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1Bimbiséra R4ga becomes a Disciple . The Great Disciple becomes a Hermit : Conversion of the ‘Supporter of the Orphans and Destitute’ (An&thapindada) . . . Interview between Father and Son PAGE ix 20 29 38 47 59 40 81 94 III 11g 131 147 156 168 180 192 201 218 viii CONTENTS. SECT, 20. 21, 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. I. IL. Il. Receiving the Getavana Vihfra . Escaping the Drunken Elephant and Devadatta . The Lady Amr& (Amrapalt) sees Buddha . BOOK V. By Spiritual Power fixing his (Term of) Years. The Differences of the Likkfavis . Parinirvana . . . Mahéparinirvaza Praising Nirvana . . . Division of the Sariras. . . . . NOTES. ‘Comparative List of 17 Chapters of the Sanskrit and Chinese Copies of the Buddhaéfarita Example of the Style of the Expanded Steras, as translated into Chinese . The same Title given to different Works . InpEx . . Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the Translations of the Sacred Books of the East . PAGE 230 241 249 257 268 277 290 399 325 340 344 365 373 377 INTRODUCTION. HAVING been asked by the Editor of ‘the Sacred Books of the East’ to contribute to the series a volume from the Buddhist literature of China, I undertook, with some distrust, to translate from that language the Phd-yau-king, which is the second version of the Lalita Vistara, known in China, and dated A. D. 308. After some months of rather disappointing work I found the text so corrupt and imperfect, and the style of the composition so inflated, that I gave up my task, having completed the translation of six chapters (kiouen) of the text, out of eight. The editor being still desirous to have one book at least from the Chinese Tripitaka in his collection of translations (and more especially a translation of some Life of Buddha, the date of which could be fixed), kindly renewed his request, and proposed that the Fo-sho-hing-tsan-king, which professed to be a translation of Asvaghosha’s Buddhafarita, made by an Indian priest called Dharmaraksha (or Dharmakshara), about the year 420 A. D., should be substituted for the work first selected. This is the work here translated. The difficulties have been many, and the result can only be regarded as tentative. The text itself, and I have had only one Chinese text to work on, is in many places corrupt, and the style of the composition, especially in the metaphysical portions of it, is abstruse and technical. The original Sanskrit, I am told, differs considerably from the Chinese translation, and except in the restoration of proper names, in which the editor of these books has most readily helped me, the assistance derived from it has been very little. I offer the x FO-SHO-HING-TSAN-KING.
2The original Sanskrit, I am told, differs considerably from the Chinese translation, and except in the restoration of proper names, in which the editor of these books has most readily helped me, the assistance derived from it has been very little. I offer the x FO-SHO-HING-TSAN-KING. result of my work, therefore, with some mistrust, and yet with this confidence, that due allowance will be made for imperfections in the preparation Of a first translation of a text comprising nearly 10,000 lines of poetry, printed in the original without stops or notes of any sort, and in a difficult style of Chinese composition. NORTHERN BUDDHISM. This term is now well recognised. It is used to denote the Buddhism of Nepal, Thibet, China, Japan, and Mongolia, as distinguished from the Buddhism of Ceylon, Burmah, and Siam. The radical difference between the two schools is this, that Northern Buddhism is the system developed after contact with Northern tribes settled on the Indus, while the Southern school, on the contrary, represents the primitive form of the Buddhist faith as it came (presumably) from the hands of its founder and his immediate successors. We might, without being far wrong, denote the developed school as the Buddhism of the valley of the Indus, whilst the earlier school is the Buddhism of the valley of the Ganges. In China there is a curious mixture of the teaching of both schools. The books of the contemplative sect in Southern China are translations or accommodations from the teaching of men belonging to the South of India, whilst in the North we find the books principally followed are those brought by priests from the countries bordering on the Indus, and therefore representing the developed school of the later complex system. Northern Buddhism, again, may be divided into two, if not three, distinct periods of development, or epochs. The earliest includes in it the period during which the teaching of the immediate followers of Buddha, who brought their books or traditions northward and there disseminated them, generally prevailed ; this is called the teaching of the ‘little vehicle’ (Hinay4na), or ‘imperfect means of conveyance’ (across the sea of sense). The second period is that during which the expanded form of belief denoted as the ‘great INTRODUCTION. xi vehicle’ (Mah4y4na) was accepted; here the radical idea is that the teaching of Buddha provides ‘ universal salvation’ for the world. Thirdly, the ‘indefinitely expanded’ form, known as Vaipulya, which is founded on the idea of a universal nature, to which all living things belong, and which, by recovering itself in each case, secures for the subject complete restoration to the one nature from which all living things have wandered. This is evidently a form of pure Pantheism, and denotes the period when the distinctive belief of Buddhism merged into later Brahmanism, if indeed it did not originate it.
