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knowing the special power of knowledge of Acariya Buddhaghosa Thera, who was capable of doing so, and his possession of the qualities mentioned, requested him. The making of the Visuddhimagga Among those, Acariya Buddhaghosa, being requested by Saṅghapāla Thera, residing in the chief house in the southern part of the Mahavihara, in the palace of the great merchant's lord [Pari. Aṭṭha. Nigamanakathā], made the Visuddhimagga. Thus far, the meaning of these questions: "By whom was this Visuddhimagga made? When was it made? Where was it made? Why was it made?" has been explained in detail. Now we will explain the meaning of questions such as "For what purpose was it made?" There, the meaning of the question "For what purpose was it made?" was explained by the Acariya himself. How? "Having obtained the ordination, so difficult to obtain, in the Dispensation of the Conqueror; the safe and straight path to purity, comprising virtue and so forth. Those who, though desiring purity here, do not know it as it really is; even striving yogis do not attain purity. For their delight, a very pure determination; For those dwelling in the Great Monastery, relying on the method of teaching. I shall expound the Path of Purification, as I carefully expound it; all who desire purity, please listen well, good people. Therefore, this Path of Purification for good people who desire Nibbāna, which is called purity, for the sake of truly knowing the Path of Purification, which consists of morality, concentration, and wisdom, is to be understood as made for this primary purpose. But as a secondary purpose, in the four Āgama commentaries, it is to be understood as made also for the sake of making the text easy. For thus it is said in the Āgama commentaries – "The Path of Purification, in the middle, of these four Āgamas, standing, it will illuminate the meaning as spoken therein; thus it was made by me." Its reliance. Relying on what was it made? The meaning of this question too has been explained by the teacher himself. For it is said here at the beginning of the text – "For those dwelling in the Great Monastery, relying on the method of teaching." Likewise at the conclusion – "Of those meanings, differentiated by morality and so forth, the determination of which, of all five Nikāyas, was spoken in the commentary tradition. Having gathered all that, mostly with its determination, from all faults of confusion, it is expounded, being free." But by this statement this meaning becomes clear – "The teacher, making the Path of Purification, relying on the ancient commentaries of the five Nikāyas, which are called the teaching method of the Mahāvihāra residents, having gathered all the determinations to be taken from what was said in them, made it." Therefore, whatever word explanation here, or determination, or supporting instance is shown, all that, being a commentary on the Pāli words of those specific Nikāyas, having been brought from the ancient Sinhala commentaries, is to be understood as shown merely by way of language translation. For this Path of Purification too was not made merely by the power of one's own knowledge, nor as a separate treatise, but rather was made as a part of the commentaries on the Agamas. For it is said in the conclusion of those commentaries: "Fifty-nine, the Visuddhimagga too, in recitations; for the purpose of explaining the meaning, since it was made for the Agamas. Therefore, together with that, this commentary, in the counting of recitation sections; is precisely measured and delimited, one hundred and forty," and so on. And the two narratives mentioned in the Visuddhimagga, in the section on the purification of knowledge and vision of the path and not-path, "This is the method in the purification narrative. But in the narrative of the noble lineage," and so on, should be understood as being included within the teaching method of the Mahavihara dwellers, and as supporting this Visuddhimagga. The Method of its Composition As to how it was made, it was made in the manner stated in the immediately preceding question. Thus, the teacher, from the Samyutta Nikaya, "A person endowed with wisdom, established in virtue, developing mind and wisdom; a strenuous, skillful bhikkhu, he disentangles this tangle," first showed this verse, and then, having divided the virtue, concentration, and wisdom, which are primarily mentioned therein, into their respective detailed explanations, he composed it. And in doing so, he extracted suttas and passages related to virtue, concentration, and wisdom from all five Nikayas, and by translating their meaning from the Sinhala commentaries, he presented them, and also elucidated the Sinhala stories and decisions mentioned in them. Especially, at that time, many views contrary to his own school and other schools, which were prevalent, were shown in many places and refuted with reasons. How? For instance, in the description of