The Lalitavistara is a treasure trove for art historians. Many of the iconic visual tropes of Buddhist art originated from descriptions found in this text:

The text begins not on Earth, but in the Tushita Heaven. The Bodhisattva decides it is time to descend to Earth to achieve Buddhahood. He chooses his parents, King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, and enters the womb in the form of a white elephant. The sutra describes the womb as a jeweled pavilion where the Bodhisattva remains visible to the gods, teaching the Dharma even before his birth.

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The birth scene at Lumbini is grandiose. The Bodhisattva is born standing up, taking seven steps, and declaring, "I am born for enlightenment, for the welfare of the world; this is my last birth."

A significant portion of the text is dedicated to the Buddha's youth as Prince Siddhartha. It details his education, showcasing his superiority over his teachers in the Vedas, mathematics, archery, and the arts. This serves to establish that the Buddha was a master of worldly knowledge before he renounced it, dispelling the notion that he renounced the world out of inability or ignorance.