Buddhaghosa

BuddhaghosaBuddhaghosa offering the Visuddhimagga to the chief monk, wall painting at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya temple, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Buddhaghosa (flourished 5th century ce) was an Indian Buddhist scholar, famous for his Visuddhimagga (Pali: “The Path of Purification”), a summary of current Buddhist doctrines. Scholars do not agree about Buddhaghosa’s birthplace, but it is known that he traveled to Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, where he discovered many Sinhalese Buddhist commentaries; these he translated into Pali and communicated to his countrymen.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Charles Preston.