ව ස ද ධ මග ග is a written by බ ද ධග ෂ හ ම approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka It is considered the most important Thera

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විසුද්ධිමග්ග is a written by බුද්ධගෝෂ හිමි approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka. It is considered the most important Theravada text outside of the canon of scriptures. The Visuddhimagga's structure is based on the Ratha-vinita Sutta ("Relay Chariots Discourse," 24), which describes the progression from the purity of discipline to the , considering seven steps.

Summary

It is composed of four parts, which discuss: 1) (discipline); 2) (meditative concentration); 3) The land of wisdom; and 4) (wisdom).

The first part explains the rules of discipline, and the method for finding a correct temple to practice, or how to meet a .
The second part describes 's practice, object by object (see for the list of the forty traditional objects). It mentions different stages of concentration.
The third part is a precious description of the five (aggregates), , the and the dependent origination (see: ). This part shows a great analytical effort specific to Buddhist philosophy.
The fourth part describes the practice of through the development of wisdom. It emphasizes different forms of knowledge emerging because of the practice.

Seven steps

This comparison between practice and "seven relay chariots" points at the goal. Each purity is needed to attain the next.

Purity in terms of virtue
Purity in terms of mind (that is, concentration)
Purity in terms of view
Purity in terms of the overcoming of perplexity
Purity in terms of knowledge and vision of what is and what is not the path
Purity in terms of knowledge and vision of the way
Purity in terms of knowledge and vision
Unbinding through lack of clinging

Notes

See, for instance, Upatissa et al. (1995), p. xliii: "The Visuddhimagga is a household word in all Theravāda lands. No scholar of Buddhism whether of Theravāda or of Mahāyāna is unacquainted with it."
See Thanissaro (1999) for a translation of the Ratha-vinita Sutta. See the various Visuddhimagga printings listed below to see the manner in which this sutta is explicitly integrated into the work.

References

Printed Pali editions

Hewavitarne Bequest edition, Colombo, Sri Lanka ( script)
Hanthawaddy Press edition, Rangoon, Myanmar ( script)
Royal Siamese edition, Bangkok, Thailand ( script)
edition, London, England ()
Harvard University Press edition, Harvard Oriental Studies, Vol. 41, Cambridge, Mass., 1950 (Roman script)

English translations

The Path of Purity, Pe Maung (trans.), Pali Text Society, London, 3 vols., 1922-31
Bhadantacariya Buddhaghosa, Bhikkhu Nanamoli (trans.), The Path of Purification, BPS-Pariyatti Editions, Onalaska, WA (Buddhist Publication Society), 1999. .
Buddhist Meditation, Edward Conze (trans.), NB: Partial translation, 2002,

Other translations

der Weg zur Reinheit, Nyanatiloka & Verlag Christiani (trans.), Konstanz, 1952 (German)
Sinhala Visuddhimargaya, Pandita Matara Sri Dharmavamsa Sthavira, Matara, Sri Lanka, 1953 (Sinhalese)
Le chemin de la pureté, Christian Maës, Fayard 2002 (Français)

Other references

(trans.) (1999). Ratha-vinita Sutta: Relay Chariots ( 24). Available at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/majjhima/mn024-tb0.html 2005-04-05 at the Wayback Machine.
Upatissa, Arahant and N.R.M. Ehara (trans.), Soma Thera (trans.) and Kheminda Thera (trans.) (1995). The Path of Freedom (Vimuttimagga). Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. .

External links

The Path of Purification, Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Nanamoli 2009-05-05 at the Wayback Machine - first 90 pages.

[1] See, for instance, Upatissa et al. (1995), p. xliii: "The Visuddhimagga is a household word in all Theravāda lands. No scholar of Buddhism whether of Theravāda or of Mahāyāna is unacquainted with it."

[2] See Thanissaro (1999) for a translation of the Ratha-vinita Sutta. See the various Visuddhimagga printings listed below to see the manner in which this sutta is explicitly integrated into the work.