Baiju piyu jing 百句譬喻經

The Parable Sutra, Chinese title Baiju piyu jing 百句譬喻經, Baiyujing 百喻經 or Baipijing 百譬經, Sanskrit title theoretically Apadāna-sūtra (no originals have been discovered so far), is a literary work of popular Buddhist instruction in China. The original was compiled by Saṃghasena (Ch. Sengjiasina 僧伽斯那, 5th cent.), which was translated under the Southern Qi dynasty 南齊 (479-502) by Guṇavṛddhī (Ch. Qiunapidi 求那毗地, d. 502), with a length of 4 juan (modern versions have either 1 or 2 fascicles).

Using the form of parables and analogies, it explains the fundamental teachings of Buddhism through one hundred (actually ninety-eight) examples, such as karmic cause and effect (yinguo baoying 因果報應), the Eightfold Path (bazhengdao 八正道), generosity (dāna, Ch. bushi 布施), observance of moral precepts (chijie 持戒), etc.

At the end of each story, a didactic summary is attached. Some of the parables still today possess meaning even without being interpreted according to Buddhist doctrine. The Republican writer Lu Xun 魯迅 (1881-1936) once contributed funds to have the Parable Sutra printed, and in 1926, he wrote an inscription for a new edition titled Chihuaman 癡華鬘, in which he emphasized the importance of these ancient Indian parables. This new edition removed the didactic portions of the Baiyujing, retaining only the stories, thereby making it a purely literary work.