3This is evidently a form of pure Pantheism, and denotes the period when the distinctive belief of Buddhism merged into later Brahmanism, if indeed it did not originate it. We cannot lay down any sharp line of division (either as to time or minute difference of doctrine) between these forms of thought as they are found in the books; but they may be traced back, through the teaching of the sects into which the system became separated, to the great schism of the primitive Buddhist church at Vaisali, 100 years after the Nirvana. With respect to this schism the statement made in the Dipavamsa! is this: ‘The wicked Bhikkus, the Vaggiputtakas (i.e. the Vaisali Buddhists), who had been excommunicated by the Theras, gained another party; and many people, holding a wrong doctrine, ten thousand, assembled and (also) held a council. Therefore this Dhamma Council is called the Great Council (Mahdsangiti),’ (Oldenberg’s translation, p. 140.) Turning now to the Mahdsanghika version of the Vinaya, which was translated into Chinese by Fa-hien (circ. 420 A.D.), who brought it from Pasaliputra (chap. XXXVI), we read (K. 40, fol. 23 b), ‘After the Nirvaza (Ni-pan, i. e. Nibbana) of Buddha the Great KAsyapa, collecting the Vinaya Pizaka, was the (first) Great Master (MahAsthavira), and his collection of the Dharmapifaka was in 80,000 divisions. After the death (mih to, destruction) of the great Kasyapa the next master (lord) was Ananda, who also held the Dharmapitaka in 80,000 (divisions), After him the honourable (lord) Mo-yan-tin (Madhy4ntika) was chief, and he also held the Dharmapifaka in 80,000 (divisions). After him came 1 The Dtpavamsa, an early historical record of Buddhism compiled in Ceylon between the beginning of the fourth and the first third of the fifth century a.p. xil FO-SHO-HING-TSAN-KING.
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.
1Bimbiséra R4ga becomes a Disciple . The Great Disciple becomes a Hermit : Conversion of the ‘Supporter of the Orphans and Destitute’ (An&thapindada) . . . Interview between Father and Son PAGE ix 20 29 38 47 59 40 81 94 III 11g 131 147 156 168 180 192 201 218 viii CONTENTS. SECT, 20. 21, 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. I. IL. Il. Receiving the Getavana Vihfra . Escaping the Drunken Elephant and Devadatta . The Lady Amr& (Amrapalt) sees Buddha . BOOK V. By Spiritual Power fixing his (Term of) Years. The Differences of the Likkfavis . Parinirvana . . . Mahéparinirvaza Praising Nirvana . . . Division of the Sariras. . . . . NOTES. ‘Comparative List of 17 Chapters of the Sanskrit and Chinese Copies of the Buddhaéfarita Example of the Style of the Expanded Steras, as translated into Chinese . The same Title given to different Works . InpEx . . Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the Translations of the Sacred Books of the East . PAGE 230 241 249 257 268 277 290 399 325 340 344 365 373 377 INTRODUCTION. HAVING been asked by the Editor of ‘the Sacred Books of the East’ to contribute to the series a volume from the Buddhist literature of China, I undertook, with some distrust, to translate from that language the Phd-yau-king, which is the second version of the Lalita Vistara, known in China, and dated A. D. 308. After some months of rather disappointing work I found the text so corrupt and imperfect, and the style of the composition so inflated, that I gave up my task, having completed the translation of six chapters (kiouen) of the text, out of eight. The editor being still desirous to have one book at least from the Chinese Tripitaka in his collection of translations (and more especially a translation of some Life of Buddha, the date of which could be fixed), kindly renewed his request, and proposed that the Fo-sho-hing-tsan-king, which professed to be a translation of Asvaghosha’s Buddhafarita, made by an Indian priest called Dharmaraksha (or Dharmakshara), about the year 420 A. D., should be substituted for the work first selected. This is the work here translated. The difficulties have been many, and the result can only be regarded as tentative. The text itself, and I have had only one Chinese text to work on, is in many places corrupt, and the style of the composition, especially in the metaphysical portions of it, is abstruse and technical. The original Sanskrit, I am told, differs considerably from the Chinese translation, and except in the restoration of proper names, in which the editor of these books has most readily helped me, the assistance derived from it has been very little. I offer the x FO-SHO-HING-TSAN-KING.
