Abstract
Since my dissertation entitled A Study of the Pali Commentaries: Theravadic Aspects of the Atthakathas (in Japanese, Tokyo: Sankibo), the first major work in this field of research, was published in 1984, Japanese studies in the Pali commentaries have improved remarkably. Based on my work above, together with other later articles, many scholars such as Shinsuke OIKAWA, Karen KATSUMOTO, Shizuka SASAKI, Masahiro SHIMODA, Takatsugu HAYASHI, Akira FUJIMOTO, Shinkan MURAKAMI, Nobuyuki YAMAGIWA, Toshichi ENDO, etc. have done research in this commentarial literature from various points of view. Their works can be classified into the following 6 categories: 1) Japanese translations of some texts, 2) doctrinal studies, 3) philological studies in the sources of the commentaries, 4) problems of authorship pertaining to each work (Buddhaghosa, Dhammapala, etc.), 5) comparisons with the texts in the Northern tradition, 6) comparisons with Mahayana texts and studies in the history of the Mahayana Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Future assignment: Based on the plentiful research above, along with some further research expected in the near future, “Studies in the Formational History of the Pali Commentarial Literature”, and the publication of a Japanese translation series of all the commentaries, should be finally accomplished.
