The AvadÃÂnaà Âataka (A Hundred Tales) is a Buddhist anthology in Sanskrit of one hundred Buddhist avadÃÂna legends associated with the Mà «lasarvÃÂstivÃÂda school. The Sanskrit text's composition date is uncertain, with an approximate origin around 100 CE or later, between the second and fourth centuries CE.
The collection likely originated in the northwest Indian subcontinent, with some fragments discovered in the Schøyen Collection, possibly from BÃÂmiyÃÂn. The Mà «lasarvÃÂstivÃÂda affiliation is supported by shared passages with the DivyÃÂvadÃÂna and the Mà «lasarvÃÂstivÃÂda Vinaya, as well as its textual and thematic parallels. The AvadÃÂnaà Âataka is similar to and possibly from the same milieu as the Aà ÂokÃÂvadÃÂna and the RatnamÃÂlÃÂvadÃÂna.
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 AvadÃÂnaà Âataka comprises 100 avadÃÂna 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 (dÃÂna), 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."