Sub-commentaries (TheravÄda)


The sub-commentaries are primarily commentaries on the commentaries on the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, written in Sri Lanka. This literature continues the commentaries' development of the traditional interpretation of the scriptures. These sub-commentaries were begun during the reign of ParÄkramabÄhu I under prominent Sri Lankan scholars such as SÄriputta Thera, MahÄkassapa Thera of Dimbulagala VihÄra and MoggallÄna Thera.

Burmese collection

The official Burmese collected edition contains the following texts:
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 MahÄvaṃsa. There are also some sub-commentaries in vernacular languages.
Extracts from some of these works have been translated, usually along with translations of commentaries.