The History of Buddhist Thought c28.s3.6

c28.s3.6

It was by the Theravādins that this type was cultivated. They made a special collection, and were able to include secular tales and fables of any kind provided that one of the characters in the tale was the future Buddha. In the same way the Sarvāstivādins made collections of Avadānas. Their special feature is that an incident is told of a character in Buddha’s time, and it is then explained by Buddha as the result of some heroic act (*avadāna*) done in a previous existence. It is thus possible for Jātaka and Avadāna to overlap. The Avadānas have an important doctrinal significance, as they contain evidence for the rise of new dogmas during the centuries when the Canon as represented by the Vinaya and Āgamas was closed. This is seen also in the Avadāna of another school, the *Mahāvastu*.¹