of these occur in relation to important events in the Buddha's life, especially those involving his family. But they also occur independently. Erich Frauwallner argued that the portion of Vinaya known as the Khandhakas was formed around one of the earliest versions of the Buddha's life story. Later Vinaya texts such as the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya and the Mahāvastu added even more mythic material while some texts also arose out of this material becoming detached from the Vinaya and beginning to circulate as independent biographies of the Buddha. Some of the myths told in the Vinayas include: The Buddha's awakening. The period after the Buddha's awakening such as the 'first sermon' (this corresponds to the “return” portion of Campbell's hero cycle) The ordination of the Buddha's stepmother Mahāpajāpatī. This episode is particularly rich in mythic imagery and meaning. The rebellion of Devadatta. (betrayal by a close relative is familiar in the myths of, for example, Jesus, Balder, and Osiris.) The medical training of the doctor Jīvaka. The story of Prince Dīghāvu. Multiple original stories for Vinaya rules include mythic motifs, for example the stupa rule. In post-Ashokan texts While the early texts were mostly completed in the pre-Ashokan period, the post-Ashokan period saw the widespread adoption of Buddhism as a popular religion. At this time, Buddhism was spreading across the Indian subcontinent and beyond, and several distinct schools were emerging in different regions. It seems likely that each school would have used the life of the Buddha as a primary teaching vehicle. Several distinctive versions of this story survive. While these vary greatly in their literary forms, there is little doctrinal difference between them. Such texts include the following: Mahāvastu (“Great Story”) of the Mahāsaṁghika-Lokuttaravāda. This text is written in Hybrid Sanskrit, and is a loose compilation of diverse texts from multiple sources, sometimes repeating the same story, and with little attempt to create literary unity. Buddhacarita (“Life of the Buddha”) by Aśvaghoṣa. This is a sophisticated and polished Sanskrit epic poem by one of India's foremost poets. Lalitavistara Sūtra (“The Play in Detail”) of the Sarvāstivādins. Styled as a Sanskrit sutra, the Lalitavistara was very popular in northern forms of Buddhism. It is the basis for many events carved in Borobudur. The Theravāda "Discussion of the Links" (Nidana-katha) of the "Discussion of the Meaning of the Birth Stories" (Jataka-attha-katha). This is situated as the introduction and setting for the Pali