Please note: PTS members must order directly from the PTS.
Buddhaghosa is unquestionably one of the best known figures of Theravāda Buddhism. He is attributed with compiling many of the commentaries (aṭṭhakathās) and composing the highly influential meditation text, the Visuddhimagga.
The Buddhaghosuppatti, or the arising of Buddhaghosa, a late account of the life of Buddhaghosa, is thought to have been composed in 15th century Burma by a monk named Mahāmaṅgala. a later biographical text, it is more a romance than a historical chronicle and is generally regarded by Western scholars as being legend rather than history. It adds to the Mahavamsa tale certain details, such as the identity of Buddhaghosa's parents and his village, as well as several dramatic episodes, such as the conversion of Buddhaghosa's father and Buddhaghosa's role in deciding a legal case. It also explains the eventual loss of the Sinhalese originals that Buddhaghosa worked from in creating his Pali commentaries by claiming that Buddhaghosa collected and burnt the original manuscripts once his work was completed. First published in 1892, this reprint contains both the Pali and the English.
