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The Divyavadana is a Sanskrit anthology of Buddhist avadana tales, many originating in Mulasarvastivadin vinaya texts. This particular collection of them is not attested prior to the seventeenth century. Typically, the stories involve the Buddha explaining to a group of disciples how a particular individual, through actions in a previous life, came to have a particular karmic result in the present. A predominant theme is the vast merit (pu?ya) accrued from making offerings to enlightened beings or at stupas and other holy sites related to the Buddha. The anthology contains 38 avadana stories in all, including the well-known Asokavadana "Legend of Asoka". The collection has been known since the dawn of Buddhist studies in the West, when it was excerpted in Eugene Burnouf`s history of Indian Buddhism (1844).
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ISBN : 9788121221443
Pages : 726
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