The Pāli Literature of Ceylon

The book presents the history of Pāli literature in Ceylon through a chronological and thematic structure. It opens with the conversion of Ceylon, setting the political, religious, and cultural background for the establishment of Buddhism on the island. It then turns to the writing down of the books, highlighting the preservation of the Buddhist textual tradition through manuscript culture. The discussion proceeds to the development of Buddhist culture and the beginnings of literary activity, showing how monastic institutions, royal patronage, and scholastic discipline created the conditions for a durable literary tradition. A central section is devoted to Buddhaghosa and Buddhaghosa’s successors, focusing on the formation of the commentarial heritage and the consolidation of Theravāda exegetical learning. The chapters on the Pāli chronicles, the dawn of the golden era, the Augustan age, Sāriputta’s circle, and the age of Paṇḍita Parākrama trace the flourishing of historical, doctrinal, grammatical, and monastic literature. The final chapters, including the twilight glow, the dark age, and the modern period, examine the later transformation of Pāli learning, its periods of weakness, and its eventual continuation into more recent scholarly and religious contexts.