Publication of The Theravāda Lineage (Nikāya Sangrahaya)

I have just published a revised translation of the Nikāya Saṅgrahaya, a 14th century Sinhala language work written by the Mahāsāmi (Head of the Saṅgha) Ven. Dharmarakṣita, otherwise known as Ven. Jayabāhu. The work traces the way Buddhism was passed down and protected from generation to generation to India and Śrī Laṅkā, and how the orthodox Theravāda eventually gained ascendency in Śrī Laṅkā.

The work is divided into three sections. There is a very useful Introduction by R. W. F. Gunawardhana, who also made the first revision of the translation. In it he deals with the always thorny question of chronology, and how dates in the various chronicles can be reconciled with each other and with history.

The second section is also by the same scholar, and presents a Summary of the main work, adding in the dates, and simplfying the narrative, in many ways presenting it in a more modern way, and discussing a number of matters in the text itself.

The third part is a translation of the text itself, which was originally made by C. M. Fernando. I have further revised it to make it more presentable to a modern audience. I discuss the issues involved in preparing this new version in a short Preface, where full details can be found.

I have placed the work in the Reference section, which contains many useful works on a similar subject including A Summary of the Mahāvastu, and On the Chronicles of Ceylon by Bimala Churn Law; and From the Living Fountains of Buddhism by Ananda W.P. Guruge, which treats of the sources of our modern understanding on Theravāda Buddhism.

I hope this revised translation will be of some help to students of the Theravāda and the Sāsana as it was passed down in Śrī Laṅkā.