The sub-commentaries (
Pali: ṭīkā) are primarily commentaries on the
commentaries (Pali: aṭṭhakathā) on the
Pali Canon of
Theravada Buddhism, written in
Sri Lanka.[1] This literature continues the commentaries' development of the traditional interpretation of the scriptures. (Note that some commentaries are apparently also named with the term ṭīkā.[citation needed]) These sub-commentaries were begun during the reign of
Parākramabāhu I (1123–1186) under prominent Sri Lankan scholars such as Sāriputta Thera, Mahākassapa Thera of Dimbulagala Vihāra and Moggallāna Thera.[2]
Burmese collection
The official Burmese collected edition contains the following texts:[3]
Nettivibhavini by a 16th-century
Burmese author whose name is given in different manuscripts as
Saddhamma-, Samanta- or Sambandha-pala; this is not a new tika on the Netti commentary, but a new commentary on the Netti itself
There are other tikas without this official recognition, some printed, some surviving in manuscript, some apparently lost. The name tika is also applied to commentaries on all non-canonical works, such as the Mahāvaṃsa. There are also some sub-commentaries in vernacular languages.
Extracts from some of these works have been translated, usually along with translations of commentaries.
References
^Griffiths, Paul J. (1994). On Being Buddha: The Classical Doctrine of Buddhahood.
SUNY Press. pp. 33–34.
ISBN9780791421277.
^Perera, HR; Buddhism in Sri Lanka A Short History, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, page