Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar Buddhaghosa …

Years: 430 - 430

Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar Buddhaghosa (Pali: Voice of the Buddha) translates extensive Sinhala commentaries on the Pāli Buddhist texts in Pāli.

Scholars do not agree about Buddhaghosa's birthplace, but it is known that he traveled to Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, where he discovered many Sinhalese Buddhist commentaries; these he translated into Pali and communicated to his countrymen.

Certain commentaries are also attributed to him, including one on the Vinaya and one on the Dhammapada that includes 305 stories for context.

His Visuddhimagga (Pali: Path of Purification), a comprehensive manual of Theravada Buddhism, is divided into sections on Sila (ethics), Samadhi (meditation), and Prajna (wisdom).

This is a traditional division in Buddhist teachings, which suggest that ethics are essential to meditation, and that meditation is essential to developing wisdom.

From the Buddhist point of view this is the "path of purification" because it purifies the mind of the defilements of greed, hatred, and delusion.

Written approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka, it is considered the most important Theravada text outside of the Tipitaka canon of scriptures (it is still read and studied today).

The Visuddhimagga is based on the Rathavinitasutta, which describes the progression from the purity of discipline to the nibbana, comprising seven steps.

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