Description

Taishō 192

Volume 4

Buddhacarita: In Praise of Buddha’s Acts is a biography of Śākyamuni written by Aśvaghoṣa, the great Buddhist poet of the first century A.D. (v. No. 93). Whereas the extant Sanskrit text begins with Śākyamuni’s birth and, describing his youth and mental anguishes, ends with his defeat of Māra, the Chinese version deals with the rest of his life as well, thus forming a complete biography. This latter half is not, however, an addition which was appended to the text in China, but has simply been lost from the original Sanskrit. This biography, then, is especially valuable for representing the full scope of the original work.

As noted in the Translator’s Introduction to the volume, the Chinese version lacks the full poetic and literary refinement of the extant Sanskrit version.

Source
Skt. Buddhacarita, translated by Tán Wúchèn [var. Fafeng] into the Chinese as Fo suoxing zan (佛所行讃). 5 fascicles.