vimuttimagga, both dating to shortly before Venerable Buddhaghosa’s arrival in Sri Lanka.

The addition of Venerable Buddhaghosa’s works- which combined the pedigree of the oldest Sinhalese commentaries with the use of Pali, a language shared by all of the Theravada learning centers of the time- provided a significant boost to the revitalization of the Pali language and the Theravada intellectual tradition, possibly aiding the Theravada school in surviving the challenge to its position posed by emerging Buddhist schools of mainland India.

Elegance of traditional pageant

Suraj A BANDARA

Sri Lankan traditions always bring forth colourful pageants. Most events of traditional flavour are originated from Buddhist temples. The Perahera is a cultural event that is synonymous with Sri Lankan traditions. Kuliyapitiya in Sath Korale staged Kurunegala’s magnificent Duruthu Maha Perahera which has brought a cultural revivalism to the region this January.

Paying respect to the sacred relics

The annual Duruthu Maha Perahera of the Asswaddduma Sri Sasanalankara Maha Vihara in Kuliyapitiya was held recently for the 16th consecutive year. The chief organizer and chief incumbent of the Temple Ven Pallekagama Rathanabharathi Thera told Daily News that the Perahera went in and around Kuliyapitiaya town.

The journey of the Perahera started from the Asswadduma temple and returned after an eight-hour journey in the city back to the same venue.

As told by Perehera organizing committee chairman and Kuliyapatiya Municipal Council former Mayor laxman Adhikari this time the Perahera had new additions as one of the biggest events held in the Sathkorala in Kurunegala.

“No other cultural event in the Kurunegala district can be compared to this, since this is the most outstanding cultural festival of all regions in the Satkorale. All Government and private institutions in the North Western region teamed up with the Organizing Committee to make this festival fruitful.” He said.

The preparations were made to display all traditional and cultural desolations in aesthetic panorama where real Sri Lankan culture could be depicted. Nearly 50 items along with some rare exhibits were in display. Ven Rathanabharathi Thera thanked Kuliyapitiya police for security arrangements with over 300 police personnel in duty till the festival ended.

Duruthu Maha Perahera in Kuliyapitiya is a famous parade that draws visitors from all four corners of the North Western province. Elephants, dancers and musicians take to the streets during this grand and pompous parade and for the people of the area it has always proved to be an experience worth waiting for.

The casket, this time too, was carried by a tusker belonging to the Dalada Maligawa. Nearly 16 elephants were walking giving the visitors a closure glance at them. Sasanalankara Duruthu Maha Perahera was originally initiated in 1994. The late Anuanayake of the Ramannga Nikaya Ven Kaballewe Piyabharathi Thera was the founder of the Perahera.

After his demise, the present charismatic leadership is held by one of his best students, Ven Pallekagama Rathanabharathi Thera. He is backed by all other monastic colleges of the same Subharathi fraternity in keeping up with the good works started long time ago by their superiors.

“I’m glad that the perahara has been continuing since its inception despite many hardships. The financial factor is critical in arranging a perahara in areas like Kuliyapitiya. But all devotees, businessmen despite their race and religion supported us making this exotic perehera successful.” Ven Rathanaabhrathi Thera said.

The Thera paid tribute to all supporters behind the success: dedicated organizing committee members, Sri Subharathi Dhamma Pasal students, the Perahera Media Unit that functioned under the direct supervision of Ven Mannankattiye Soratha Thera and devotees of the temple who were the backbone of all successful events which come under the purview of Sasanalankara umbrella.

Beautifully donned elephants

Hundreds of visitors flock to this temple every year to experience the amazing sight of herds of elephants walking down the road in their fineries. It’s a cultural festival of colour, fun and excitement and speaks a lot about the local fervor, flavour and traditions of music.

Kuliyapitiya’s great festival included dance and drumming performances by at least a 1000 people accompanying the parade. It is estimated that over 200,000 people had gathered to witness this cultural pageant.

The cracking of whips in the air at the Assadduma Temple started off the pageant with Dhamma school students and small children with colourful flags following close behind.

This is not only a celebration of colour but also of sound and music consisting percussion bands and groups of people blowing conch shells blending traditional music with the modern. Stilt-walkers posed an exciting performance as well.

The pageant of elephants, brought over from across the country, was the cynosure of all eyes.

The fire works display was the grandest outdoor celebration in the Kurunegala district giving just the apt ending to the festival.

On its entirety, the Duruthu Maha Perahera in Kuliyapitiya was a grand event that attracted a massive crowd and pleased all those who loved to participate in traditional Buddhist festivals.

