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Voice of the Buddha is a study of the theories of scripture described and practiced by the 5th-century thinker Buddhaghosa, the principal commentator of the Theravada intellectual tradition. By bringing to the fore Buddhaghosa's theories of texts and commentarial practices, Heim casts new light on early Pali texts and the commentarial system Buddhaghosa's work represents.
List of contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part One: Building Blocks for an Interpretative Program
- Chapter One: The Buddha's Omniscience and the Immeasurability of Scripture
- Chapter Two: Scripture, Commentary, and Exegetical Distinctions
- Part Two: Interpreting the Three Pitakas
- Chapter Three: Interpreting the Contexts and Conditions of Buddhavacana in the Suttanta
- Chapter Four: Disentangling the Tangle: Abhidhamma as Phenomenological Analysis
- Chapter Five: The 'Completely Pleasing' Exegesis on the Vinaya
- Conclusion
- Appendix A: The Recollection of the Dhamma
- Appendix B: Commentary on the Section on Verañja Starting the Vinaya
- Appendix C: Four Oceans and Three Pitakas
- Bibliography
About the author
Maria Heim is Professor of Religion and Elizabeth W. Bruss Reader at Amherst College. She is the author of The Forerunner of All Things and Theories of the Gift in South Asia.
Summary
Voice of the Buddha is a study of the theories of scripture described and practiced by the 5th-century thinker Buddhaghosa, the principal commentator of the Theravada intellectual tradition. By bringing to the fore Buddhaghosa's theories of texts and commentarial practices, Heim casts new light on early Pali texts and the commentarial system Buddhaghosa's work represents.
Additional text
By reading over the shoulder of the great Theravada commentator Buddhaghosa, Maria Heim brings to light an ingenious and even astonishing understanding of the traditional Buddhist scriptural genres of Sutta, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma. This erudite and eloquent exposition of Buddhaghosa's profound and moving approach will appeal to all students of Buddhist scripture.
