The Buddha’s biographical account contained in the Bodhirājakumāra Sutta (MN 85) is certainly no ordinary Buddhist text. What seems not to be always appreciated is the fact that this discourse contains the earliest available version of the near-complete biographical account, from the going forth to the conversion of the first disciples. In part this may be due to its postion within MN, since parallel versions of parts of the account preceeding MN 85 (as MN 26 for part 2, and MN 36 for part 1) have led to heavy abbreviations in most edtions of the Pāli text and its translations, ‘hiding’ as it were the actual significance of the text.
There are many good reasons to agree with Erich Frauwallner (‘The Earliest Vinaya and the Beginnings of Buddhist Literature’, Roma 1956) that this biographical account originally formed the initial part of the Vinaya Mahāvagga of the Mahākhandhaka, where it still stands in the Mahīśāsaka and Dharmaguptaka Vinaya tradition, and where the Theravāda tradition has retained the second part which comences after the event of the awakening. However it should not be forgotten that right at the beginning of Vin III, Mahāvibhaṅga, Verañjakaṇḍa 1 has preserved the portion from jhāna-meditation up to awakening (see references below). The Mahāvastu (which refers to itself as a Vinaya text) and the Saṃghabhedavastu seem to confirm this fact.
No other text has shaped the history of the Buddhist community in a comparable manner, and certainly the composition of further Sutta and Vinaya texts as well. The numerous parallels, pericopes, quotations, verses, references etc. found in other texts are a clear indication that this account was held in the highest esteem ever since from the earliest times. The genial move of its author(s) to incorporate the central Buddhist doctrines in a biographical garb certainly contributed much to its preservation in the face of constant pressure from an intensely competitive religious and social environment. Besides it is a true masterpiece from a purely literary point of view, certainly unique as a composition of its time and for many centuries to come.
Therefore I am glad to share some more quotations of parallel versions and translations into modern languages. Where I found the listing in SC to be incomplete or too unspecific I have specified the page numbers for easier reference. Only major parts or whole portions of the text have been listed as parallels below. Pericopes, single passages, verses etc. found in other texts have not been considered, since that would probably exceed the purpose and intent of SC.
The multiple listing in SC of a ‘Chinese Mahīśāsaka Bhikkhu Vibhaṅga Sekhiya 1–100#t0074b12’ parallel, which has been listed an estimated 200 times as a parallel, has probably occured due to a technical error, and if so could perhaps be removed.
Near-complete Parallels (from going forth up to conversion of first disciples):
Mahāvastu II, 117 – 133 (Part 1), III 314 – 329 (Part 2)
(Note: corresponding passages in Mvu III, 314-315, 317-318, 322-323, 325-327, 329)
English Translation by J.J. Jones, Mahāvastu Vol. 2 and Vol. 3
Lalitavistara 174 – 175, 180 – 188, 192 – 193, 250 – 253 (Part 1), 289 – 298 (Part 2)
English Translation by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee, ‘The Play in Full’, tanslated from the Tibetan version Toh 95, Degé Kangyur, vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1b–216b. Chapter 16 - The Visit of King Bimbisāra, p. 178 ff.
Saṃghabhedavastu I, 97 – 108, 116 – 119, 128 – 134
Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, T 1428, 780b7 -788a5
Translated into English by the Bodhi Translation Committee, Published by the Bodhi Foundation for Culture and Education, 2014, Dharmaguptaka Vinaya - Ordination Skandhaka Part 1 and 2, available at http://dharmaguptakavinaya.wordpress.com
French Translation by A. Bareau in ‘Recherches sur la Biographie du Buddha’, 1963
Mahīśāsaka Vinaya, T 1421, 102c14 -104b22
French Translation by A. Bareau in ‘Recherches sur la Biographie du Buddha’, 1963
First Part of the Biography (going forth up to awakening):
DĀs 20, Kāyabhāvanā Sūtra (Gilgit Sanskrit Manuscripts)
(Parallel to MN 36, Mahāsaccaka Sutta and EĀc 31.8, T II 670c02)
‘Versenkung und Askese’, Zhen Liu, Dissertation LMU München 2008.
Critical edition of the Sanskrit Text of the ‘Kāyabhāvanā Sūtra’ of the Gilgit Sanskrit Manuscripts, with comparison of parallel versions in Pāli and Sanskrit. German translation and notes.
DĀs 21, Bodha Sūtra (Gilgit Sanskrit Manuscripts)
(biographical part with abbreviation referring to DĀs 20 up to awakening)
DĀs 22, Śaṃkaraka Sūtra (Gilgit Sanskrit Manuscripts)
(biographical part with abbreviation referring to DĀs 20 up to awakening)
Second Part of the Biography (from awakening to conversion of first disciples):
Catuṣpariṣat Sūtra (SHT, Sanskrit text edited by E. Waldschmidt, 1957)
Comparative study of content in ‘Vergleichende Analyse des Catuṣpariṣat Sūtra’,
E. Waldschmidt, Hamburg 1951
EĀc 19.1, T II 593a24
English translation by A. Bareau in BSR 16.1 (1999), p. 21-22
EĀc 24.5, T II 618a27
English translation by A. Bareau in BSR 16.1 (1999), p. 22-26
Middle Portion of the Biography (jhāna-meditation up to awakening):
MN 4, Bhayabherava Sutta MN I 16 = EĀc 31.1, T II 665b17
MN 19, Dvedhāvitakka Sutta MN I 114 = MĀc 102, T I 589a11
Vin III, Mahāvibhaṅga, Verañjakaṇḍa 1 = AN 8.11, Verañja Sutta AN IV 172 = MĀc 157, T I 679b04