Introduction

i.1The Noble Sūtra of Jñānaka: An Exemplary Tale of the Buddha is one of a number of avadānas (Tib. rtogs pa brjod pa), or exemplary tales, preserved in the Kangyur. Avadāna is a narrative genre of Buddhist literature that describes how virtuous actions play out across lifetimes. True to the avadāna genre, The Sūtra of Jñānaka relates the otherwise unimaginable workings of karma across several lifetimes, beginning with a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. This god has reached the end of his life and foresees his rebirth in the womb of a pig in Vaiśālī, the Licchavi capital at the time of the Buddha. Another god overhears his cries of agony and encourages him to call upon the Buddha, who is staying in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to give teachings to his mother, who had passed away not long after his birth. The Buddha prompts the dying god to seek refuge in the Three Jewels, and, instead of being reborn to the sow, the god finds himself born into a merchant family in Vaiśālī. Immediately after his birth, he praises the Three Jewels, leading his astounded parents to name him Jñānaka, “He Who Possesses Knowledge.” At the age of eight, Jñānaka encounters the Buddha on an alms round. Recollecting his past life, he offers alms to the Buddha and invites him and his monks to a midday meal at his parents’ home. Jñānaka’s parents make elaborate preparations to receive the Buddha and his monks, which prompts the Buddha to prophesy that Jñānaka’s offerings will act as the cause for his eventual awakening as the buddha known as King of Foremost Knowing.

i.2The basic narrative of The Sūtra of Jñānaka is similar to that of the text that immediately follows it in the Kangyur, The Exemplary Tale About a Sow (Toh 345: Sūkarikāvadāna; phag mo’i rtogs pa brjod pa), wherein another god similarly laments his imminent rebirth as a pig in Rājagṛha. His tearful laments prompt Śakra, lord of the gods, to instruct him to take refuge in the Three Jewels as a means to prevent such an unwelcome event. In this sūtra, the god does not take rebirth in the human realm as Jñānaka does, but rather in the Tuṣita heaven.

i.3The Sūtra of Jñānaka survives only in Tibetan translation; there are no extant Sanskrit witnesses, and it does not appear to have been translated into Chinese. The Sūtra of Jñānaka is listed in the Denkarma (Tib. ldan/lhan dkar ma) and Phanthangma (Tib. ’phang thang ma) catalogs, the two extant indexes of translations from the Imperial Period (629–841 ᴄᴇ). The sūtra’s colophon states that the sūtra was translated by the Tibetan monk and prolific translator Kawa Paltsek (ca. eighth century) together with the Indian preceptors Vidyākarasiṃha and Sarvajñādeva. This evidence allows us to date the Tibetan translation of The Sūtra of Jñānaka to approximately the eighth century.

i.4This English translation is based on the Tibetan edition found in the Degé Kangyur, which was read alongside the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and Stok Palace (Tib. stog pho brang) Kangyurs. The Sūtra of Jñānaka has not previously been translated into any Western languages nor has it received substantial scholarly treatment.