The collection likely originated in the northwest Indian subcontinent, with some fragments discovered in the Schøyen Collection, possibly from Bamyan. The Mulasarvastivada affiliation is supported by shared passages with the Divyāvadāna and the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, as well as its textual and thematic parallels. The Avadānaśataka is similar to and possibly from the same milieu as the Ashokavadana and the Ratnamālāvadāna.
The text was later translated into Chinese (as Zhuanji baiyuan jing) and into Tibetan. The Chinese translation dates to the late 5th or early 6th century. Tibetan translation occurred in the early 9th century by Jinamitra and Devacandra.
The Avadānaśataka comprises 100 Avadana stories arranged in ten chapters. Each chapter has a central theme:
Each tale follows a three-part structure: A frame story set in the present, a recounting of past deeds causing current experiences, and a narrative bridge linking the past and present actors.
Recurring motifs in these tales include devotion to the Buddha, the merits of generosity (dāna), and the workings of karma. Many stories conclude with a formula highlighting karmic consequences which states: "Black actions bear black fruits, white actions white fruits, and mixed ones mixed fruits. Avoid black and mixed actions; pursue only white."
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