The Account of the Noble Deeds of Shrisena

This sutra, The Account of the Noble Deeds of Shrisena (Skt. Śrīsenāvadāna; Tib. དཔལ་གྱི་སྡེའི་རྟོགས་པ་བརྗོད་པ།, Wyl. dpal gyi sde’i rtogs pa rjod pa) belongs to one of the most beloved narrative genres in Buddhism, the past life story, avadana. It deals with one of the most powerful and pervasive themes in this genre, the bodhisattva’s bodily sacrifice for the benefit of living beings. In this avadana, the act of bodily sacrifice performed by the Buddha’s previous incarnation, the bodhisattva king Shrisena, forms the centrepiece of an elaborate morality tale extolling the virtues and far-reaching benefits of selfless generosity.

Text

There seems to be no extant Sanskrit version of this sutra.

Tibetan Translation

The Tibetan translation of this sutra can be found in the General Sutra section of the Tibetan Dergé Kangyur, Toh 349. Colophons of the Tibetan canonical translations of this text indicate that it was translated from Sanskrit by the Indian preceptor Dharmashribhadra, a chief editor called Sherab Lekpa, and the famous translator Rinchen Zangpo.

• English translation: Lokākṣi Translator Group, The Account of the Noble Deeds of Śrīsena