The 'Buddhavamsa' (-vaṃsa) is a Buddhist scripture, part of the
Pali Canon of
Theravada Buddhism. It is included there in the
Sutta Pitaka's
Khuddaka Nikaya. It is a fairly short work in verse, in 28 chapters.
The first chapter tells how the
Buddha used his
psychic powers to create a jewelled walkway. In the second chapter he tells how in a distant past life as Sumedha he took a vow to become a Buddha, received a prediction from the then
Buddha Dipankara that he would indeed do so and thought out the 10
perfections he would need to practise. The next 23 chapters tell of the intervening 23
Buddhas and the acts of merit that the Buddha performed towards them in his previous lives. Chapter 26 tells of his own life, Chapter 27 summarizes all these Buddhas and a few more and Chapter 28 tells of the distribution of the Buddha's relics after his death.
Translations
★ "The lineage of the Buddhas", in ''Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon'', volume III, 1st edition, tr B. C. Law, 1938
★ ''The Genealogy of the Buddhas'', tr M. V. Takin, Bombay University Publications, 1969
★ "Chronicle of Buddhas", in ''Minor Anthologies'' III, 2nd edition, tr I. B. Horner, 1975,
Pali Text Society[1], Lancaster