A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s5.79

v2.c19.s5.79

Quite a number of stories in this commentary on the Dhammapada have their parallels in the commentaries of Buddhaghosa, and over 50 stories are common to the commentaries on the Dhammapada and Jātaka respectively. In some cases there is word for word identity, in others we find varying versions of the Jātaka tales. The commentaries of Dhammapāla have borrowed about 25 stories from the commentary on the Dhammapada.¹ There is, of course, always the possibility that all these commentaries did not copy from one another, but made use of common sources. *Burlingame*, however, has succeeded in making it appear fairly likely that the Jātaka commentary is later than the commentaries of Buddhaghosa, the commentary on the Dhammapada is later than that on the Jātaka, and that those of Dhammapāla are later still. Nevertheless it is probable that none of these commentaries was separated from the rest by any very considerable period of time.¹