2The original Sanskrit, I am told, differs considerably from the Chinese translation, and except in the restoration of proper names, in which the editor of these books has most readily helped me, the assistance derived from it has been very little. I offer the x FO-SHO-HING-TSAN-KING. result of my work, therefore, with some mistrust, and yet with this confidence, that due allowance will be made for imperfections in the preparation Of a first translation of a text comprising nearly 10,000 lines of poetry, printed in the original without stops or notes of any sort, and in a difficult style of Chinese composition. NORTHERN BUDDHISM. This term is now well recognised. It is used to denote the Buddhism of Nepal, Thibet, China, Japan, and Mongolia, as distinguished from the Buddhism of Ceylon, Burmah, and Siam. The radical difference between the two schools is this, that Northern Buddhism is the system developed after contact with Northern tribes settled on the Indus, while the Southern school, on the contrary, represents the primitive form of the Buddhist faith as it came (presumably) from the hands of its founder and his immediate successors. We might, without being far wrong, denote the developed school as the Buddhism of the valley of the Indus, whilst the earlier school is the Buddhism of the valley of the Ganges. In China there is a curious mixture of the teaching of both schools. The books of the contemplative sect in Southern China are translations or accommodations from the teaching of men belonging to the South of India, whilst in the North we find the books principally followed are those brought by priests from the countries bordering on the Indus, and therefore representing the developed school of the later complex system. Northern Buddhism, again, may be divided into two, if not three, distinct periods of development, or epochs. The earliest includes in it the period during which the teaching of the immediate followers of Buddha, who brought their books or traditions northward and there disseminated them, generally prevailed ; this is called the teaching of the ‘little vehicle’ (Hinay4na), or ‘imperfect means of conveyance’ (across the sea of sense). The second period is that during which the expanded form of belief denoted as the ‘great INTRODUCTION. xi vehicle’ (Mah4y4na) was accepted; here the radical idea is that the teaching of Buddha provides ‘ universal salvation’ for the world. Thirdly, the ‘indefinitely expanded’ form, known as Vaipulya, which is founded on the idea of a universal nature, to which all living things belong, and which, by recovering itself in each case, secures for the subject complete restoration to the one nature from which all living things have wandered. This is evidently a form of pure Pantheism, and denotes the period when the distinctive belief of Buddhism merged into later Brahmanism, if indeed it did not originate it.
3This is evidently a form of pure Pantheism, and denotes the period when the distinctive belief of Buddhism merged into later Brahmanism, if indeed it did not originate it. We cannot lay down any sharp line of division (either as to time or minute difference of doctrine) between these forms of thought as they are found in the books; but they may be traced back, through the teaching of the sects into which the system became separated, to the great schism of the primitive Buddhist church at Vaisali, 100 years after the Nirvana. With respect to this schism the statement made in the Dipavamsa! is this: ‘The wicked Bhikkus, the Vaggiputtakas (i.e. the Vaisali Buddhists), who had been excommunicated by the Theras, gained another party; and many people, holding a wrong doctrine, ten thousand, assembled and (also) held a council. Therefore this Dhamma Council is called the Great Council (Mahdsangiti),’ (Oldenberg’s translation, p. 140.) Turning now to the Mahdsanghika version of the Vinaya, which was translated into Chinese by Fa-hien (circ. 420 A.D.), who brought it from Pasaliputra (chap. XXXVI), we read (K. 40, fol. 23 b), ‘After the Nirvaza (Ni-pan, i. e. Nibbana) of Buddha the Great KAsyapa, collecting the Vinaya Pizaka, was the (first) Great Master (MahAsthavira), and his collection of the Dharmapifaka was in 80,000 divisions. After the death (mih to, destruction) of the great Kasyapa the next master (lord) was Ananda, who also held the Dharmapitaka in 80,000 (divisions), After him the honourable (lord) Mo-yan-tin (Madhy4ntika) was chief, and he also held the Dharmapifaka in 80,000 (divisions). After him came 1 The Dtpavamsa, an early historical record of Buddhism compiled in Ceylon between the beginning of the fourth and the first third of the fifth century a.p. xil FO-SHO-HING-TSAN-KING.
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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