Atthakathā Buddhavaṁsa: Storytelling as a Buddhist Literature

Abstract

The article aims to study the narrative strategies of 25 Atthakathā Buddhavaṁsa and the metaphor techniques of Atthakathā Buddhavaṁsa. It was found that, in terms of conducting scheduled narrative time, it could be divided into two ways. First and foremost, regarding storytelling in relation to the timeline in the narrative, there was step-by-step narration, which could be switched between the present and past. Secondly, regarding storytelling in relation to the reader’s time, there were the summary, ellipsis, and stop narration. Moreover, in terms of story description, we had found three metaphors, including metaphors, implicit metaphors, and mix metaphors. Actually, metaphor was important to narrate with the aim of understanding the Buddha Practice in Atthakathā Buddhavaṁsa in a facile way.