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Present Text
The Dīgha Nikāya is an important collection from the perspective of meditation practice. It contains thirty-four important long discourses of the Buddha, divided into three sections—the Sīlakkhandhavagga, Mahāvagga and Pāthikavagga. In these discourses a lot of material related to sila, samādhi and pañña is available. Various aspects of practice have been elucidated by means of similes drawn from familiar objects and the everyday life of the times.
The Buddha's tcachings were simple and endearing. His distinctive style was self-explanatory but, still, in order to make the Dhamma all the more lucid, he introduced the use of athakathā (commentaries), such as the Caļaniddesa and the Mahāniddesa. These were recited, along with the discourses of the Buddha, at the first Dhamma Council. In time the other atthakathā commenting on all his discourses came into being.
When Ven. Mahinda conveyed the words of the Buddha to Sri Lanka he also took the atthakathā with him. The Sinhalese monks preserved these atthakathā in their own language. Later on, when they had been lost in India, Ven. Buddhaghosa was able to translate them back to Pāli, during the middle of the fifth century A.D. He then compiled the commentary on the Digha Nikāya named Sumangalavilāsini in three volumes to help clarify its meaning.
We sincerely hope that this publication, Mahāvagga-Aythakathā will provide immense benefit to practitioners of Vipassana as well as research scholars.
Director, Vipassana Research Institute,
Igatpuri, India.
17
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