viii, 412p., Bib., Index, 23 cm. (First Edition pub. in 2001) (Bibliotheca Indica Series No. 320)
CONTENTS
CONTENTS:- 1. The introduction. 2. The incentive. 3. The purified dynasty. 4. The opening light of the doctrine. 5. The descent. 6. The entrance into the womb. 7. The birth. 8. The visit to the temple. 9. The ornamenting. 10. Visit to the writing school. 11. The agricultural village. 12. Exhibition of accomplishments. 13. The exhortation. 14. The dream. 15. The departure. 16. The visit of Bimbisara. 17. Course of difficult tasks. 18. The Nairanjana. 19. Going to the seat of enlightenment. 20. Marvels of the seat of enlightenment. 21. The defeat of Mara. 22. Perfect enlightenment. 23. The commendation. 24. Trapusa and Bhallika. 25. Request for instruction. 26. Turning the wheel of Dharma. 27. The conclusion.
DESCRIPTION
The Lalitavistara is one of the greatest Buddhist texts, and presents us with one of the earliest accounts of Buddha's life. Nothing is known about its author or the specific period of its composition. It is called a Vaipulya sutra of Buddhism. Composed in what is known as Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, it is somthing of an enigma and there are still controversies about its interpretation. It is extremely important today not only as a religious text, but a sociological, historical and linguistic document as well.
