Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Śālistamba Sūtra emerged in a period when Buddhist literature was still taking shape and could date as far back as 200 BCE. This places it before the Mahayana movement had diverged significantly from Early Buddhist schools.
Louis de La Vallée-Poussin began reconstructing the Sanskrit original in 1913. Researchers pieced together fragments from multiple sources to rebuild the original language since no complete Sanskrit version exists today.
Some manuscripts of the text were discovered at Dunhuang, adding to their historical value. These versions allow researchers to compare how the same teachings evolved differently across traditions.
A unique feature applies a simile of seed and plants to dependent origination. This metaphor does not appear in the Pali canon but offers a new way to understand how causes lead to effects.
The sutra is said to be given by the Bodhisattva Maitreya. It ends stating that whoever understands dependent arising will become a perfectly enlightened Buddha.