The Buddhavaá¹Âsa (also known as the Chronicle of Buddhas) is a hagiographical Buddhist text which describes the life of Gautama Buddha and of the twenty-four Buddhas who preceded him and prophesied his attainment of Buddhahood. It is the fourteenth book of the Khuddaka NikÃÂya, which in turn is the fifth and last division of the Sutta Piá¹Âaka. The Sutta Piá¹Âaka is one of three piá¹Âakas (main sections) which together constitute the Tipiá¹Âaka, or PÃÂli Canon of TheravÃÂda Buddhism.
Along with the ApadÃÂna and the CariyÃÂpiá¹Âaka, the Buddhavaá¹Âsa is considered by most scholars to have been written during the 1st and 2nd century BCE, and is therefore a late addition to the PÃÂli Canon.
The first chapter tells how Gautama Buddha, to demonstrate his supernormal knowledge, creates a jewelled walkway in the sky. In seeing this display, SÃÂriputta asks the Buddha:
In response, the Buddha relays the remainder of the Buddhavaá¹Âsa.
In the second chapter Gautama tells how in a distant past life as a layman named Sumedha, he received a prediction from Dëpankara Buddha that "In the next era you will become a buddha named Gotama.", and told him the ten perfections he would need to practice.
Chapters 3 through 26 are accounts of the twenty-four historical Buddhas who achieved Buddhahood between Dëpankara and Gautama, and the acts of merit that Gautama performed towards them in his previous lives.
Chapter 27 is an account of the life of Gautama Buddha.
Chapter 28 mentions three Buddhas that preceded Dëpankara, as well as the future Buddha, Maitreya.
Chapter 29 tells of the distribution of Gautama Buddha's relics after his death.