Samantappsdik

The Samanatapasadika is a voluminous commentary on the five books of the

Vinaya-pitaka. It was written by Buddhaghosa at the reuest of the Thera Buddhasiri.
The principal contents of the book are as follows!
"#$ The cause that led to the holding of the Buddhist council% "&$ Selection of
members for the 'ouncil% "($ The 'ouncil cannot be held without Ananda% ")$ *lace
of the 'ouncil% "+$ ,hat Ananda did with 'andhakuti% "-$ .ighteen /ahaviharas% "0$
Building of a nice pandal for the meeting% "1$ 2ecital of the first and last words of the
Buddha% "3$ 'lassification of the Vinaya% Sutta% and the 4bhidhamma% "#5$ 6ow
Vinaya was handed down to the third 'ouncil% "##$ 7ife of /oggali Brahmana% "#&$
4ccount of 4woka% "#($ *reachers sent by 4woka% "#)$ 8iscussions on *itisukha and
9hanas% "#+$ Importance of Va99ibhumi and Va99iputtaka% "#-$ Various kinds of
pregnancy% "#0$ 4ccount of /ahavana atVesali% "#1$ Importance of Bharukaccha as a
port% "#3$ 4ccount of :utagarasala at /ahavana at Vaisali% "&5$ 8iscussions on
kammatthana% sati% samadhi% patisambhida% cita% vibbana% indriya and four
para9ikadhammas% etc.
;nlike other commentaries of this nature% Samantapasadika is free from any
elaborate tangle of similes and metaphors% and is written in an easy language.
Kavkhavitarani
The :avkhvitarani is a masterly commentary on the *atimokkha% a book of the
Vinaya-pitaka and was written by Buddhaghosa in his own initiative some time
between )#5 and )(& 4.8. 4 manuscript of an ancient Sinhalese glossary on this work
is preserved in the <overnment =riental 7ibrary% 'olombo. The work is remarkable
for the restraint and mature 9udgment that characterise Buddhaghosa>s style. ,hile
commenting on the precepts of the *atimokkha% he has incidentally brought in much
new information throwing light on the later development of the monastic life of the
Buddhists.
Vinayavinicchaya and ;ttaravinicchaya
have been edited by the 2ev. 4.*. Buddhadatta of 'eylon% #3&1. and published by the
*ali Te?t Society of 7ondon. The Vinayavinicchaya and ;ttaravinicchaya containing
the summaries of the Vinaya-pitaka These two treatises on the Vinaya seem to have
been composed% after the Samantapsadika% in an abridged form% in verses. The
Vinayavinicchaya contains thirty-one chapters whereas the ;ttaravinicchaya contains
twenty-three chapters. The author of these treatises was a distinguished Thera named
Buddhadatta. 4ccording to the editor of these treatises Buddhadatta and Buddhaghosa
were contemporaries@ but the former was senior to the latter. Buddhadatta came to
'eylon earlier% studied the Sinhalese commentaries and summarised them in *ali.
who was a native of ;ragapur "or modern ;raiyur$ on the banks of the :averi in the
'hola :ingdom of South India. The Vinayavinicchaya was composed while he was
residing in a monastery built by *indidasa in the neighbourhood of Bhutamavgala% a
prosperous town on the banks of the :averi% during the reign of :ing 4cyutavikrama
of the :alamba clan.
The Vinayavinicchaya consists of (#1( verses which are written in simple language
and marked by good diction. The ;ttaravinicchayakatha consists of 3-3 verses. There
are two *ali commentaries of these two treatises. The commentary on the
Vinayavinicchaya is known as the Vinayasaratthadipani and that on the
;ttarayinacchaya as the ;ttaralinatthapakasini supposed to have been written by
Vacissara /ahasami. There is also a Sinhalese commentary on the Vinayavinicchaya
written by :ing *arakramavahu II but this work is now e?tinct.
opens with the *ara9ikakatha in verses and is followed by the Savghadisesakatha%
4niyatakatha% Aissaggiya-*acittiyakatha% *atidesaniyakatha% and the Sekhiyakatha.
