Studies discovering, analysing and interpreting chiasmus in classical Indian Buddhist literature have previously been undertaken on the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, and the Vessantara Jātaka. All three texts share a common feature of Avadāna type past life stories of the characters involved, of which, the Prajñāpāramitā and Vessantara make direct reference to past lives of the Buddha. Seeking a prototype for such a recurring theme of chiastic hagiographic literature, this study will examine the traditional hagiographies of the Buddha as the master narrative of Buddhism. Building on well-established elements of this story found in all textual exemplars, we shall focus on the structural elements of the bodhisattva’s renunciation from the palace (A), his awakening in the forest (X), to his first return to Kapilvastu to convert his family members (A′), plus other paired elements (…-B-C-D-…-D′-C′-B′-…). This study will not rely exclusively on any single text, but will draw from a range of texts in Pāli, Sanskrit and Chinese such as the Nidānakathā, the Lalitavistara and the Abhiniṣkramaṇa, giving due attention to the problems this pastiche approach can create; as well as modern translations and studies of this literature. Finally, some comparisons and reflections will be made between this paradigmatic structure and van Gennep’s (also Turner’s) notion of “liminality” in initiation rites, working toward an understanding of how textual structural chiasmus relates to the experiential social chiasmus of ordaining monastics in a Buddhist context.
