Mahāvastu
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The Mahāvastu (Sanskrit for "Great Event" or "Great Story") is a canonical text of the Mahāsāṃghika Lokottaravāda school of Early Buddhism which was originally part of the school's Vinaya pitaka.[1][2] The Mahāvastu is a composite multi-life hagiography of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Its numerous textual layers are held by scholars to have been compiled between the 2nd century BCE and 4th century CE.[3][4][5]
The Mahāvastu was first published in the West in an editio princeps by Émile Senart between 1882 and 1897.[6] This edition is in a language which has been termed Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit.[7]