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Visuddhimagga

PATH OF PURIFICATION · Chapters 1–11 · volume 1 of 2

The Visuddhimagga, “The Path of Purification”, Buddhaghosa's summary of the whole teaching under the three trainings of virtue, concentration and understanding. The Nikāya commentaries refer to it rather than repeat what it explains, and Dhammapāla's great subcommentary on it, the Paramatthamañjūsā, stands in the Ṭīkā layer.

This first volume holds chapters 1–11: virtue and the ascetic practices (1–2), then concentration — taking up a meditation subject, the earth kasiṇa and the remaining kasiṇas, foulness, the recollections, the divine abidings, the immaterial states, and the description of concentration (3–11). It closes Visuddhimaggassa paṭhamo bhāgo niṭṭhito.

The Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana corpus files the Visuddhimagga with the canonical (mūla) texts, but it is not canon; it is translated in full here.

How it ends

Samādhiniddeso nāma ekādasamo paricchedo.

Visuddhimaggassa paṭhamo bhāgo niṭṭhito.

SourcesColophons of the two volumes; Buddhaghosa dated as in the rest of this layer (Norman 1983, p. 130).

Layer
Aṭṭhakathā — commentary
Collection
PATH OF PURIFICATION · volume 1 of 2
On
Chapters 1–11
Written by
BuddhaghosaHinüber 1996 / Norman 1983
When
370–450 CENorman 1983, p. 130
Pali text
Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana (CST4)
English
Complete in draft, not yet reviewed · 2,240 paragraphs over 56 pages
  1. 1. Description of Virtue1. Sīlaniddeso
  2. 2. Description of the Ascetic Practices2. Dhutaṅganiddeso
  3. 3. Description of Taking a Meditation Subject3. Kammaṭṭhānaggahaṇaniddeso
  4. 4. Description of the Earth Kasiṇa4. Pathavīkasiṇaniddeso
  5. 5. Description of the Remaining Kasiṇas5. Sesakasiṇaniddeso
  6. 6. Description of Foulness as a Meditation Subject6. Asubhakammaṭṭhānaniddeso
  7. 7. Description of the Six Recollections7. Chaanussatiniddeso
  8. 8. Description of the Other Recollections as Meditation Subjects8. Anussatikammaṭṭhānaniddeso
  9. 9. Description of the Divine Abidings9. Brahmavihāraniddeso
  10. 10. Description of the Immaterial States10. Āruppaniddeso
  11. 11. Description of Concentration11. Samādhiniddeso