Fetching
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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ome of the recurring passages do not consist of such summaries, but are actual episodes in the history. As an instance of these we may take the long extract at the end of the first, and the beginning of the second chapter (I, 20-II, 3, and again II, 16-II, 24), which is found also in the Mah&-vagga. The words are (nearly 1 ) identical in both places, but in the Book of the Great Decease the account occurs in its proper place in the middle of a connected narrative, whereas in the Mahft- vagga, a treatise on the Rules and Regulations of the Order, it seems strangely out of place. So the passage, also a long one, with which the Book of the Great 1 On the difference see the note at II, 16. It affects only a few localising phrases in a narrative occupying (in the translation) thirteen pages. INTRODUCTION. XXXV Decease commences (on the Seven Conditions of Welfare), seems to have been actually borrowed by the Anguttara Nik4ya from our work. The question of these summaries and parallel passages cannot be adequately treated by a discussion of the in- stances found in any one particular book. It must be considered as a whole, and quite apart from the allied question of the 1 stock phrases ' above alluded to, in a discussion of all the instances that can be found in the P&li Pi/akas. For this purpose tabulated statements are essential, and as a mere beginning such a statement is here annexed (including the passages, marked with an asterisk, which have every appearance of belonging to the same category). BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. Chap. I (34 sections) §§ 1-10 J" §§20-34 §§1,2,3 • Chap. II (35 sections) §§ 1 3, 1 4, 1 5 « §§16-24 §§27-35 Chap. Ill (66 sections) §§ 1-10 §§ 11-20 §§21-23* §§ 24-32 §§ 33-42 Chap. IV (58 sections) §§ 2, 3 §§7-n* OTHER BOOKS. Anguttara (Sutta-nip&ta). „ (J5T>4a-nip£ta). Dfgha (Sampasddaniya) and Saawyutta (Satippa//Mna- vagga). Mah&-vagga VI, 28. Mahi-vagga VI, 29. Dfgha (Satippa//Mna). M &^ima „ Saawyutta „ Vibhahga „ Mahi-vagga VI, 30. Samyutta (Satippa//Adna- vagga). ( Sa^yutta(Iddhip^da-vagga). \ Anguttara (A/Ma-nip£ta). Anguttara (A//y&a-nipata). ? Eight Assemblies. Anguttara (A/Ma-nip&ta). Anguttara (A/Ma-nipdta). Anguttara (^atuka-nipdta). 1 Omitted in Pofa-tsu. See below, p. xxxviii. C 2 XXXvi THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. OTHER BOOKS. Chap.V (69 sections) §10 . Anguttara (Duka-nipata). » i> §§16-22 | r „ (Aatuka-nipata). 99 99 §§27-31*1 . 99 99 >j 99 §36 Sa^yutta (Satippa//Mna- vagga). 99 99 §§41-44 Digha (Mah& - sudassana - Sutta). 99 19 §60 . -ffulla-vagga V, 8, 1. 99 99 §63 . Mahd-vagga I, 38, 1. 99 99 §68 . -£ulla- vagga XI, 1, 15. Chap. VI (62 sections) §16 . Dfgha (Maha-sudassana- Sutta). 99 99 §§36-41 . isTulla-vagga XI, 1, 1.
