Buddhaghosa, Buddhaghosha, Buddhaghoṣa: 8 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
1. Purana
In Buddhism
1. Mahayana
2. General definition
India history
Languages
1. Sanskrit
See also

Introduction:

Buddhaghosa means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

The Sanskrit term Buddhaghoṣa can be transliterated into English as Buddhaghosa or Buddhaghosha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Buddhaghoṣa (बुद्धघोष).—An ancient Sanskrit poet. It is believed that he lived in the 4th century A.D. The most important work of this poet who was a Buddhist, is 'Padyacūḍāmaṇi'. The life of Buddha is described in this Book in ten Kāṇḍas (sections). A similarity to the poems of Kālidāsa and Aśvaghoṣa is seen in this poem. Buddhaghoṣa is said to have reached Ceylon in 357 A.D. and translated some Buddhist literature.

context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Buddhaghoṣa (बुद्धघोष) refers to “Buddha’s voice”, according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter XLVII.—It is said in the Guhyakasūtra: “in order to experience the Buddha’s voice, Maudgalyāyana went very far in the direction of the west, but he still heard the Buddha’s voice as if they were face to face”.

The voice of the Buddha (buddhaghoṣa) is of two kinds:

the voice hidden in the mouth (mukhagūḍha-ghoṣa);
the unhidden (nirgūḍha-ghoṣa) voice.

It has just been a matter of the hidden voice; as for the unhidden voice, one must come near the Buddha to hear it.

The voice of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is of three kinds: 1) Having planted the causes and conditions in their previous lives for good vocalization, they have the four subtle and marvelous (prāsādika) great elements in their throat (kaṇṭha), and they produce all kinds of marvelous sounds (śabda), distant or close, for a distance of one, two, three, ten, a hundred, a thousand li which go out to fill up the trisāhasramahāsāhasralokadhātu. 2) By the power of their superknowledges (abhijñābala), the four great elements (mahābhūta) of their throat produce sounds that fill not only the trisāhasramahāsāhasralokadhātu but also the universes of the ten directions as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. 3) The voice of the Buddhas is always able to fill all of space (ākāśa), covering all of the ten directions.

Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā

Buddhaghoṣa (बुद्धघोष) refers to the “voice of the Buddha”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “Then the Bodhisattva Gaganagañja said this to the congregation of Bodhisattvas: ‘Sons of good family, may all of you elucidate the gates into the dharma of transcending the path of the works of Māra’ [...] The Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī said: ‘O good man, all you have said is the works of the Māra and the sphere of the māra. Why is that? Things expressed by words are a mere information; but the voice of the Buddha (buddhaghoṣa) is beyond verbal expressions. Since, as many as are words, so many are the works of the Māra, when there is not any word, nothing would be done by the Māra. Since that which is without word is without information, one never perceives the self or other. Since there is no self or others, the dharma which causes benefit or harm does not exist. Understanding like this is transcending the sphere of the Māra, and, son of good family, this is the gate into the dharma called “Transcending the sphere of the Māra of the Bodhisattva”’”.

context information

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

General definition (in Buddhism)

Source: WikiPedia: Buddhism

Bhadantacariya Buddhaghosa was a 5th century Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar. His name means "Voice of the Buddha" in the Pali language.

His best known work is the Visuddhimagga, or Path of Purification, a comprehensive summary and analysis of the Theravada understanding of the Buddhas path to liberation. The interpretations provided by Buddhaghosa have generally constituted the orthodox understanding of Theravada scriptures since at least the 12th century CE. He is generally recognized by both Western scholars and Theravadins as the most important commentator of the Theravada.

India history and geography

Source: academia.edu: The Chronological History of Ancient Sri Lanka

Buddhaghosa, the greatest scholar of Theravada Buddhism lived during the reign of King Mahanama. Mahavamsa gives the biography of Buddhaghosa who visited Anuradhapura Vihara of Sri Lanka during the reign of King Mahanama (850-828 BCE). Burmese sources tell us that Buddhaghosa visited Sri Lanka in the year 930 of Buddha religion (835 BCE) and in the 15 th regnal year of Sri Lankan king Mahanama who ascended the throne in the year 915 (850 BCE). Thus, we can roughly fix the lifetime of Buddhaghosa around 865-780 BCE.

context information

The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Buddhaghoṣa (बुद्धघोष):—[=buddha-ghoṣa] [from buddha > budh] m. Name of a Buddhist scholar (who lived at the beginning of the 5th century A.D.; the name is not found in Sanskṛt works), [Monier-Williams’ Buddhism 65 etc.]

[Sanskrit to German]

Buddhaghosa in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Relevant text

Search found 63 books and stories containing Buddhaghosa, Buddhaghosha, Buddhaghoṣa, Buddha-ghosha, Buddha-ghoṣa, Buddha-ghosa; (plurals include: Buddhaghosas, Buddhaghoshas, Buddhaghoṣas, ghoshas, ghoṣas, ghosas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

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(5) Isigili Sutta < [Chapter 3 - Subject Matter of the Second Bhanavara]

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Part 3 - Early Buddhist Literature < [Chapter V - Buddhist Philosophy]

Part 5 - The Khandhas < [Chapter V - Buddhist Philosophy]

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Buddhism in Andhra – Its Arrival, Spread and < [July – September, 1994]

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