Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Narrative, Jataka, and Exempla
Tibetan-preserved Buddhist narrative literature, Jataka praise, parables, and exemplary stories.
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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 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.