2. 99 99 §§41-44 Digha (Mah& - sudassana - Sutta). 99 19 §60 . -ffulla-vagga V, 8, 1. 99 99 §63 . Mahd-vagga I, 38, 1. 99 99 §68 . -£ulla- vagga XI, 1, 15. Chap. VI (62 sections) §16 . Dfgha (Maha-sudassana- Sutta). 99 99 §§36-41 . isTulla-vagga XI, 1, 1. No Sanskrit work has yet been discovered giving an account of the last days of Gotama ; but there are several Chinese works which seem to be related to ours. Of one especially, named the Fo Pan-ni-pan King (apparently Buddha-Parinibb&na-Sutta, but such an expression is un- known in Pali), Mr. Beal says 2 : 'This appears to be the same as the SAtra known in the South. ... It was translated into Chinese by a Shaman called Fa-tsu, of the Western Tsin dynasty, circa aoo A.D.* I do not understand this date. The Western Tsin dynasty is placed by Mr. Beal himself on the fly-leaf of the Catalogue at 265-313 a.d. And whether the book referred to is really the same work as the Book of the Great Decease seems to me to be very doubtful. At p. 160 of his 'Catena of Buddhist Scriptures from the Chinese ' Mr. Beal says, that another Chinese work ' known as the Mah& Parinirv&«a Stitra' 'is evidently the same as the Mah4 Parinibbana Sutta of Ceylon/ but it is quite evident from the extracts which he gives that it is an entirely different and much later work. On this book there would seem further to be a trans- lated commentary, Ta Pan-ni-pan King Lo, mentioned 1 Omitted by Po-fa-tsu. See below, p. xxxviii. 2 Catalogue of Buddhist Chinese Books in the India Office Library, p. 95. INTRODUCTION. xxxvii at p. ioo of the same Catalogue, and there assigned to Chang-an of the Tsin dynasty (589-619 A.D.). At pp. 12-13 of the same Catalogue we find no less than seven other works, and an eighth on p. 77, not indeed identified with the Book of the Great Decease, but bearing titles which Mr. Beal represents in Sanskrit as Mah&pari- nirvdtf a Stitra. They purport to be translated respectively — A. D. 1. By Dharmaraksha of the Northern Liang dynasty . 502-555 2. By Dharmaraksha „ „ 3. By Fa Hian and Buddhabhadra of the Eastern Tsin dynasty 317-419 4. By Cr»staabhadra and others of the Eastern Tang dynasty 620-904 5. By Dharmagupta and others of the Western Tsin dynasty 265-313 6. By Fa Hian of the Eastern Tsin dynasty . . 317-419 7. Unknown, 8. By Dharmabodhi of the Former Wei dynasty . . circa 200 Indian author, Vasubandhu. Whether Nos. 1 and 2, and again 3 and 6 are the same is not stated; and in the Indian Antiquary for 1875 Mr. Beal gives an account of another undated work, as existing in the India Office Collection, bearing a different title from any of the above, but which he also translates as Mah&parinibb&na Sutta. It purports to be the very oldest of the Vaipulya Stitras, whereas the book quoted in the Catena is there said to be 'one of the latest of the expanded Stitras/ * The general outline/ says Mr. Beal \ ' is this.
3erent title from any of the above, but which he also translates as Mah&parinibb&na Sutta. It purports to be the very oldest of the Vaipulya Stitras, whereas the book quoted in the Catena is there said to be 'one of the latest of the expanded Stitras/ * The general outline/ says Mr. Beal \ ' is this. Buddha, on a certain occasion, proceeded to Kinsinagara (sic), and entering a grove of Sdla trees, there reposed. He received a gift of food from Chanda, an artisan of the neighbouring town. After partaking of the food he was seized with illness. He discoursed through the night with his disciples, and disputed with certain heretical teachers. At early dawn he turned on his right side with his head to the north, and died. The S&la trees bent down to form a canopy over his head. The account then proceeds to relate Indian Antiquary, vol. iv. p. 90. XXXVlii THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. the circumstances of his cremation, and the subsequent disputes, between the Mallas . and others, for his ashes.' There is a curious echo here of some of the sections translated below ; though each particular item of the summary is really in contradiction with the corresponding part of the P&li book. There is perhaps another Chinese work on the death of Buddha, of the existence of which I have been informed, through the kind intervention of Pro- fessor Max Miiller, by