The History of Buddhist Thought c21.35

c21.35

The developed state of the bodhisattva doctrine in Theravāda, with its entire absence in the earlier literature, makes it appear as if it had been introduced from another school. The *Buddhavamsa* existed in a Sanskrit form, and it is probable that the doctrine in this developed form was introduced along with this work. It was explained in such a way that it could be held in an orthodox manner in harmony with earlier doctrine, for it was never applied to any other individual than the historical Buddha or his predecessors. The *Buddhavamsa* was evidently known to the compiler of the *Mahāvastu*, and in this work the Bodhisatta doctrine, though more developed, is essentially like that in the *Buddhavamsa*.