Lalitavistara Sūtra
Also known as: Lalitavistara, Lalitavistara Sutra, The Play in Full, Puyao Jing (普曜經), Lalitavistaraḥ
A Mahāyāna Sanskrit sūtra narrating the Buddha’s life from descent from Tuṣita heaven through enlightenment to the first sermon. It blends prose and verse, hymns, and miracle tales to present the Bodhisattva’s ‘play’ as a cosmic drama.
Description
The Lalitavistara Sūtra offers a grand, often hymnic biography of Śākyamuni Buddha. Beginning with the Bodhisattva’s choice in Tuṣita heaven, it recounts Queen Māyā’s dream and auspicious birth at Lumbinī, the prodigies and education of the prince Siddhārtha, his palace life and the Four Sights, and the Great Departure. The text integrates courtly competitions, encounters with seers, and long catalogues of deities praising the Bodhisattva’s virtues. It culminates in the defeat of Māra beneath the Bodhi tree, awakening, and the first turning of the Dharma Wheel for the five ascetics at Ṛṣipatana (Sarnath). Rich with cosmic imagery and praise, the sūtra frames the Buddha’s career as a playful display (lalita) that reveals the path to liberation.
Historiography
Preserved in Sanskrit (notably the Lefmann 1902 edition) and included in the Tibetan Kangyur; associated with the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition yet clearly Mahāyāna in tone. Early Chinese translations (as Puyao Jing) attest to circulation by the 4th century. Modern critical work compares Sanskrit witnesses with Tibetan and Chinese versions, revealing layered redaction and insertion of hymnic and catalogic materials.
Date Notes
Mahāyāna biography drawing on earlier biographies and avadāna material; extant in Sanskrit with Tibetan and early Chinese translations (as Puyao Jing, 4th c.).
Themes
Archetypes
Symbols
Major Characters
- Gautama Buddha
- Queen Māyā
- King Śuddhodana
- Māra
- Brahmā
- Śakra
Myths
- Descent from Tuṣita
- Birth at Lumbinī
- The Great Departure
- Defeat of Māra
- Enlightenment at Bodh Gayā
- First Turning of the Dharma Wheel
Facts
- A Mahāyāna Sanskrit sūtra presenting the Buddha’s life as a cosmic ‘play’ (lalita).
- Ends with the first sermon to the five ascetics at Ṛṣipatana (Sarnath).
- Text combines prose and verse; many chapters are hymnic panegyrics.
- Closely related to, but distinct from, Aśvaghoṣa’s Buddhacarita and the Mahāvastu.
- Chinese translation as Puyao Jing attests circulation by the early 4th century CE.
- Included in the Tibetan Kangyur; often linked to the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition.
- Standard modern English translation is available via the 84000 project.
- Sanskrit critical base often cites Lefmann’s 1902 edition and later collation.
- Narrative emphasizes miracles and divine participation surrounding the Bodhisattva.
- Influenced later visual and literary depictions of the Buddha’s life across Asia.