Mr. Kasawara. It was translated by Po-fa-tsu between 290 and 306 a.D. It sefcms to be the same as the first mentioned above, but it contains a good deal of matter not found in the Mah&-parinibbAna-Sutta (notably an account of the Rl^agaha Council, the mention of which is so conspicuously absent from the Pili work) ; and it omits many of the sections found in the P&li. Mr. Kasawara has been kind enough to send me the following details regarding those omissions, and they are of peculiar interest as compared with the table given above 1 : Chapters in the Pali. Sections wanting in Chinese. There is no evidence to show that any of the above works are translations of our Sutta, or in any sense the same work. No reliance, in fact, can be placed upon the mere similarity of title in order to show that a Chinese work and an Indian one are really the same : and I regret that attempts should have been made to fix the date of Indian works by the fact that Chinese translations bearing similar titles are said to have been made in a certain period. But the above-mentioned works on the Great Decease will, when published, throw valuable light on the traditions of different, though no doubt later, schools of Buddhist thought ; and a detailed comparison would pro- bably throw a very interesting light on the way in which 1 st Chapter 3rd Chapter 4th Chapter 5th Chapter 6th Chapter 53-56. 4-6; 16-23; 27-31; 27; 48-50. 15-18- 21-42. 48-51. 1 On p. xxxvi. INTRODUCTION.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ome of the recurring passages do not consist of such summaries, but are actual episodes in the history. As an instance of these we may take the long extract at the end of the first, and the beginning of the second chapter (I, 20-II, 3, and again II, 16-II, 24), which is found also in the Mah&-vagga. The words are (nearly 1 ) identical in both places, but in the Book of the Great Decease the account occurs in its proper place in the middle of a connected narrative, whereas in the Mahft- vagga, a treatise on the Rules and Regulations of the Order, it seems strangely out of place. So the passage, also a long one, with which the Book of the Great 1 On the difference see the note at II, 16. It affects only a few localising phrases in a narrative occupying (in the translation) thirteen pages. INTRODUCTION. XXXV Decease commences (on the Seven Conditions of Welfare), seems to have been actually borrowed by the Anguttara Nik4ya from our work. The question of these summaries and parallel passages cannot be adequately treated by a discussion of the in- stances found in any one particular book. It must be considered as a whole, and quite apart from the allied question of the 1 stock phrases ' above alluded to, in a discussion of all the instances that can be found in the P&li Pi/akas. For this purpose tabulated statements are essential, and as a mere beginning such a statement is here annexed (including the passages, marked with an asterisk, which have every appearance of belonging to the same category). BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. Chap. I (34 sections) §§ 1-10 J" §§20-34 §§1,2,3 • Chap. II (35 sections) §§ 1 3, 1 4, 1 5 « §§16-24 §§27-35 Chap. Ill (66 sections) §§ 1-10 §§ 11-20 §§21-23* §§ 24-32 §§ 33-42 Chap. IV (58 sections) §§ 2, 3 §§7-n* OTHER BOOKS. Anguttara (Sutta-nip&ta). „ (J5T>4a-nip£ta). Dfgha (Sampasddaniya) and Saawyutta (Satippa//Mna- vagga). Mah&-vagga VI, 28. Mahi-vagga VI, 29. Dfgha (Satippa//Mna). M &^ima „ Saawyutta „ Vibhahga „ Mahi-vagga VI, 30. Samyutta (Satippa//Adna- vagga). ( Sa^yutta(Iddhip^da-vagga). \ Anguttara (A/Ma-nip£ta). Anguttara (A//y&a-nipata). ? Eight Assemblies. Anguttara (A/Ma-nip&ta). Anguttara (A/Ma-nipdta). Anguttara (^atuka-nipdta). 1 Omitted in Pofa-tsu. See below, p. xxxviii. C 2 XXXvi THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. OTHER BOOKS. Chap.V (69 sections) §10 . Anguttara (Duka-nipata). » i> §§16-22 | r „ (Aatuka-nipata). 99 99 §§27-31*1 . 99 99 >j 99 §36 Sa^yutta (Satippa//Mna- vagga). 99 99 §§41-44 Digha (Mah& - sudassana - Sutta). 99 19 §60 . -ffulla-vagga V, 8, 1. 99 99 §63 . Mahd-vagga I, 38, 1. 99 99 §68 . -£ulla- vagga XI, 1, 15. Chap. VI (62 sections) §16 . Dfgha (Maha-sudassana- Sutta). 99 99 §§36-41 . isTulla-vagga XI, 1, 1.
