Buddhaghosuppatti; or, The Historical Romance of the Rise and Career of Buddhaghosa

The work is divided into two principal sections: an introduction and the main text. The introduction first outlines the story of Buddhaghosa, then discusses related textual and historical materials such as the Mhanan-nyāzawin, Thāthanālaṅkāra, Vaṃsadīpanī, Sāsanavaṃsa, the “Kalyāṇī Inscriptions” nissaya, Thāthanāsīnasèk, Bigandet’s account, general remarks, Buddhaghosa’s works, and the age of the Buddhaghosuppatti. The main text is organized into eight chapters: boyhood, admission to the priesthood, his father’s conversion, voyage to Ceylon, Buddhaghosa as a witness, permission to translate the scriptures, object attained, and return to Jambudīpa and death. Through this structure, the book presents the life of Buddhaghosa as a layered narrative combining religious biography, literary tradition, historical inquiry, and Pāli textual transmission.