Upatissa untranslated

Upatissa 01. The personal name of Sāriputta (q.v.).

Upatissa 02. Purohita to Vijaya, king of Ceylon. He founded a settlement at Upatissagāma. Mhv.vii.44; Dpv.ix.32, 36.

Upatissa 03. Upatissa I. King of Ceylon. He reigned for forty-two years between CE. 362 and 409. He was the eldest son of Buddhadāsa. He was of very kindly disposition and lived a simple life, eating of the food served in the Mahā Pāli alms-hall. It is said that once, when the roof of his palace started leaking at night, he lay all night in the wet, being loth to disturb any of the servants. During a period of drought and famine, he organised a religious festival, causing rain to fall. He built the Rajuppala, Gijjhakūṭa, Pokkharapāsaya, Valāhassa, Ambuṭṭhi and Goṇḍigāma tanks and the Khaṇḍarājavihāra, besides hospitals and almshouses for women in travail, the blind and the sick. He was murdered by his queen-consort, who had an intrigue with his younger brother, Mahā Nāma. For an account of Upatissa’s reign see Cv.i.37, 179ff.

Upatissa 04. Upatissa II. King of Ceylon. He was the husband of the sister of Moggallāna I. and was his general. He killed Sīva I, and became king, his reign lasting only one year and a half (A.C. 522-24). He had a son Kassapa, called Giri Kassapa by virtue of his prowess, and a daughter who married Silākāla. Silākāla became a rebel and seized Upatissa’s kingdom (for an account of Upatissa see Cv.xli.5f). Upatissa belonged to the Lambakaṇṇa clan, and in Sinhalese writing is called Lāmāni-upatissa (Cv.Trs.i.52, n.1).

Upatissa 05. Son of Silākāla and brother of Dāṭhāpabhuti and Moggallāna II. He was a good-looking young man and was his father’s favourite. He was killed by Dāṭhāpabhuti (Cv.xli.33ff).

Upatissa 06. Upatissa Thera. Called Pāsāṇadīpavāsī Upatissa 06. He appears to have written a Commentary on the Mahā Vaṁsa, which the author of the Mahā Vaṁsaṭīkā used for his own work, sometimes criticising its comments. See, e.g., Mhv­ṭ.47.

Upatissa 07. Thera of Tambapaṇṇidīpa (Ceylon), perhaps to be identified with No. 6 above. He and his colleague, Phussadeva, are often mentioned as being expert exponents of the Vinaya. Upatissa had two pupils, Mahā Paduma and Mahā Summa, who became very famous as vinayadharā. Mahā Paduma “read” through the Vinaya eighteen times with his teacher, and Mahā Summa nine times (Vin-a.i.263f). Buddhaghosa evidently regarded with great respect the explanations of various Vinaya questions as given by Upatissa, for he often quotes him. See, e.g., Vin-a.ii.456; iii.624, 714; iv.890.

Upatissa 08. Sāriputta’s father and chieftain of Nālaka or Upatissagāma (q.v.). His proper name was Vaṅganta (q.v.), Upatissa being, evidently, his clan name (Snp-a.i.326).

Upatissa 09. Upatissa Thera. Author of the Pāli Mahā Bodhivaṁsa 09. He lived in Ceylon, probably in the tenth century. For details see PLC. 156ff.

Upatissa 10. Upatissa Thera. He wrote a commentary on Kassapa’s Anāgatavaṁsa 10. Gv.p.72.

Upatissa 11. A Pacceka Buddha, found in a nominal list (MN.iii.69). The name is also found in the Apadāna (i.280; ii.454).

Upatissa 12. Upatissa Thera. Sometimes called Arahā Upatissa, author of the Vimuttimagga (PLC 12. 86). He probably lived about the first century B.C. JPTS 1919, pp.69ff; see also NidA. (PTS); introd. vi f.

Upatissa 13. Upatissa Thera. Author of the Saddhammappajjotikā, the commentary on the Mahā Niddesa, written at the request of Deva Thera (NidA 13. i.108). His residence was on the western side of the Mahā Cetiya within the precincts of the Mahā Vihāra in Anurādhapura, and it was built by a minister, Kittissena.

Some MSS. give the author’s name as Upasena. For his age, see Saddhammappajjotikā.

Upatissā. One of the two chief women-disciples of Koṇḍañña Buddha. Bv.iii.31; Ja.i.30.