2. 99 99 §§41-44 Digha (Mah& - sudassana - Sutta). 99 19 §60 . -ffulla-vagga V, 8, 1. 99 99 §63 . Mahd-vagga I, 38, 1. 99 99 §68 . -£ulla- vagga XI, 1, 15. Chap. VI (62 sections) §16 . Dfgha (Maha-sudassana- Sutta). 99 99 §§36-41 . isTulla-vagga XI, 1, 1. No Sanskrit work has yet been discovered giving an account of the last days of Gotama ; but there are several Chinese works which seem to be related to ours. Of one especially, named the Fo Pan-ni-pan King (apparently Buddha-Parinibb&na-Sutta, but such an expression is un- known in Pali), Mr. Beal says 2 : 'This appears to be the same as the SAtra known in the South. ... It was translated into Chinese by a Shaman called Fa-tsu, of the Western Tsin dynasty, circa aoo A.D.* I do not understand this date. The Western Tsin dynasty is placed by Mr. Beal himself on the fly-leaf of the Catalogue at 265-313 a.d. And whether the book referred to is really the same work as the Book of the Great Decease seems to me to be very doubtful. At p. 160 of his 'Catena of Buddhist Scriptures from the Chinese ' Mr. Beal says, that another Chinese work ' known as the Mah& Parinirv&«a Stitra' 'is evidently the same as the Mah4 Parinibbana Sutta of Ceylon/ but it is quite evident from the extracts which he gives that it is an entirely different and much later work. On this book there would seem further to be a trans- lated commentary, Ta Pan-ni-pan King Lo, mentioned 1 Omitted by Po-fa-tsu. See below, p. xxxviii. 2 Catalogue of Buddhist Chinese Books in the India Office Library, p. 95. INTRODUCTION. xxxvii at p. ioo of the same Catalogue, and there assigned to Chang-an of the Tsin dynasty (589-619 A.D.). At pp. 12-13 of the same Catalogue we find no less than seven other works, and an eighth on p. 77, not indeed identified with the Book of the Great Decease, but bearing titles which Mr. Beal represents in Sanskrit as Mah&pari- nirvdtf a Stitra. They purport to be translated respectively — A. D. 1. By Dharmaraksha of the Northern Liang dynasty . 502-555 2. By Dharmaraksha „ „ 3. By Fa Hian and Buddhabhadra of the Eastern Tsin dynasty 317-419 4. By Cr»staabhadra and others of the Eastern Tang dynasty 620-904 5. By Dharmagupta and others of the Western Tsin dynasty 265-313 6. By Fa Hian of the Eastern Tsin dynasty . . 317-419 7. Unknown, 8. By Dharmabodhi of the Former Wei dynasty . . circa 200 Indian author, Vasubandhu. Whether Nos. 1 and 2, and again 3 and 6 are the same is not stated; and in the Indian Antiquary for 1875 Mr. Beal gives an account of another undated work, as existing in the India Office Collection, bearing a different title from any of the above, but which he also translates as Mah&parinibb&na Sutta. It purports to be the very oldest of the Vaipulya Stitras, whereas the book quoted in the Catena is there said to be 'one of the latest of the expanded Stitras/ * The general outline/ says Mr. Beal \ ' is this.
3erent title from any of the above, but which he also translates as Mah&parinibb&na Sutta. It purports to be the very oldest of the Vaipulya Stitras, whereas the book quoted in the Catena is there said to be 'one of the latest of the expanded Stitras/ * The general outline/ says Mr. Beal \ ' is this. Buddha, on a certain occasion, proceeded to Kinsinagara (sic), and entering a grove of Sdla trees, there reposed. He received a gift of food from Chanda, an artisan of the neighbouring town. After partaking of the food he was seized with illness. He discoursed through the night with his disciples, and disputed with certain heretical teachers. At early dawn he turned on his right side with his head to the north, and died. The S&la trees bent down to form a canopy over his head. The account then proceeds to relate Indian Antiquary, vol. iv. p. 90. XXXVlii THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. the circumstances of his cremation, and the subsequent disputes, between the Mallas . and others, for his ashes.' There is a curious echo here of some of the sections translated below ; though each particular item of the summary is really in contradiction with the corresponding part of the P&li book. There is perhaps another Chinese work on the death of Buddha, of the existence of which I have been informed, through the kind intervention of Pro- fessor Max Miiller, by Mr. Kasawara. It was translated by Po-fa-tsu between 290 and 306 a.D. It sefcms to be the same as the first mentioned above, but it contains a good deal of matter not found in the Mah&-parinibbAna-Sutta (notably an account of the Rl^agaha Council, the mention of which is so conspicuously absent from the Pili work) ; and it omits many of the sections found in the P&li. Mr. Kasawara has been kind enough to send me the following details regarding those omissions, and they are of peculiar interest as compared with the table given above 1 : Chapters in the Pali. Sections wanting in Chinese. There is no evidence to show that any of the above works are translations of our Sutta, or in any sense the same work. No reliance, in fact, can be placed upon the mere similarity of title in order to show that a Chinese work and an Indian one are really the same : and I regret that attempts should have been made to fix the date of Indian works by the fact that Chinese translations bearing similar titles are said to have been made in a certain period. But the above-mentioned works on the Great Decease will, when published, throw valuable light on the traditions of different, though no doubt later, schools of Buddhist thought ; and a detailed comparison would pro- bably throw a very interesting light on the way in which 1 st Chapter 3rd Chapter 4th Chapter 5th Chapter 6th Chapter 53-56. 4-6; 16-23; 27-31; 27; 48-50. 15-18- 21-42. 48-51. 1 On p. xxxvi. INTRODUCTION.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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