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The Pali Text Society published editions of the Pali Tipitaka, starting in about 1890.

I assume it was copied (transcribed) from one or more written sources, not from memory, is that so?

From what written documents/sources did the editor[s] of the PTS edition get the text? Were they manuscripts, or printed? And I'm guessing the PTS transcribed the text to Roman script?

Where (in which countries and/or by whom) were those source materials copied? Was it from one source or several?

Would you happen to know whether the source documents still exist today?

This answer says that different editions are more or less the same in every country ...

With the Pali editions, we inherit a complex manuscript tradition. In each country there are multiple different editions, both modern printed editions and older manuscripts. The ones we have ended up using are more or less random. The problem is that despite the many variations, the reality is that it is a huge amount of work to gather and collate them, and the end result is, “Yep, apart from these few instances, it’s pretty much the same as all the others.”

... still I'm wondering specifically where the text of the PTS edition came from (and where the work was done).

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Sources Consulted for the PTS Pali Nikāya Texts

Dīgha Nikāya

Edited by
Vol. 1, 1890: T.W. Rhys Davids and J.E. Carpenter
Vol. 2, 1903: T.W. Rhys Davids and J.E. Carpenter
Vol. 3, 1911: J.E. Carpenter

Ph = M = B - the Phayre MS. of the India Office Library (Burm. ch)
Bm Burmese ms, royal Mandalay Collection, India Office, No. 40
Br Printed Burmese text, Rangoon
Sm A ms in Sinhalese characters in the possession of Professor Rhys Davids
Sc Sinhalese manuscript belonging to J.E. Carpenter
Sd Sinhalese ms. belonging to T.W. Rhys Davids
St Sinhalese ms, Turnour Collection, India Office
Si = K Printed Siamese text, King of Siam's edition 1893 (Siamese ch)
RhDt Rhys Davids' trnscript

Majjhima Nikāya

Edited by
Vol. 1, 1888, V. Trenckner
Vol. 2, 1896, R. Chalmers
Vol. 3, 1899, R. Chalmers

A = - Sk the Copenhagen MS. No. VI (Singh. ch)
Ph = M = B - the Phayre MS. of the India Office Library (Burm. ch)
St Sinhalese ms, Turnour Collection, India Office
Bm Burmese ms, royal Mandalay Collection, India Office, No. 40
Si = K Printed Siamese text, King of Siam's edition 1893 (Siamese ch)

Anguttara Nikāya

Edited by
Vol. 1, 1885, R. Morris, 2nd Ed.: A.K. Wrder
Vol. 2, 1888, R. Morris
Vol. 3, 1897, E. Hardy
Vol. 4, 1899, E. Hardy
Vol. 5, 1900, E. Hardy

T = St Sinhalese ms, Turnour Collection, India Office
Ba No. 2276 (in Sinhalese) of the Oriental Mss. in the Library of the British Museum
Bb No. 2412 (in Sinhalese ch) of the Oriental Mss. in the Library of the British Museum
Ph = M = B - the Phayre MS. of the India Office Library (Burm. ch)
Bm #122, #123 Burmese ms, royal Mandalay Collection, India Office, No. 40
S.M. (Sinhalese ch) Morris collection
B.K. Burmese texts
M. #s 125, 130 of the Mandalay collection (Burmese ch), India Office Lib.
M6 Morris Ms. (Sinhalese ch)
M7 Morris Ms. (Sinhalese ch)
M 8 Morris Ms. (Burmese)
S = Si = K Printed Siamese text, King of Siam's edition 1893 (Siamese ch)

2nd Ed:
Ke Siamese editionof the text
Ce Sinhalese edition of the text
ChS Chaṭṭha Sangīti Piṭakaɱ

Saɱyutta Nikāya

Edited by
Vol. 1, 1884, M.L. Feer
Vol. 2, 1888, M.L. Feer
Vol. 3, 1890, M.L. Feer
Vol. 4, 1898, M.L. Feer
Vol. 5, 1890, M.L. Feer

B (Burmese ch) ms of the Bibliotheque nationale in Paris
S1 Copenhagen ms
S2 British Museum ms
S3 Morris ms

Composed as an appendix to the article: On the Importance of the Pali Text Society Translations at

http://buddhadust.net/dhammatalk/dhammatalk_forum/give_ear/ge_015.importance_pts.htm

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The Pali PTS Tripitaka was written in Sri Lanka. How it was written is explained here. -> https://qr.ae/TW8x2e

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  • That explains it was oral tradition until 76 BC, and written after that: but not exactly what the source material was for the PTS editions. They were published starting in about 1890 -- was that from memory (I'm guessing not), from manuscripts (perhaps, but from where or from whom), or from an earlier printed edition?
    – ChrisW ♦
    Commented Mar 25, 2019 at 22:29
  • So "oral tradition" means the monks recite the Sutta daily in order to retain the Sutta in memory. The 3 baskets were looked after by groups of monks. Each group would ensure its not forgotten.
    – jambudipa.quora.com
    Commented Mar 25, 2019 at 22:43
  • Yes that's what "oral tradition" means. But i'm not asking about the first few hundred years, this question is about the late 19th century, 130 years ago -- from what source[s] did the editor[s] of the PTS edition collect the Pali text for the suttapiṭaka which they published?
    – ChrisW ♦
    Commented Mar 25, 2019 at 22:50
  • The Tipitaka was written in Ola leaf and that is the original source. Almost 95% of the sources would be from Sri Lanka since that was where Buddha lived and his Dhamma existed and the Dhamma councils were conducted. British officers George Turner and Hugh Nevill who worked for the British civil service has taken it from Sri Lanka. its all documented and catalogued. The rest presumably from other countries.
    – jambudipa.quora.com
    Commented Mar 25, 2019 at 22:59
  • Having a good Q&A-site means to find answers which adress the questions. It is a really clear formulated question, no place for misunderstanding... (downvote)
    – Gottfried Helms
    Commented Mar 26, 2019 at 7:35

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