The aim of this paper is to examine the sectarian affiliation of stories contained in the Xianyu jing (賢愚経), paying attention to the use of narratives and cliches in the extant Vinayas. If, for instance, we find the same story in both a sutra of an unknown sect and in all the extant Vinayas, and we can confirm that the recension of the sutra shares certain parallels in terms of the narrative and stock phrases with only one Vinaya, then the sutra can be safely ascribed to that sect. Here I would like to show some examples which may offer sufficient evidence to support the claim that the stories contained in this sutra are indeed to be ascribed to the Sarvastivadins.