temperaments, "Some say that the first three temperaments are due to past practice and due to elemental imbalance. It is said that in the past, one who was abundant in desirable practices and wholesome deeds becomes of a lustful temperament, or having fallen from heaven, is reborn here. One who was abundant in cutting, killing, binding, and hostile deeds in the past becomes of a hateful temperament, or having fallen from hell or the animal realm, is reborn here. One who was abundant in drinking intoxicants, questioning what was heard, He is ignoble and of deluded conduct, or having passed away from the animal realm, he has arisen here." Thus they speak of the cause being past actions. But due to the predominance of two elements, a person is of deluded conduct: the earth element and the water element. Due to the predominance of the other two, he is of hateful conduct. But due to the equality of all, he is of lustful conduct. And among the humors, one with excess phlegm is of lustful conduct. One with excess wind is of deluded conduct. Or one with excess phlegm is of deluded conduct. One with excess wind is of lustful conduct. Thus they speak of the cause being elements and humors." Having shown this one particular view, he (Buddhaghosa) said: "There, because even those who previously performed many desirable and wholesome deeds, and having passed away from heaven, have arisen here, are not all of lustful conduct, nor are the others of hateful or deluded conduct. And in this way, there is no such rule for the predominance of elements in the manner stated. And in the rule of humors, only the pair of lust and delusion is mentioned, and even that is contradictory, earlier and later. Therefore, all of this is an unestablished statement," thus it was rejected (in Visuddhimagga 1.44). This is explained in the Visuddhimagga Mahāṭīkā, called Paramatthamañjūsā, with "by 'some' he refers to Thera Upatissa, for it is stated thus in the Vimuttimagga," and so on (Visuddhimagga Ṭīkā 1.44). The Treatise on the Path to Deliverance What is this called the Path to Deliverance? It is a treatise on practice, like the Visuddhimagga, which explains morality, concentration, and wisdom, dividing them separately. For there it is said: "Morality, concentration, and wisdom, and unsurpassed liberation; These are the qualities realized, by Gotama, the glorious one." Having first shown this verse, morality, concentration, wisdom, and liberation are explained, dividing them separately, by way of elaborating its meaning. But that treatise is now found only in China, and was translated into the Chinese language by a bhikkhu named Saṅghapāla. By whom and from where it was brought there is not clear. But the teacher of that Saṅghapāla was a Mahāyāna bhikkhu named Guṇabhadra, a native of Central India, he (Guṇabhadra) was from India Going from the country to China, first he went to Sri Lanka, and from there he went to China. Then he might have brought it. In that Vimuttimagga, the exposition of the cause of past practice and the exposition of the cause of elements are presented in the same way as in the Visuddhimagga, as a single doctrine. But in the exposition of the cause of faults, it is stated: "One with excess phlegm has a lustful temperament, one with excess bile has a hateful temperament, one with excess wind has a deluded temperament. Or, one with excess phlegm has a deluded temperament, one with excess wind has a lustful temperament." Thus, the determination of faults for all three—lust, hatred, and delusion—is stated. However, in the Vimuttimagga text seen by Acariya Buddhaghosa, the reading "one with excess bile has a hateful temperament" might have been missing. Many other things rejected in the Visuddhimagga are seen as acceptable in the Vimuttimagga. How so? In the section on Morality (p. 8, vol. 1), the meaning rejected as "others interpret the meaning here in ways such as 'siraṭṭho is sīlattho,' 'sītalattho is sīlattho'" is seen as acceptable there. Similarly, in the section on Austerities (p. 78, vol. 1), the conceptual austerity, which was rejected as "for those for whom austerity is separate from the wholesome triad, there is no austerity in reality; from the shaking off of what non-existent thing will there be austerity? And for them, there arises a contradiction with the statement 'one practices by undertaking the austere qualities,' therefore, it should not be accepted," is also seen there. However, in the Mahāṭīkā (1-104), it is explained as " 'for those' refers to the Abhayagiri dwellers, for they say that austerity is a concept." Similarly, in the section on Earth Kasina (p. 144, vol. 1), the single doctrine rejected as "some explain thus: 'purity of practice' is proximate concentration, 'cultivation of equanimity' is absorption, 'gladdening' is review" is also seen there. However, in the Mahāṭīkā (1, 172), it is explained as " 'some' refers to the Abhayagiri dwellers." Similarly, in the section on Aggregates (p. 80, vol. 2),