Toh 348The Exemplary Tale of Candraprabha
Pāli / Sanskrit:Candraprabhāvadāna
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An Exposition of the Sūtra of the Noble Deeds of Chandraprabha
Background
The Candraprabhāvadāna (The Account of the Noble Deeds of Chandraprabha, the bodhisattva who shines like moonlight) is one of the precious avadānas in the Kangyur of the Northern Tibetan Mahāyāna tradition. An avadāna is a genre of narrative scripture that illustrates merit and cause and effect through the memorable deeds of holy beings, bodhisattvas, or benefactors of the Buddha.
This sūtra is recorded in the Tibetan Buddhist canon, the Kangyur, as Toh 348, showing its important place within the Mahāyāna scriptural corpus. Its compositional background may be traced to ancient avadāna collections translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan during Tibet’s great translation period, from the eighth to the twelfth century.
The name Chandraprabha means “shining like moonlight” or “Moonlight Radiance,” symbolizing clear wisdom and gentle compassion, two fundamental qualities of the bodhisattva path in the Mahāyāna.
Main Contents
The sūtra recounts Bodhisattva Chandraprabha’s course of practice through many former lives. In one life, Chandraprabha is a royal prince endowed with excellent material conditions, yet he still gives rise to the resolve to practice in order to liberate beings from suffering. Instead of accepting worldly advantages, he renounces all wealth and honor to pursue the true Dharma.
More deeply, the sūtra describes the afflictions (kleśas) that Chandraprabha must overcome: desire and anger, greed, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. Each stage of his spiritual journey bears witness to the essential steps of the bodhisattva path: not only liberating oneself, but also liberating all beings.
The sūtra emphasizes the bodhisattva practices (bodhisattva-caryā): generosity (dāna), discipline (śīla), patience (kṣānti), diligence (vīrya), meditative concentration (dhyāna), and wisdom (prajñāpti). These practices are not isolated disciplines, but a unified system for transforming the mind and establishing the foundation for buddhahood.
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