Abstract

The j?taka story of the Bodhisattva Sad?prarudita, the most well known version of which is found in the A??as?hasrik?-prajñ?p?ramit?-s?tra, is a story that has been used in different ways in various Buddhist traditions that flourished in India, Central Asia, China and Tibet. For example, it is quoted and discussed in several commentarial and biographical works in Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan and it is found in Candrak?rti’s Prasannapad?,??ntideva’s?ik??samuccaya, and works about the lives of eminent Tibetan masters, such as Marpa, Milarepa, Rechungpa. In some works Sad?prarudita is presented as the paragon of one who searches for prajñ?p?ramit?; in others he is the model for those who desire to serve their gurus. In China, moreover, during the early stage of the Pure Land tradition, Sad?prarudita was regarded as the preeminent exemplar of one practising the niànfós?nmèi????. This paper will examine the story of Sad?prarudita as it is preserved in different sources, and will address its significance and the possible reasons for its employment by different Buddhist traditions.