Pali literature


Pali literature is concerned mainly with Theravada Buddhism, of which Pali is the traditional language. The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pāli Canon, the scriptures of Theravada school.

History

Sri Lanka became the headquarters of Theravada for centuries, and most Pali literature in this period was written there, though some was also produced in outposts in south India. After a gap following the completion of the canon in which little or no Pali literature was produced, it restarted with the Dipavamsa, a verse chronicle of Buddhism in India and Ceylon, followed by a similar, but longer, work, the Mahavamsa. An important text is Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga, which came to be regarded as the standard summary of the traditional interpretation of the scriptures, in the 4th or 5th century. Buddhaghosa also compiled commentaries on much of the Canon, work continued by his successors, who also produced subcommentaries on many commentaries, and sometimes even sub-subcommentaries. There were also handbooks summarizing some aspects of the teachings, and other literature, all or nearly all concerned with Buddhism, at least ostensibly. From the early 13th century the writing of Pali literature in Sri Lanka went into a steep decline, though it never ceased entirely. Instead, Buddhist literature was written in Sinhalese.
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. This Burmese literature has in turn been dominated by writings directly or indirectly concerned with the Abhidhamma Pitaka, the part of the Canon variously described as philosophy, psychology, metaphysics etc.

Categories of Pali Literature

Theravada Canon

The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pāli Canon, the scriptures of Theravada school. These are mainly of Indian origin, and were written down during the Fourth Buddhist Council in Sri Lanka in 29 BCE, approximately four hundred and fifty four years after the death of the Buddha.
The Pāli Canon is divided into three pitakas. The three pitakas are:
  1. Vinaya Pitaka, dealing with monastic rules
  2. Sutta Pitaka, discourses, mostly ascribed to the Buddha, but some to disciples
  3. Abhidhamma Pitaka, Various later philosophical and psychological works.

    Paracanonical Texts

These texts are present in the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Burmese Tipitaka but not in the Thai or Sri Lankan.
  1. Nettipakarana and Petakopadesa - "The Book of Guidance" and "Instruction on the Pitaka". These are handbooks on the interpretation of the Theravada canon.
  2. Milindapañha - The Questions of King Milinda. A dialogue between a monk and an Indo-Greek king.
  3. Suttasamgaha - A selection of texts from the Tripitaka.

    Commentarial literature

  4. Atthakatha - Commentarial works by Buddhagosa, Dhammapala, Mahanama, Buddhadatta & others
  5. Tika - Sub-commentarial works

    Historical chronicles

  6. Dipavamsa - "The Island Chronicle"
  7. Mahavamsa - Mahanama; "The Great Chronicle"
  8. Culavamsa - "The Lesser Chronicle"
  9. Vamsatthappakasini - Commentary of the Mahavamsa
  10. Mahabodhivamsa - Upatissa, Account of the bodhi tree of Anuradhapura
  11. Thupavamsa - Vacissara, A chronicle of the Great Stupa in Anuradhapura
  12. Dathavamsa - Dhammakitti, A poem on the sacred Relic of the tooth of the Buddha
  13. Samantakutavannana - Vedehathera, A poem in 796 stanzas on the Buddha's life and his visits to Sri Lanka.
  14. Hatthavanagalla-viharavamsa - Life story of the Buddhist king Sirisanghabodhi of Anuradhapura
  15. Saddhamma-sangaha - Dhammakitti Mahasami, Literary and ecclesiastical history of Buddhism
  16. Cha-kesadhatuvamsa - A history of the six stupas that enshrine the hair relics of the Buddha.
  17. Gandhavamsa - Catalog of ancient Buddhist commentators
  18. Sāsanavaṃsa - Paññasamin, A Burmese history of Buddhism

    Biographies

  19. Jinalankara - Buddharakkhita, 278 verse poem on the life of the Buddha
  20. Anagata-vamsa - Mahakassapa of Cola, Story of Maitreya, the next Buddha
  21. Jinacarita - Medhankara, 472 verse poem on the life of the Buddha
  22. Pajjamadhu - Buddhapiya Dipankara, poem on the beauty of the Buddha
  23. Jinakalamali - Ratanapañña, Account of the life of the Buddha
  24. Braḥ Māleyyadevattheravatthuṃ - SE Asian narrative of the travels of the monk Māleyyadev
  25. Buddhaghosuppatti - Mahāmaṅgala, Story of Buddhagosa
  26. Jinavamsadipani - Moratuve Medhananda Thera, An epic poem on the life of the Buddha & his teachings in 2000 verses
  27. Mahakassapacarita - Widurapola Piyatissa, 1500 verse poem on the life of Mahakasyapa

    [Abhidhamma] manuals and treatises

  28. Abhidhammavatara - Buddhadatta, "The earliest effort at systematizing, in the form of a manual, the doctrines dealt with in the Abhidhamma"
  29. Ruparupa-vibhaga - Buddhadatta - A "short manual on Abhidhamma"
  30. Saccasankhepa - Culla-Dhammapala, "Elements of Truth", A "short treatise on Abhidhamma"
  31. Abhidhammattha-sangaha - Acariya Anuruddha, A summary of the Abhidhamma, widely used as an introductory text. Modern English translation available by Bhikkhu Bodhi
  32. Namarupa-pariccheda - Acariya Anuruddha, A verse introduction to the Abhidhamma
  33. Paramattha-vinicchaya - Acariya Anuruddha
  34. Khemappakarana - Khema, A "short manual on the Abhidhamma"
  35. Mohavicchedani - Mahakassapa of Cola, A guide to the matikas of the seven books of the Abhidhamma
  36. Nāmacāradīpikā - Chappata,

    Miscellaneous

  37. Vimuttimagga - A short practice manual by Upatissa
  38. Visuddhimagga - Buddhaghosa, A very influential meditation manual
  39. Vinayavinicchaya - Buddhadatta, A verse summary of the first four books of the Vinaya
  40. Uttaravinicchaya - Buddhadatta, A verse summary of the Parivara, the final book of the Vinaya
  41. Paramatthamañjusa - Dhammapala, Commentary on the Visuddhimagga
  42. Khuddasikkha and Mulasikkha - Short summaries on monastic discipline.
  43. Saddanīti - Aggavaṃsa of Arimaddana, An influential Pali grammar text; Burma, AD 1154
  44. Upasaka-janalankara - Sihala Acariya Ananda Mahathera, A manual on the Buddha's teachings for laymen
  45. Sarasangaha - Siddhattha, A "manual of Dhamma" in prose and verse
  46. Sandesakatha and Sima-vivada-vinichaya-katha
  47. Pañcagatidipana - A poem that describes the five forms of rebirth
  48. Saddhammopayana - 629 short verses in praise of the Dhamma
  49. Telakaṭāhagāthā - "The Oil-Cauldron Verses.", Collection of Sri Lankan poems from a monk thrown into boiling oil
  50. Cakkavaladipani - Sirimangala, A text on Buddhist cosmology
  51. Dasabodhisattuppattikatha - Birth Stories of the Ten Bodhisattas
  52. Bhesajjamanjusa - Medical text, Sri Lanka
  53. Yogāvacara's manual - Sri Lankan meditation manual
  54. The progress of insight - Mahasi Sayadaw, originally in Burmese, translated to Pali
  55. Dhammasattha - A Southeast Asian genre of Buddhist law