In the notes for the second lecture, it states that in Buddhaghosa's time, the Theras inserted certain episodes into the legend of the Buddha to further establish the authenticity and antiquity of the Abhidhamma.
They go on to refer to the Buddha's "graspin" of the Abhidhamma at the foot of the Bodhi tree and his subsequent teaching of the Abhidhamma in seven books in the Tavatimsa heaven.
I assume that these are then specific examples of this later "editing" by the Theras.
Can anyone provide additional examples or a resource that explores this topic more fully?
Regards.
high points as universal feature
High points are an universal feature. According to Buddhist Mulasarvastivada Vinaya, Gautama Buddha instructs about the way to fill in for sacred text details monks may have forgotten:
The Blessed One said: “Upali, those who forget the name of the place, etc., must declare it was one or another of the six great cities, or somewhere where the Tathagata stayed many times. If he forgets the name of the king, he must declare it was Prasenajit; if the name of the householder, that it was Anathapitpada; of the lay-sister, that it was Mugaramata (cit. in Kuan 2008:134-5).
In II century Oxyrhyncus Papyrus 1381, a devotee of divine healer Asclepius (in his Egyptian-Hellenistic incarnation as Imouthes/Imhotep) relays immemorial stories of miracles the god performed for him1, and promises to memorialize the god's deeds thus:”I think I can be brief and clear in spreading the word of your purpose -...-.I have throughout filled in the missing and deleted the superfluous -...-. I have spoken succinctly and and told a complicated story in straightforward fashion -...- in accordance with your graciousness and not my wisdom”2.
“A great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last ”;”But if this story is not also our story, then it is not worth retelling”. Linguistics professor Tannen3 relates that her studies documented how stories told in a way to emphasize one's feelings and personal experience give greater satisfaction than stories that lack that aspect.
FWIW