Buddhavamsa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Theravada
Countries
	Nepal • Sri Lanka Cambodia • Laos Burma • Thailand
Texts
	Pali Canon Commentaries Subcommentaries
History
	Pre-sectarian Buddhism Early schools • Sthavira Asoka • Third Council Vibhajjavada Mahinda • Sanghamitta Dipavamsa • Mahavamsa Buddhaghosa
Doctrine
	Saṃsāra • Nibbāṇa Middle Way Noble Eightfold Path Four Noble Truths Enlightenment Stages Precepts • 3 Jewels
view • talk • edit

Pali Canon
		Vinaya Pitaka
		Sutta- vibhanga Khandhaka Pari- vara
		Sutta Pitaka
		Digha Nikaya Majjhima Nikaya Samyutta Nikaya
		Anguttara Nikaya Khuddaka Nikaya
		Abhidhamma Pitaka
		Dhs. Vbh. Dhk. Pug. Kvu. Yamaka Patthana
view • talk • edit

The Buddhavamsa (-vaṃsa) is a Buddhist scripture, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. It is included there in the Sutta Pitaka's Khuddaka Nikaya. It is a fairly short work in verse, in 28 chapters.

The first chapter tells how the Buddha used his psychic powers to create a jewelled walkway. In the second chapter he tells how in a distant past life as Sumedha he took a vow to become a Buddha, received a prediction from the then Buddha Dipankara that he would indeed do so and thought out the 10 perfections he would need to practise. The next 23 chapters tell of the intervening 23 Buddhas and the acts of merit that the Buddha performed towards them in his previous lives. Chapter 26 tells of his own life, Chapter 27 summarizes all these Buddhas and a few more and Chapter 28 tells of the distribution of the Buddha's relics after his death.

[edit] Translations

• "The lineage of the Buddhas", in Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon, volume III, 1st edition, tr B. C. Law, 1938
• The Genealogy of the Buddhas, tr M. V. Takin, Bombay University Publications, 1969
• "Chronicle of Buddhas", in Minor Anthologies III, 2nd edition, tr I. B. Horner, 1975, Pali Text Society[1], Bristol