《佛祖巡游记》是一部讲述南传上座部佛教，即小乘佛教传入傣族地区的经典，在西双版纳地区流传极广，影响深远。 经中记述了世尊佛祖的前世和今生。佛祖在菩提树下修得正果，觉悟圆满一切知智慧。佛祖大彻大悟，生大慈大悲心怀。为普度众生，传播佛法教义，率四众弟子:阿难陀、帕雅英、帕雅阿梭及比亚，持钵乞食，南行传教。佛祖创建五千年佛历，教化魔界，普度众生，每到一个地方，都受到当地人们的欢迎和崇敬，以饭水食物及各种财物虔诚供奉和布施，为建立佛教，向佛祖讨取头发及脚印，建造佛发塔及脚印塔，以及佛祖寺庙，作为信徒叩拜和供奉的地方。

　　佛祖率众弟子游世传教数年，以一切知智慧预测佛教五千年中，各个时期将会发生的各种灾祸和福运。自知将于80岁时涅槃而去，嘱咐众弟子，在佛涅槃去后，将佛的遗骨和舍利，分布在各个寨勐，预言了各个寨勐的名字。众弟子遵循佛祖遗训，在佛祖涅槃去后，将舍利和遗骨分布在各方，建造起佛寺延续佛教，直到达五千佛历。佛祖所预言的山、水、寨、勐名称，也成为现实延续至今。西双版纳境内许多勐名、寨名、地名来源于此书。

　　本集的出版，对于研究傣族社会，研究小乘佛教史将有重要的参考价值。

　　THE TRAVELS OF BUDDHA

　　The Travels of Buddha is a scripture about Southern Buddhism, also regarded as the sutra of Hinayana introduced into the Dai area long ago. It goes round widely and has great influence in Xishuangbanna. The scripture records and narrates the preexistence and this life of Buddha. It is said when Buddha cultivated himself under the banyan and finally reached the spiritual state of an immortal, he was full of consciousness and wisdom. Buddha suddenly became enlightened and infinitely merciful. In order to save the masses of mankind and radiate the doctrine of Buddhism, he led his four disciples Ananda, Payaying, Payajun and Biya to the south and radiated Buddhist doctrine, while begging with an earthen bowl. It was Buddha who had founded Buddhism with a history for five thousand years. He even moralized the demon world and saved the masses of mankind. Wherever he arrived, he was welcome and respected by the natives who entertained him with food, water and other wealth as oblation and donation. To establish Buddhism, they asked Buddha for his hair and footprint to build Buddha Hair Pagoda, Footprint Pagoda and Buddhist Temple as the places for believers to kotow and worship.

　　Buddha traveled around the world with his disciples headed by him and propagandized for years. With all his wisdom, he predicted all the events, disasters and fortunes that would happen in every stage of the later five thousand years. As he knew that he would pass away and enter nirvana at the age of eighty, he bid his disciples to distribute his reliquiae and sarira (relic) to every village and place after he entered the nirvana and predicted the name of every village and place. After he entered the nirvana, his disciples distributed his reliquiae and sarira to every place according to his teaching and will. They built up Buddha temples and made Buddhism be carried on for five thousand years. Later, all the mountains, rivers and villages got their names as Buddha predicted and these names are still used today. Now many names of districts, villages and places used within the boundary of Xishuangbanna originate from this book.

　　The publishing of this collection will provide with important reference value in the research of the Dai society and the history of Hinahana.