Epilogue

Nine Pāli stanzas and their Myanmar translations:

(1 & 2) On Saturday, the thirteenth waxing day of the first Wazo, 1331 Myanmar Era, the 2513th year of the Sāsana, the month when the Alexandrian laurel Calaphyllum blooms forth in the forest and the traditional festival of admitting new entrants into the Order is being held throughout the land, at eleven a.m.

(3) This work entitled ‘The Great Chronicle of Buddhas’, the tome that came into being under the sponsorship of the State Sāsana Council as a sequel to the Sixth Buddhist Council, portraying the life story of the Buddhas (and especially), that of Buddha Gotama from the fulfilling of the Perfections to the day-to-day events relating to Him, was completed for the edification of the followers of the Buddha who uphold righteousness - a most auspicious achievement indeed.

(4) The Buddha, the Conqueror of the Five Māras or Evils, endowed with great diligence, who occupied Himself by day and by night with the five functions of the Buddha, lived for forty-five vassa (years) during which He ferried the multitudes of deva and humans across to the yonder shores of Nibbāna by means of the ship of the Eightfold Ariya Path.

(5) To the Buddha, the Conqueror of the five Māras, I, acclaimed as the great, distinguished Thera who has memorized the Three Piṭakas, who, thanks to past merit, has been fortunate enough to live a life devoted to Buddhistic studies since his novicehood, pay homage behumbling myself in body, speech and mind, with this tome entitled ‘The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas’, arranged in forty-five chapters in respectful memory of the forty-five years of the Buddha’s Noble mission, an exegetical work embodying erudite judgements on readings in the Text and the Commentaries.

(6) As the result of this work of great merit done by me with diligence, knowledge and conviction, may all sentient beings benefit from it: may they clearly understand (through learning, reflecting and cultivation) the Dhamma, the Good Doctrine expounded by the Supreme Lord of Righteousness for the welfare of the multitudes, for their happiness pertaining to the human world and the devaworld, and the Peace of Nibbāna.

(7) May the multitudes, by following the Middle Way (of eight constituents) which is purified by shunning the two extremes of self-indulgence and selfmortification, which brings happiness by clearing away the hindrances to Path-Knowledge and its Fruition, realize with facility (through the ten stages of Insight), the supreme Peace of Nibbāna that liberates one from craving for all forms of existence, that is free from all sorrow (caused by five kinds of loss) and grief (that gnaws at the hearts of worldlings).

(8) May the Buddha’s Teaching (that consists of learning, training and penetration) last for five thousand years, shining forth like the sun, overriding the corroding influence of sophists or captious contenders. May all beings in all the human world, the deva-world and the Brahmā-world have firm conviction in, and deep respect for the Dhamma expounded by the Buddha. May the Rain God, benefactor of the human world, bless the earth with his bounteous showers at the proper time (i.e. at night, for fields of poor fertility once in five days, for fields of medium fertility once in ten days, and for fields of good fertility once in fifteen days).

(9) May the rulers of the country give protection to the people like the good kings of yore. May they work for the welfare of the people just as they would for their own children, on the example of those benevolent rulers who extended their loving care to their subjects by upholding the ten principles of rulership,

The Venerable Buddhaghosa, the famous Commentator, in his Epilogue to the Aṭṭhasālinī (an exegesis on the Abhidhamma) and the Pañcapakaraṇa made his wish in four stanzas beginning with: “Yaṃ patthaṃ kusalaṃ tassa.” We have adopted them here, respectfully endorsing his sentiments therein. (Stanzas 6 to 9 above).

In doing so, we are also endorsing the view of the Sub-Commentator, the Venerable Saṃgharakkhitamahāsāmi, author of the Sāratthavilāsinī, wherein it has been said: “For one who does not work for the benefit of others, no real benefit accrues to him. That is true. And true indeed it is a statement fit to be proclaimed with one’s right arm raised.”

Such being the words of the wise, may all right-minded persons make a point of directing their efforts towards the good of others and thereby do good to themselves as well.

Here comes the completion of “The Great Chronicle Of Buddhas”.

May I be endowed with the three knowledges (vijjā).