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Reminiscences of Ceylon:-In the epilogue of his commentary on the Vinaya Pitaka, Buddhaghosa tells us that he completed his great work in the 21st year of the reign of King Sirinivasa of Ceylon, who was his benevolent royal patron (11). Perhaps he refers to the same king under the name of Sirikūṭa in the epilogue to his commentary on the Dhammapada (12.) It is left to further recearch to settle whether or not Sirinivasa was another name of King Mahānāma, during whose reign he visited Ceylon according to Mahāvamsa. The Rev. Bhikkhu H. P. Buddhadatta is of this opinion. He points out that nowhere else is mentioned a king of Ceylon by the name of Sirinivasa or Sirikūța.

Buddaghosa refers to King Duṭṭagamani Abhaya (13), the na. tional hero of Ceylon, and to King Coranaga (14), son of King Vaṭṭagāmaṇī. He also makes mention of a king Mahānāga whose munificient gift in connection with the art of healing at Penambarigana had won for him a lasting fame (15). King Mahānāga is perhaps no other than king Buddhadāsa, father of King Mahānāma mentioned in the Mahavamsa (Chap. XXX. 171).

Buddhaghosa refers to Cetiyapabbata of Ceylon where a king. went out by the eastern gate to reach the pabbata and he reached the banks of the Colombo river, the horse standing on the bank was not willing to get down into the river like the horse Gulavaṇņa of King Kutahanņa. (1)

Buddhaghosa also refers to Mahinda who brought the Aṭṭhakatha (rehearsed by 500 Bhikkus at the first council) to Ceylon, (2) and he is also referred to in the Sumahgalavilasini as the person who brought the Atthakatha into Ceylon and rendered it into Sinhalese for the benefit of the inhabitants of the island (3), Buddhaghosa in his Saratthapakasini refers to Thera Mahamahinda

(11) Palayantassa suka'am Lankadipam nirabbudam ranno-Sirinivasassa samavisatime kheme jayasamvacchare ayam. Araddha ekavisamhi sampatte parinitthita ti".

(12) Dhammapada atthakatha, P. T. S. Vol. IV. p. 235.
(13) Atthasalini p. 81.

(14) Ibid, p. 399.

(15) Ibid, p 399.

1. "Saratthapakasini (mss.) p. 25 Kutakannaranno Gulavannasso Viya, Raja kira pacinadvarena nikkhamitva Cetiyapabbatam gamissamiti Kalam banaditiram sampatto esso tire thatva udakam otaritum na icchati".

2. Ibid (mss) p. 1.

3. Sumangavilasini XX, p. 1.

who when he came to the island, sat at Jotivana and preached the doctrine, the earth quaked (3a), Mention is made of a Thera named Mahānāga of Kalavallimaṇḍapa and of the Bhikkhus who took their abode in the Vihara at Colombotittha, and who with minds bent upon Kamaṭṭhāna, going on foot near the village and taking palmful of water, looking into the roads where other quarrelsome and wicked persons, mad elephants, restive horses, etc., were not to be found, used to go along their path (36). Thera Mahānāga is also referred to by Buddhaghosa, who while going out after having finished his alms-begging in the village of Nakulanagara saw a Theri and requested her to take rice. (4). A reference is made to Abhaya thera in the Atthasalini, who was very hospitable to those who could recite Digha Nikaya in the Cetiyapabbata, the story was told of the articles of hospitality having been stolen by thieves. (5) Atthasalini also mentions a thera named Pingalabudharakkhita of Ambariya Vihara who used to give precepts. (6) A reference is made to a sinless thera living at Cittakapabbata, who had as an attendant an old recluse. One day while the attendant was walking behind the thera with alms-bowl and robes, he asked the thera thus, "Oh venerable Sir, How are the Ariyas"? The answer was that the Ariyas were very difficult to know. (7.) A mention is made of Cakkana Upasaka of the island of Ceylon. (8).

In the Saratthapakāsini it is stated that in the island of Ceylon, in the rest houses of different villages, there was no seat where a Bhikkhu taking his gruel did not obtain Arhatship (9).

3a. p. 29. 36 Saratthapa ke sini (mss) pn. 132.183.

"Evam kalavallimandapavasi Mahanagatbero Viya Kal mba (Galamba) tittha vihare vassupagata-bhikkhu viya ca kammatthanay utteneva cittenapadam uddharanto gam samipam gantva udaka.gandusam katva vlthiy sallakkhhetya yatthasura son 'adhuttadayo kalahakaraka yatthasura-sondadhuttadayo kalahakaraka canpatthi assadayo vanatthi amvithim patidajjati".

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Buddhaghosa refers to various Vihāras of Ceylon which be enumerated thus :

1. Colombotittha Vihara. (10) where 50 Sinhalese monks used to reside in the rainy season.

2. Girikaṇḍaka Vihāra in the village of Vattakalaka in Ceylon, where a householder's daughter on account of her strong faith in the Buddha got ubhegapiti and soared into the sky. (11).

