महावंसटीका - The Mahavamsa Tika- The Commentary on the Mahavamsa (An Old and Rare Book)

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Preface The transmission of the Pali canon from Magadha in India to Sri Lanka, over 2,200 years ago, through a mission led by an emperor's son, the careful preservation of the sacred scriptures in the monasteries of that Island the preparation of their written text 225 years later; and the compilation of an ecclesiastical history of Sri Lanka, under the editorial guidance of the learned monks of the Mahavihara at Anuradhapura etc.-a process which had spread over a period of five centuries before being completed nearly a thousand years ago, are extraordinarily significant developments, unique in the history of religion and culture.

2. The entire Pali literature has been classified into two main divisions, on the basis of chronology and subject matter: (1) canonical; and (2) non-canonical, the canonical Pali literature in its three major subdivisions, the Sutta, Vinaya and A bhidhamma, contains the original doctrinal principles, monastic regulations and the psycho-ethical metaphysics of Theravada Buddhists.

3. It is widely held that the Pali Tipitaka, in its accepted divisions, represents the original Buddha-vacana, although the actual compilation of the texts took place at a somewhat later date. Once the texts were settled, the question of their interpretation arose before the elders. It demanded a speedy solution. For without a correct interpretation, it was feared that the true import of the Dhamma would be lost and its inner significance misunderstood.

4. Thus, in course of time, the need for an exegetical - literature was keenly felt. Acarya Buddhaghosa, the celebrated Pali scholiast of the 5th century A.D., took upon himself, the task of supplying the need.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages