The Arahant Mahā~gatimbaya~tissa~datta~tthero

Authenticity of Texts
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He became an Arahant while crossing the ocean in a boat.

"Contemplating the Abhidhamma:

For monks who are masters of the Abhidhamma too, as [they contemplate] the classification of aggregates (khandhantara ), the classification of sense bases (āyatanantara ), the classification of elements (dhātvantara), the classification of faculties (indriyantara ), the classification of powers, enlightenment factors, kamma and result (balabojjhaṅgakammavipākantara ), the analysis of the material and immaterial—the subtle, fine phenomena—[they think:] “Our Teacher, indeed, analyzing phenomena material and immaterial, dividing them into section after section, portion after portion, as if stringing together star-forms in the sky, has shown [this to us].”

  1. For monks who contemplate the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, infinite joy and rapture arise. Regarding the arising of this [joy], its origin story should also be understood:

The Elder Tissadatta of the Great Fear (Mahagatimbayatissadattatthero ), thinking, “I will pay homage to the Great Bodhi tree,” while going to the far shore, seated in the boat on the surface of the water, looked out at the great ocean. At that time, for him, neither the far shore nor the near shore was discernible. But the great ocean, covered with water-particles rising up from the breaking of the waves, appearing like a spread-out silver sheet or like a scattering of flowers, was clearly visible.

He thought: “Now, is the force of the ocean’s waves strong, or is the method-approach (nayamukha) in the twenty-four divisions of the Samantapaṭṭhāna strong?”

Then, for him, the limit of the great ocean became apparent. For this [ocean] is bounded below by the earth, above by the sky, on one side by the Cakkavāḷa mountain, and on one side by the shore. But for the Samantapaṭṭhāna , no limit is discernible.

  1. As he contemplated the subtle and refined Dhamma, strong joy arose. He suppressed that joy, developed insight, and while sitting right there, destroyed all defilements and established himself in the supreme fruit, Arahantship. He then uttered this inspired utterance (udāna ):

“The profound in meaning, very hard to understand,
Which he, the Great Seer, having fully known by himself,
With its causes and origin, taught in full according to order —
This Dhamma he sees as if in visible form.”

This is called the Ocean of Method (nayasāgara )."

—Buddhaghosa’s Atthasālinī (commentary on the Dhammasaṅgaṇī), PTS edition by E. Müller, 1897, (AI translation)

R

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Integrating Buddho Recitation with Vipassanā Practice or Technical Inquiry: Buddho Recitation as a Vehicle for Vipassanā
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P.S. It was necessary to break up the Elder’s name in the thread title (it should be “Mahāgatimbayatissadattatthero”) as discord won’t accept words in the title that are overly long, which it does not recognize.

R

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for comparison here is the PTS translation.

The Expositor (translation by Pe Maung Tin.

Again, the bhikkhus who study the Abhidhamma experience infinite rapturous joy in reflecting. As though grouping the multitude of stars in the sky into constellations, the Teacher taught things mental and material, dividing them into various parts and portions—things subtle and abstruse, such as the unique content of aggregates, sense-organs, elements, controlling faculties, powers, factors of wisdom, kamma and its result, and the distinction between mind and matter. Consider this story of such an experience.

The Elder Mahāgatigāmiyatissa crossed over to the opposite shore of India with the intention of paying homage to the Wisdom Tree. Seated on the upper deck of the boat, he looked at the great ocean; but neither the thither nor the hither shore appeared to his vision. There appeared only the great ocean, strewn with foam thrown off by the breaking of the billows, and looking like a sheet of silver spread out on a bed of jasmine flowers. He thought to himself: Which is more extraordinary—the heaving of the ocean waves, or the basis of the method of the twenty-four divisions in the Great Book?

Then the limits of the great ocean became apparent to him. Indeed, he thought to himself, this ocean is limited, below by the earth, above by the sky, on one side by the mountain encircling the world-system, and on the other by the seashore. But the limits of the universal Paṭṭhāna are not apparent. And abundant rapture arose in him, as he reflected on the subtle and abstruse Law. Arresting his rapture and increasing his insight even while he was seated, he threw off all the corruptions, and, being established in the topmost Fruition, which is Arahantship, he exulted in this song of ecstasy:

He is the true disciple of the Sage
Who sees, like a bright jewel in his hand,
Root-causes, from which all becoming is—
Lore deep and hard to know, which the Great Sage
Intuited, and all in order taught.

This is the ocean of method.

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As we see the one who studies Abhidhamma in the right way will know its extraordinary value :folded_hands:

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Yes!

Much credit to Pe Maung Tin for this translation, which he started it in 1916, and which was first published in two volumes in 1920 and 1921. :folded_hands:

R

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Pe Maung Tin’s biography on wikipedia (which I linked to above) states, “In 1939 he was elected president of the Burma Research Society.” However, it seems to be missing some information in this regard.

According to a paper by Ni Win Zaw titled, “Analytical Study on the Publications edited and published by the Burma [Myanmar] Research Society”, he served as president of the Burma Resarch Society in 1938,1939,1950 and 1960 . I don’t have a wikipedia account, or else I would edit it.

In addition, the paper also mentions that Pe Maung Tin “served as the BRS General Editor for its Text Program from the early 1920s to about 1940 when the Society had to cease its activities due to the Second World War.”

The paper is good as it not only provides a history of the organization but also provides a good deal of information about many of their publications.

Anyway, credit where credit is due. Back to the Expositor!

R