Pali literature is concerned mainly with
TheravadaBuddhism, of which
Pali is the traditional language. The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the
Pāli Canon, the authoritative scriptures of
Theravada school.
The Pali language is a composite language which draws on various
Middle Indo-Aryan languages.[1]
Much of the extant Pali literature is from Sri Lanka, which became the headquarters of Theravada for centuries. Most extant Pali literature was written and composed there, though some was also produced in outposts in
South India.[2] Most of the oldest collection of Pali Literature, the
Pali Canon, was committed to writing in Sri Lanka at about the first century BCE (though it contains material that is much older, possibly dating to the period of
pre-sectarian Buddhism).[3][4][5]
At around the start of the
common era, some of the earliest Pali commentaries and exegetical manuals (which are now sometimes included within the Pali Canon itself) were written, mainly the
Suttavibhanga, Niddesa,
Nettipakarana and
Petakopadesa.[6] Other works like the Cariyapitaka, the Buddhavamsa and the Apadana may also belong to this post-
Asokan period.[7]
During the first millennium, Pali literature consisted of two major genres: histories (vamsa) and commentaries (atthakatha). The histories include the Dipavamsa and the
Mahavamsa, which are verse chronicles of Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka.[7]
The commentarial works include the writings of
Buddhaghosa (4th or 5th century CE), who wrote the influential Visuddhimagga along with various commentaries on the Pali Canon. Several other commentators worked after Buddhaghosa, such as
Buddhadatta (c. fifth century), Ananda (sixth century),
Dhammapala (at some point before the 12th century) and other anonymous commentators which we do not know by name.[7]
The reform period between the 10th to 13th centuries saw an explosion of new Pali literature.[2] Part of the impulse behind these literary efforts was the fear that warfare on the island could lead to the decline of Buddhism.[8] This literature includes the work of prominent scholars such as Anuruddha, Sumangala, Siddhattha,
Sāriputta Thera,
Mahākassapa of
Dimbulagala and Moggallana Thera.[9][10]
They worked on compiling
subcommentaries to the Tipitaka, grammars, summaries and textbooks on Abhidhamma and Vinaya such as the influential Abhidhammattha-sangaha of Anuruddha. They also wrote
kavya style Pali poetry and philological works. Their work owed much to the influence of
Sanskrit grammar and poetics, particularly as interpreted by the Sri Lankan scholar Ratnamati. During this period, these new Pali doctrinal works also show an increasing awareness of topics found in Sanskrit Buddhist Mahayana literature.[11]
From the 15th century onwards, Pali literature has been dominated by
Burma, though some has also been written in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, as well as Ceylon. [citation needed] This Burmese literature has in turn been dominated by writings directly or indirectly concerned with the
Abhidhamma Pitaka,[citation needed] the part of the Canon variously described as philosophy,
psychology, metaphysics etc.
The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the
Pali Tipitaka, the main scripture collection of the
Theravada school. These are of Indian origin, and were written down during the reign of
Vattagamani Abhaya (29—17 B.C.) in
Sri Lanka.[12]
The Tipitaka ("Triple Basket"), also known as Pali Canon, is divided into three "baskets" (Pali: piṭaka):[13]
Abhidhamma Piṭaka (Basket of
Abhidhamma, i.e. Philosophical Psychology). According to
K.R. Norman, "It is clear that the Abhidhamma is later than the rest of the canon."[14]
These are early works written after the closure of the canon. The first four of these texts are present in the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Burmese
Tipitaka but not in the Thai or Sri Lankan. They are also not mentioned by
Buddhaghosa as being part of the canon.[15]
Suttasaṃgaha - A collection of important suttas from the Tipitaka
Nettipakarana - "The Book of Guidance", a work on exegesis and hermeneutics
Petakopadesa - "Instruction on the Pitaka", another text on exegesis and hermeneutics
Vimuttimagga - A short practice manual by Upatissa (possibly 1st century CE), the Pali text is now lost, and only the Chinese translation survives.
Pali texts composed in Sri Lanka
Commentaries
A collection of Pali Commentaries (Atthakatha) were written in Sri Lanka by various (some anonymous) authors, such as
Buddhagosa,
Dhammapala, Mahanama, Upasena, and
Buddhadatta. Buddhagosa writes that he based his commentaries on older works which were brought to Sri Lanka when Buddhism first arrived there, and were translated into Sinhalese. K.R. Norman has written that there is evidence that some parts of the commentaries are very old.[16]
Sub-commentaries
Sub-commentarial works called
Tikas are secondary commentaries, that is to say, commentaries on the Atthakathas. Dhammapala is one early author of tikas. He is particularly known for his Paramatthamañjusa, a sub-commentary on the Visuddhimagga.[17]
Doctrinal Manuals, Summaries and Treatises
Visuddhimagga -
Buddhaghosa, A very influential compendium of Buddhist doctrine and practice by Buddhagosa (5th century).
Abhidhammavatara -
Buddhadatta, The earliest effort at an introductory manual which summarizes the doctrines in the Abhidhamma (5th century)
Amatākaravaṇṇanā (c. 18th century) - According to Kate Crosby, this is one of the most extensive manuals of Esoteric Theravada meditation and was compiled by
Kandyan Sinhalese students of Thai esoteric meditation masters.[19]
Kaccāyana-vyākarana, Date is unknown but after Buddhaghosa. It's the earliest and most influential grammar of Pali.
Nyasa, or Mukhamattadipani by Vimalabuddhi (11th century), a commentary on Kaccayana's Grammar.
Suttaniddesa or Nyasapradipa by Chapata or Saddhammajoti-pala
Kaccayana-sara, ab abridgement of Kaccayana's Grammar written by Dhammananda
Rupasiddhi, a re-arrangement of Kaccāyana-vyākarana
Balavatara, a re-arrangement of Kaccāyana-vyākarana
Moggallayana-vyakarana a.k.a. Saddalakkhana, and the auto-commentary Moggallayanapañcika is a new Pali grammar by Moggallana who created a new school of grammar c. 12th century.
Dhammasattha - A Southeast Asian genre of Buddhist law
Dhammaniti, Lokaniti, Maharahaniti, and Rajaniti, collections of aphorisms of worldly wisdom (niti).[31]
Saddanīti, by
Aggavaṃsa of Arimaddana, an influential Pali grammar; Burma (c. 1154 CE). K.R. Norman calls it "the greatest of extant Pali grammars." It draws on Kaccayana and
Panini.[32]
Buddhaghosuppatti - Mahāmaṅgala, Story of Buddhagosa (Burma, 15th century)
Hammalawa Saddhatissa, Pali literature of South-East Asia, Colombo, Buddhist Cultural Centre, Dehiwala, 2004(see
https://www.buddhistcc.com/)
References
^Norman, Kenneth Roy (1983). Pali Literature. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. pp. 2–3.
ISBN3-447-02285-X.
^
abGornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 3-4. UCL Press.
^Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, Cambridge University Press, 1990, p. 3.
^Tse-Fu Kuan. Mindfulness in similes in Early Buddhist literature in Edo Shonin, William Van Gordon,
Nirbhay N. Singh. Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness, page 267.
^Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, p. 38. UCL Press.
^Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 38-39. UCL Press.
^
abcGornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 39-41. UCL Press.
^Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 5-6. UCL Press.
^Perera, HR; Buddhism in Sri Lanka A Short History, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, page
^Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 14-16. UCL Press.
^Gornall, Alastair (2020). Rewriting Buddhism: Pali Literature and Monastic Reform in Sri Lanka, 1157–1270, pp. 29-30, 37. UCL Press.