Path of Freedom [Vimuttimagga]

IntroductionAnd this, too, the Mahavihara Theras would have known. But in thusstressing his ability, the Culavamsa account seems to make out that the visuddhimaggawas written without recourse to other works. There is a discrepancyin this account of the Culavamsa. It will be noted that 'the three Pitakastogether with Commentary' were handed over to the Venerable BuddhaghosaThera by the Mahasangha only after he had written the Visuddhimagga, whichis correctly designated the General Commentary to the three Pitakas. Now,if he had access to the three Pitakas, and the Commentary only after he hadwritten this General Commentary to the three Pitakas, how did he do it?This is difficult to comprehend. Here is where the article of Prof. Dr. Nagaiappears to fit in.Bearing No. 1293 in Prof. Nanjio's Catalogue is a work in Chinese calledCie-to-tdo-lun. It is also called Gedatsu Do Ron. Prof. Nanjio has renderedthe title of this work in Sanskrit as ' Vimoksa-Marga', the author being ArahantUpatissa. In trying to identify him with a Ceylon Thera, Prof. Nagai adducesthe following reasons:1. It cannot be the Venerable Sariputta Thera, who was also calledUpatissa, because he is often quoted in the Venerable Upatissa Thera's text.2. In the Samantapdsddikd (I, p. 263), it is said that there were two elders,named Upatissa Thera and Phussadeva Thera, pupils of the same teacherwho was proficient in the Vinaya. Upatissa Thera was superior to the other;and he had two pupils named Mahapaduma Thera and Mahasumana Thera.The latter learned the Vinaya Pitaka nine times from his teacher, while MahapadumaThera learned it eighteen times and was, therefore, the superior.When the former left his teacher to live elsewhere Mahapaduma Thera remainedwith his teacher saying that as long as one's teacher was alive one should bewith him and learn the Vinaya and the Commentaries many times more. Theteacher, the Venerable Upatissa Thera, and his pupil the Venerable MahapadumaThera, recited the Vinaya in this manner for many years more. Duringthis period they expounded the Vinaya and on one occasion the VenerableUpatissa Thera, at the request of the Mahasangha in assembly, pronounceda ruling on a question that arose regarding the first Pdrdjika.3. A teacher such as the Venerable Upatissa Thera was the most appropriateperson to be the author of a work of such importance as the Vimuttimagga.Then he goes on to mention the account of the gift of King Vasabha's queento the Venerable Mahapaduma Thera who accepted it as his teacher's share.4. To show that the Venerable Buddhaghosa Thera was aware of theexistence of the Vimuttimagga, Prof. Nagai refers to the comments of the VenerableBuddhaghosa Thera regarding the "fourteen cariya's" of theVimuttimagga.It is quite probable that the Venerable Buddhaghosa Thera had the Vimuttimaggain mind when he made this comment; for there is the definite statementof the Venerable Dhammapala Thera in his commentary to the Visuddhimagga{Paramatthamahjusd, Venerable Morontuduve Dhammananda Nayake Thera'sSinhalese ed. p. 103) which says: Ekacce ti Upatissattheram sandhdydha. Tenahi Vimuttimagge tathd vuttam,—" 'Some' is said with reference to the VenerableUpatissa Thera. It is said thus by him in the Vimuttimagga". From the foregoingit is clear that the Venerable Buddhaghosa Thera had the Vimuttimaggaof Venerable Upatissa Thera before him when he wrote the Visuddhimagga.XXXVI