ON THE LIFE OF BUDDHAGHOSA The accepted account of the life of Buddhaghosa is in the Mahavarjsa,1 chap. Xxxvii, verses 215-246, of which the following is a summary: Born near the Bodhi tree (near Gaya), a young Brahmin controversialist, well versed in all branches of the arts, in the Vedas, & in the doctrines of variouns scets, wandered about India for the purpose of debate. As he arrived one night at a Buddhist, & had given a clear exposition of the doctrine of Patanjali, his arguments were refuted by a mahathera named Revata. On the other hand, the young Brahmin was unable to follow the Buddhist’s arguments, & finally asked for instr- uction. He entered the novitiate,learning and accepting the threepitakas. The name Buddhaghosawasgoven to him because his voice was deep like the bhudda’s. In the vihara where he wasconvreted,he composed a treatise called Nanodaya; wrote the Attasalini, commentary upon the Dhammasangani; and finnaly undretook a short commentary on the Tipitaka.Whereupon the Thera Revata spoke: ‘Only the texts, not the commentaries, have been brought here[from ceylon]; the tradition of the various teacher are not available.However,in ceylon,the authorative and quite orthodox commentaries compiled by Mahindra are extantin the singhalese. Go there, study them, translate them into the Magadhi language.They will benefit all.’ So Buddhaghosa arrived in ceylon in the region of King Mahamana. In the Mahapadhana hall of the Teravada tradition from Sanghapala. It seemed to him the doctrine of the bhudda. But when he demanded access to all the books,in order gave him two stanza as a test. Upon these he wrote the Visuddhimagga, an epitome of the three pitakas with comentaries.At the first reading of this work,the gods hid the gods hid the books away,and reapeated the performance after he had done the work,the gods hid the book away,and reapeted the performance after he had done the work again. The third time,the deities produce the former copies to show the people his skill.And there was found after compairing, in meaning, in sequence, nor even in the very letters. He was immediately acclaimed by the Other as a veritable Metteyya Bodhisattva, & the atthakath-as were given to him. Living in that pure vihara, rich in all such books, he translated them from Sin-ghalese into the ‘original language,’ Magadhi. This work benefited people of all languges; all the teachers of the Theeravada honored it as asacred text. (MOTILAL. BANARSIDASS)