Thus the Bhikkhuvibhavga is closed. Then this treatise deals with the
Bhikkhunivibhavga under the following heads! *ara9ikakatha% Savghadisesakatha%
Aissaggiya-*acittiyakatha and *atidesaniyakatha. Then khandhakakatha%
kammakatha% pakinnakatha% and kammatthanakatha are narrated in verses. The
treatise
;nder the /ahavibhavga it treats of the *ara9ikakatha% *atidesaniyakatha and
Sekhiyakatha. ;nder the Bhikkhunivibhavga it deals with *ara9ikakatha
Savghadisesakatha% Aissaggiyakatha% *acittiyakatha% 'atuvipattikatha%
4dhikaraiiappaccayakatha% :handhakapuccha% Apattisamutthanakatha%
.kuttaranaya% 'edamocakagatha% Sadharanasadharanakatha% 7akkhanakatha% and
Sabbasavkalananaya.
:huddakasikkha and /ulasikkha which are the mediaeval compendiums of the
Vinaya have been edited by .. /uller in the B.*.T.S.% #11(. They are mostly in verse%
a few passages being given in prose.
The :huddakasikkha and the /ulasikkha are the two short Vinaya manuals% have
been edited by .. /uller in the B.*.T.S.
#
% #11(. They are written mostly in verse% a few
passages occurring in prose. The author of the :huddakasikkha is Thera 8hammasiri.
Bui in the Burmese history of the pitakas the /ulasikkha is ascribed to 8hammasiri
and the :huddakasikkha% to another person named /ahasami. The authorship of the
:huddakasikkha cannot be reasonably ascribed to any other person than 8hammasiri
in view of the author>s own statement in the following stanCa!
Tena 8hammasirikena Tambapanniyaketunatherena racita
8hammavinayabbupasamsita.D
It is difficult to say anything about the date of these works. The language is more
modern than that of the /ahavamsa. It deals with the four para9ikas% monk>s
garments% pavaran festival% alms-bowl% pacitti% kamma% kayabandhana% reuisites of
a monk% instructions% uposatha ceremony% suddhi% etc. Both manuals are intended for
novices and have been arranged according to practical purposes.
#
Bournal of the *ali Te?t Society%
If we are to give credence to the Burmese tradition% there is no other alternative than
regarding the /ulasikkha as a work not of 8hammasiri but of /ahasami. It is also
difficult to accept the Burmese tradition according to which the two manuals were
written about 3&5 years after the demise of the Buddha. Budged by the language and
general style of the two manuals% these would seem to be literary productions of a
much later age. ,e have already given an idea of their contents "ante p. 03$. =nly one
important point which remains to be noticed is the significance of the /ulasikkha
used as a title of one of the two manuals. It is suggested in the opening stanCa of the
/ulasikkha that the title has no other significance than this% that the manual presents
the necessary lessons on the Vinaya rules and discipline in the language of the original
te?ts% that is to say% in pali which is the language of the pitakas!
Bhikkhuna navakenado mulabhasaya sikkhitum yannimittam pavesanto bhikkhu
maggattaye cuto.D
4ccording to Indian tradition% a commentary means reading new meanings back into
old te?ts according to one>s own education and outlook. It e?plains the words and
9udgments of others as accurately and faithfully as possible@ and this remark applies to
all commentaries% Sanskrit as well as *ali.
The need for an accurate interpretation of the Buddha>s words which formed the
guiding principle of life and action of the members of the Sathgha% was felt from the
very first% even during the life time of the /aster. There was at that time the
advantage of referring a disputed uestion for solution to the /aster himself% and
therein we can trace the first stage in the origin of the Buddhistic comments. The
Buddhist andBaina te?ts