I need help with the Anāgatavaṃsa pedigree
I Have Become confused by John Clifford Holt’s introduction to The Anāgatavaṃsa Desana published by Motilal Banarasidass in 1993. It begins with a poem that is a chronicle of things to come, a work referenced back in the 5th Century, and then expanded into a ritual text in several versions that ended up the translation that has that confusing (to me) introduction.
I would really appreciate having people help clarify this development for me.
Anāgatavaṃsa
Anāgatavaṃsa: “the Original Poem” is referenced by Buddhagosha in his Visuddhimagga! (So an original version must back to 5th Century.) Buddhagosha was born c. 370 CE at Bodh Gaya and Died in c. 450 CE in Sri Lanka
- B
Anāgatavaṃsa
Anāgatavaṃsa: “the Manuscript” dates to the late 12th- early 13th Century CE 1100-1250
Description, 142 verse text (12th-13th century C.E.) the Anāgatavaṃsa in Pāli is the “Chronicle of Future Events”; it’s a vaṃsa, this medieval Pali work in verse detailing the advent of Metteyya Buddha by an elder named Ācariya Kassapa, (1160-1230), (Gv.61), an inhabitant of the Cola country (Svd.v.1204), author of the Mohavicchedani.
The Anāgatavaṃsa gives a detailed account of him. Some MSS. of that poem mention the names of ten future Buddhas.
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- C
the “Anagatavamsa Desana: The Sermon of the Chronicle-to-Be” :
this is Anagatavamsa
composed by Viglammula 14th Century. This was written in elegant Sinhala. (1303-1333), and is a prophetic text that focuses on the future Buddha’s arrival. It is a Sinhala recension of the Anagatavamsa and a ritual text.
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D.
Anāgatavaṃsa
This Anagatavamsa Desana Text Is a shorter version of Anāgatavaṃsa Text C… Composed in the 18th Century -
E.
Anāgatavaṃsa
and translated from Sinhala into English by Udaya Meddegama (1992).