Which of the following statements is correct about the Buddhist texts?

All of the above.

The correct answer is Option 4 - All of the above.

Given statements about the Buddhist texts:

Option 1- None of the Buddha's speeches were written down during his lifetime.
Option 2- After the death of Buddhahis teachings were compiled by his disciples at a council of "elders" or senior monks at Vesali.
Option 3- These compilations were known as Tipitaka- literally, three baskets to hold different types of texts.
Option 4- All of the above.

The teachings of the Buddha and other revered teachers were primarily conveyed orally through discussions and debates. Men and women, and possibly even children, attended these discourses and engaged in discussions about what they heard. Interestingly, none of the Buddha's speeches were written down during his lifetime. However, after his passing in the fifth or fourth century BCE, his disciples compiled his teachings during a council of "elders" or senior monks at Vesali (present-day Vaishali, Bihar). These compilations were collectively known as the Tipitaka, signifying three baskets that contained different types of texts. Initially transmitted orally, they were later written down and classified based on their length and subject matter.

The Tipitaka consisted of the Vinaya Pitaka, which included rules and regulations for those who joined the monastic order (sangha); the Sutta Pitaka, containing the Buddha's teachings; and the Abhidhamma Pitaka, which delved into philosophical matters. Each pitaka comprised multiple individual texts. Over time, Buddhist scholars wrote commentaries on these texts.

As Buddhism expanded to new regions like Sri Lanka, additional texts were written, including the Dipavamsa (the chronicle of the island) and the Mahavamsa (the great chronicle), encompassing regional histories of Buddhism and biographies of the Buddha. Some of the earliest texts were composed in Pali, while later works were in Sanskrit.