འཕགས་པ་དཔལ་སྦས་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་མད intro.2

intro.2

The Śrīgupta Sūtra tells the story of a plot to kill Śākyamuni Buddha by fire and poison, a narrative that frames four additional stories of the Buddha’s past lives that demonstrate examples of his invulnerability. In the framing narrative, the assassination attempt is carried out by the titular Śrīgupta. He is ordered to kill the Buddha by his Jain teacher, Jñātiputra, who disputes Śākyamuni’s claim to omniscience. However, because the Buddha is in fact omniscient, he sees through the plot and uses it as an opportunity to bring Śrīgupta to the Buddhist path. In its broad strokes, this story is similar to the one found in the Dhammapada-aṭṭhakathā, a fourth- or fifth-century Pali scriptural commentary.