Tuesday, August 11, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Narrative, Jataka, and Exempla
Tibetan-preserved Buddhist narrative literature, Jataka praise, parables, and exemplary stories, now including the independently translated D4341, D4343, and D4344 attainment narratives with their Tibetan sources.
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Texts
Garland of ExamplesA Sarvastivada narrative about a Buddhist layman in ancient Gandhara who debates Brahmin priests on the nature of true worship, demonstrating the Buddha's supreme qualities through philosophical argument. First English translation.Garland of the Ornaments of the Fortunate AeonA liturgical recitation of the names of the thousand Buddhas prophesied to appear in the Bhadrakalpa — the Fortunate Aeon — composed by the great Kashmiri paṇḍita Śākyaśrībhadra. First English translation.The Garland of Light — KambalaA Yogācāra-Madhyamaka treatise establishing mind-only through philosophical argument, empirical observation, and meditative instruction, then dissolving mind itself into emptiness and the three natures — by the Indian master Kambala, never before in EnglishThe Garland of ParablesA vivid narrative debate in which a Buddhist layperson from ancient Gandhāra defends the Buddha's qualities before a gathering of Brahmins — through parables, logic, and verse, demonstrating that true virtue lies in non-violence, compassion, and the conquest of afflictions.The Jewel Garland of Stainless Questions and Answers — AmoghodgataA catechism of Buddhist wisdom in questions and answers, composed by King Amoghodgata and translated into Tibetan by the great lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo. First English translation.The Story of a Woman’s Attainment of Siddhi — D4343A woman in Bhaṃgala learns the Six-Syllable practice after it prevents her deceased husband, reborn as a hungry ghost, from entering a merchant's lodging, and is freed from him.The Story of Sukhadeva’s Attainment of SiddhiA ruined merchant's son sacrifices an inherited sandalwood Buddha image to save a woman, practices the Six Syllables, and is led with his companions to Potala.The Story of the Attainment of the Siddhi of Mahākaruṇika By VīkhyātadevaA Tibetan siddha story in which Vīkhyātadeva practices the six syllables, returns alive from his funeral pyre, and recounts his rescue from Yama's men by four deities. Independently translated from Tengyur D4341.The Taming of the Naga through King AshokaA Sarvastivada narrative from the Tengyur epistles — King Ashoka tames a naga king who destroyed merchants' ships, not through military force but through the power of merit earned by venerating the Buddha's relics. First English translation.
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Begin with [[Buddhist/Tibetan/Narrative, Jataka, and Exempla/The Story of the Attainment of the Siddhi of Mahākaruṇika By Vīkhyātadeva|the D4341 story of Vīkhyātadeva's return from the funeral pyre]], [[Buddhist/Tibetan/Narrative, Jataka, and Exempla/The Story of a Woman’s Attainment of Siddhi — D4343|the D4343 story of a woman freed from a hungry ghost]], or [[Buddhist/Tibetan/Narrative, Jataka, and Exempla/The Story of Sukhadeva’s Attainment of Siddhi|the D4344 story of Sukhadeva's journey to Potala]].