3. Mahāvihāra (12) where there were resident Bhikkhus whose teaching was in the language of the text.

4. Mahavihara (13) where the excellent Aṭṭhakathā or commentary was written.

Buddhaghosa refers to the town of Icchahgala near which a temporary residence of stone was built, where the king of righteousness dwelt as long as he lived. (14) In the Saratthapakasinī by Buddhaghosa, it is stated that one day in the courtyard of Mahacetiya of Lahka, young Bhikkhus were engaged in getting their lessons by heart, behind them were young Bhikkhunis listening to the recitaton, one of the young bhikkhus having extended his hands that touched a bhikkhuni became a householder or layman (15). Buddhaghosa in his Atthasālini, a commentary on the Dhammasangani, refers to Penambarigana, a town

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"Sumpuna vinicchayanam Mahaviharadhivasinam hitva punappunagata. mattham attham pakasayissam isujanassa ca tutthattham ciratthitat anca

dhammassa"

(14) Sumangalavilasini p. 170. cf. also the chapter which deals with the consecration of Maricavatti Vihara as decribed in the Mahavamsa. "Icchanangalavanasande sliakkh nd varam bandhitva samad hikortam ussapetva sabbannutannaasaram parivattayamano dhammaraja yathabhirucitena viharena viharati".

(15) Saratthapakasini (mss) p. 137. Mahacetiyangana appears to be the courtyard of Mahacetiya of Anuradhapur in Ceylon. It occurs in many places in the Mahavamsa. For its description see Parker's "Ruined cities of Ceylon". "Atthe panasati pisappayasappayam pariganetva sappaya parigganhanam sappeya sampojann im tatrayam nayo -Mahacet yangane kira daharabhikkhu sajjhayam ganhanti Tesam pitthipasse daharabhikkhuniyo dhammain sunanti. Taterkodahar) hattham pasarento kayasamsaggam Patna teneva Karanena gihi jato"

Ceylon where a certain king ruled and he fled from his kingdom and again came back and lived and died in his kingdom (16).

The Visuddhimagga, the monumental work of Buddhaghosa abounds in good many references to Ceylon. A reference is made to Thera Mahā Tissa of the Cetiya pabbata, who was in the habit of coming from Cetiya pabbatta to Anuradhapura for alms (17). Two members of a family are mentioned in the V. M. coming out of Anuradhapura and gradually they obtained ordination at Thupārāma (18). A thera named Naga of Karaļiyagiri gave a discourse on dhātukatha to the Bhikkhus (19). A reference is also made to a Tipitaka Curabhaya of Mahavihāra who mastered the Aṭṭhakathā (20). A thera of Ceylon named Cittagutta who was an inhabitant of Kurandka Mahalera is referred to in the V. M. (21) Kuraṇḍaka was a Vihara in Ceylon where a Thera used to live as mentioned in the V. M, (22). A reference is made to a thera named Dhammarakkhita who used to live in a vihāra of Ceylon named Tuladhara pabbata (23). There is a reference to Thera Abhaya who used to dwell at Lohapāsāda at Anuradhapura in Ceylon, where he was in the habit of repeating passages from the Digha Nikaya. As soon as he received the news of the death of his teacher, he put on his robe and went to attend the funeral ceremony (24). Mention is made of two pillars in front of the city gate at Anuradhapur (25). Buddhaghosa refers to a Yakkhinī named Piyankaramată of Ceylon in his Visuddhimagga (26).

Visit to Burma.

Some are of opinion that after having completed his work in Ceylon, Buddhaghosa visited Burmah to propagate the Buddhist Faith (1.) The Burmese count the new era in their religion from the time when Buddhaghosa reached their country from Ceylon (2.) He is said to have brought over from Ceylon to Burma, a

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Vol I. p. 91.
p. 97.

(23)

Vol I p. 96.

(25)

Vol. I. p. 72.

(26) Ibid, Vol. ii, p. 382.

(1) Manual of Indian Buddhism by Kern, p. 125.

(2) Manual of Buddhism by Spence Hordy, p. 532.

is attributed to him said to have been

copy of Kaccayana's Pali Grammar and to have written a commentary upon it. It is not however mentioned by the great Pali Grammarian and Lexicographer, Moggallana (A. D. 11531186,) nor by the Prakrit grammarians Hem Chandra and others and must apparently be placed amongst the supposititious works of Buddhaghosa (3). A volume of parables in Burmese language (4.) The Burmese Law Code of Manu is also introduced into Burma from Ceylon by Buddhaghosa (5.) But the code itself is silent on this point. All these point to the probabilety of Buddhaghosa's visit to Burma. Prof. Hackmann says; There is ground for doubting the statement that this man brought Buddhism to Burma. The chronicles of Ceylon to which we owe this information about Buddhaghosa and which must have been well-informed on the subject, give no account of his journey to Further India. Indeed one of his most important inscriptions in Burma, which was erected at the end of the fifth century A. D. at the instance of a king of Pegu, who was among the most devoted adherents of Buddhism, and which throws a backward glance over the history of Buddhism in Burma, makes no mention whatever of Buddhaghosa. The Burmese tradition which refers to him does so on account of his translations and writings having become fundamentals in the country, probably also because his intellectual influence may have inaugurated a new epoch in Burmese Buddhism". (6).

We are of opinion that although the chronicles of Ceylon and the inscriptions of the fifth century A. D. erected at Burma are silent on this point, yet his works were well-known to the Burmese and held in high esteem by them from a very early time. Almost all his works, as for example, the Visuddhimagga Atthasalini, Samantapasādikā, etc., were well received by the Burmans from a very early date and were well appreciated by Burmese scholars and by the Burmans generally. Even now Buddhaghosa is so fervently adornd and worshipped by the Burmans that it seems as though he still lives with them.

(3) Indian Antiquary, Vol. XIX,., 1890, April 118.

(4) Ibid, p. 118.

(5)

p. 119.

(6) Buddhism as a religion by H. Hackmann, p. 68.

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