A History of Indian Literature, Volume II: Buddhist Literature and Jaina Literature

The volume is divided into two main sections. Section III, “Buddhist Literature,” opens with the Pāli canon or Tipiṭaka and studies the Vinayapiṭaka, Suttapiṭaka, Abhidhammapiṭaka, Buddhist scholastic literature, non-canonical Pāli literature, and Buddhist literature in pure and mixed Sanskrit. Major topics include the remnants of the Sanskrit canon, the Mahāvastu, the Lalitavistara, the poet Aśvaghoṣa and his school, Avadāna literature, Mahāyāna sūtras, masters and poets of the Mahāyāna, Māhātmya texts, stotras, dhāraṇīs, tantras, and the relation of Buddhist literature to universal literature. Section IV, “Jaina Literature,” introduces Jainism and its literary tradition, then discusses the Jaina canons or Siddhānta and the non-canonical Jaina literature. The volume also contains appendices on chronological and historical problems, including the year of the Buddha’s death, the meaning of Pāli, Aśoka’s Bhabru-Bairat edict, Buddhaghosa, Kaniṣka’s date, and the year of Mahāvīra’s death.