Life, obstacles and relaxation

Robert BOGODA

To make the best use of our human potential, we need not only a practical aim in life, but a life plan for achieving that aim.

The preceding two sections of this essay show the groundwork for developing a proper sense of values, the values essential for gaining happiness, success, and security within the mundane life and for progressing towards the ultimate goal of the Buddhist path, Nibbana.

While we walk along the path to liberation, as laypeople we have to live in the world, and our immediate objective will be to make our life in the world both a means to worldly success and a stepping-stone to final liberation.

To accomplish this, we must organize our life within the framework of the Noble Eightfold Path. We can best realize our immediate aims by drawing up an individual life plan in keeping with our powers and circumstances. This life plan must be realistic. It must envisage a realistic development of our innate potential, steering us towards the fullest actualization of our possibilities.

At the start, we require an honest understanding of ourselves. It is pointless to devise a workable life plan on the foundation stone of grandiose delusions about our character and abilities.

The more we find out about ourselves, by self-observation and self-examination, the better will be our chances of self-improvement. We should ask ourselves how far and to what degree we are generous, kind, even-tempered, considerate, honest, sober in morals, truthful, diligent, energetic, industrious, cautious, patient, tolerant, and tactful. These are the qualities of a well-developed Buddhist, the qualities we ourselves should emulate.

We need to improve ourselves wherever we are weak. A little practice everyday is all that is necessary. We should remember that the more often an action is performed, the easier it becomes for us to perform it in the future and the stronger becomes the tendency to do it again and again until it becomes a habit, an ingrained part of our character.

Our life plan should cover all the main areas of a normal householder’s life, including occupation, marriage, the procreation and raising of children, retirement, old age and death.

The happiness of lay life consists in finding out exactly what one can do and doing it well. A clear mental picture of a practical aim in life and a realistic sketch of the steps needed to achieve that aim will help guide us to the fulfillment of our ideal. We tend to become what we really want to be, provided we act realistically and effectively to realize our aim.

The following five states are likely to prevent or block the success of our efforts to lead the upright life of a Buddhist lay follower.

They are called by the Buddha the five mental hindrances (pañcanivarana) because they close the doors to both spiritual and worldly progress. Although the Buddha originally taught them as the main obstacles to meditation, with a little reflection we can see that they are equally detrimental to success in our mundane undertakings.

1. The first of the five hindrances is sensual craving, obsessive hankering for possessions or for the gratification of the senses. While the lay Buddhist will seek wealth and possessions as an integral part of mundane happiness, he will also be aware of the limits to be observed in their pursuit.He will recognize that if one obtains wealth and position by unjust means, or becomes excessively attached to them, they will become a source of misery and despair rather than of joy and contentment. Money alone cannot solve all our problems. Many people never learn this, and spend their time and energy accumulating wealth and the so-called “good things” it can buy. But in fact, the more they acquire the more they want. Such people can never find happiness. A lay Buddhist must be moderate in all things. Extreme desires — for riches, the enjoyment of sex, liquor, the ostentatious display of one’s success — are sure signs of internal insecurity, things to be avoided.

2. Ill will or hatred, the second hindrance, is the emotional opposite of desire, yet it is an equally potent obstacle to personal development. Because we are attracted to desirable things, we are repelled by what is undesirable. Like and dislike are the two forces that delude the world, leading people astray into conflict and confusion and drenching the earth with blood. Both are born of ignorance. Desire colors everything in tinsel and drives us to acquire what we want. Hatred colors everything black and drives us to destroy what we suspect is inimical to our interests. The best way to overcome hatred is by cultivating loving-kindness, explained later in this essay.

3. Indolence and mental inertia is the next hindrance, the obstacle to strenuous effort. The lazy person is not inclined to strive for correct understanding or high standards of conduct. He is a drifter or a dreamer, easy prey to the thieves of craving and hatred.

4. Restlessness and worry are twin hindrances very much in evidence today. Restlessness is manifest in the agitation, impatience, thirst for excitement, and unsettled character of our daily existence. Worry is the guilt and remorse that one feels when one broods sadly or regretfully over an evil deed that has been done or a good deed left undone. The best remedy for a lapse or transgression already committed is to decide never to repeat it; the best remedy for neglecting to do good is to do it without delay.

5. The last hindrance is doubt. Doubt is the inability to decide, the lack of resolution that prevents one from making a firm commitment to higher ideals and from pursuing the good with a steady will.

These five hindrances are great handicaps to one’s progress. They deprive the mind of understanding and happiness and cause much unnecessary suffering. By cultivating the five cardinal virtues — confidence, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom — and by constant effort one can reduce their harmful influence.

Modern life is full of stress and strain.