Bhikkhu Ñānamoli

Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification)

Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification)

One of Buddhism’s foundational texts, the Visuddhimagga is a systematic examination and condensation of Buddhist doctrine and meditation technique.

The various teachings of the Buddha found throughout the Pali canon are organized in a clear, comprehensive path leading to the final goal of nibbana, the state of complete purification.

Originally composed in the fifth century, this translation provides English speakers insights into this foundational text. In the course of this treatise full and detailed instructions are given on 40 subjects of meditation aimed at concentration (samadhi), an elaborate account of Buddhist Abhidhamma philosophy, and explicit descriptions of the stages of insight culminating in final liberation.

In Ahba’s monastery, the Visuddhimagga is memorized in its entirety by the top Pali students (and in different versions as well).

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About Bhikkhu Ñānamoli

Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli (1905 – 1960) was born in England and became a monk in Sri Lanka in 1949. During the eleven years he spent as a monk, he acquired a remarkable command of the Pali language and a wide knowledge of the canonical scriptures within a comparatively short time.

He is remembered for his reliable translations from the Pali into lucid English and translated some of the most difficult texts of Theravada Buddhism, including Buddhaghosa’s Path of Purification.

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You yourselves must strive, the Buddhas only point the way

Buddha, Dhp 276