Abstract
AbstractThis chapter presents an English translation of the Sinhala Thūpavaṃsa, focusing on the career of Bodhisattva. The story begins in the ancient land of Jambudvīpa (India; Sinhala: Dambadiva), wherein the ascetic Sumedha aspires to become a Buddha in the future, thereby setting in motion a series of lifetimes that culminate in the Awakening of Gautama Buddha. Many medieval Sri Lankan vasas typically begin with at least a brief recounting of the Buddha's life, starting with his bodhisattva career. Parākrama imitates this convention, but greatly elaborates upon the brief account in Vācissara's text. The vow Sumedha makes before the former Buddha Dīpakara is followed by a series of predictions whereby subsequent Buddhas encounter the Bodhisattva and confirm that he will one day become a Buddha named Gautama. The text's focus on relics is anticipated by remarks regarding the fate of the bodily relics of all the previous Buddhas.
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