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第21章

a record of buddhistic kingdoms(佛都记录)-第21章

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Buddha's      last   moments。      His   special    gift  was    the   divyachakshus       or 

〃heavenly eye;〃 the first of the six abhijnas or 〃supernatural talents;〃 the 

faculty  of   comprehending   in   one  instantaneous   view;   or   by  intuition;   all 

beings in all worlds。 〃He could see;〃 says Hardy; M。 B。; p。 232; 〃all things 

in 100;000 sakvalas as plainly as a mustard seed held in the hand。〃 

     '6' Eitel gives the name Utpala with the same Chinese phonetisation as 

in   the   text;   but   not   as   the   name   of   any   bhikshuni。   The   Sanskrit   word; 



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however;   is   explained   by   〃blue   lotus   flowers;〃   and   Hsuan…chwang   calls 

her   the   nun   〃Lotus…flower   colour   ({。}   {。}   {。});〃the   same   as   Hardy's 

Upulwan and Uppalawarna。 

     '7' Perhaps we should read here 〃to see Buddha;〃 and then ascribe the 

transformation   to   the   nun   herself。   It   depends   on   the   punctuation   which 

view   we   adopt;   and   in   the   structure   of   the   passage;   there   is   nothing   to 

indicate that the stop should be made before or after 〃Buddha。〃 And the 

one view is as reasonable; or rather as unreasonable; as the other。 

     '8' 〃A holy king who turns the wheel;〃 that is; the military conqueror 

and monarch of the whole or part of a universe。 〃The symbol;〃 says Eitel 

(p。 142) 〃of such a king is the chakra or wheel; for when he ascends the 

throne; a chakra falls from heaven; indicating by its material (gold; silver; 

copper; or iron) the extent and character of his reign。 The office; however; 

of   the   highest   Chakravartti;   who   hurls   his   wheel   among   his   enemies;   is 

inferior to the peaceful mission of a Buddha; who meekly turns the wheel 

of the Law; and conquers every universe by his teaching。〃 

     '9'   This   was   Brahma;   the   first   person   of   the   Brahmanical   Trimurti; 

adopted by Buddhism; but placed in an inferior position; and surpassed by 

every Buddhist saint who attains to bodhi。 

     '10' A common name for the earth below; where; on digging; water is 

found。 

     '11' The height is given as   thirty chow; the chow being the  distance 

from the elbow to the finger…tip; which is variously estimated。 

     '12'   A   note   of   Mr。   Beal   says   on   this:〃General   Cunningham;   who 

visited the spot (1862); found a pillar; evidently of the age of Asoka; with 

a well…carved elephant on the top; which; however; was minus trunk and 

tail。 He supposes this to be the pillar seen by Fa…hien; who mistook the top 

of it for a lion。 It is possible such a mistake may have been made; as in the 

account of   one  of   the   pillars   at   Sravasti;   Fa…hien   says   an   ox   formed   the 

capital; whilst Hsuan…chwang calls it an elephant (P。 19; Arch。 Survey)。〃 

     '13' That   is;  in   niches on   the   sides。 The  pillar  or   column   must   have 

been square。 

     '14' Equivalent to 〃all through。〃 

     '15' Has always been translated 〃heretical teachers;〃 but I eschew the 



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terms /heresy/ and /heretical/。 The parties would not be Buddhists of any 

creed or school; but Brahmans or of some other false doctrine; as Fa…hien 

deemed it。 The Chinese term means 〃outside〃 or 〃foreign;〃in Pali; anna… 

titthiya;=〃those belonging to another school。〃 

     '16' These three predecessors of Sakyamuni were the three Buddhas of 

the   present    or  Maha…bhadra       Kalpa;    of  which    he   was   the  fourth;   and 

Maitreya   is   to   be   the   fifth   and   last。   They   were:   (1)   Krakuchanda   (Pali; 

Kakusanda);   〃he   who   readily  solves   all   doubts;〃   a scion   of   the   Kasyapa 

family。 Human life reached in his time 40;000 years; and so many persons 

were     converted     by  him。    (2)  Kanakamuni       (Pali;   Konagamana);       〃body 

radiant   with   the   colour   of   pure   gold;〃   of   the   same   family。   Human   life 

reached in his time 30;000 years; and so many persons were converted by 

him。    (3)   Kasyapa     (Pali;  Kassapa);     〃swallower      of  light。〃   Human     life 

reached in his time 20;000 years; and so many persons were converted by 

him。   See   Eitel;   under   the   several   names;   Hardy's   M。   B。;   pp。   95…97;   and 

Davids' 〃Buddhist Birth Stories;〃 p。 51。 

     '17'     That    is;  walked      in   meditation。     Such     places    are   called 

Chankramana (Pali; Chankama); promenades or corridors connected with 

a   monastery;     made    sometimes      with   costly   stones;   for  the   purpose    of 

peripatetic meditation。 The 〃sitting〃 would be not because of weariness or 

for rest; but for meditation。 E。 H。; p。 144。 

     '18' The character in my Corean copy is {。}; which must be a mistake 

for the {。} of the Chinese editions。 Otherwise; the meaning would be 〃a 

small medusa。〃 

     '19' The reading here seems to me a great improvement on that of the 

Chinese      editions;   which    means     〃Fire   Limit。〃   Buddha;     it  is  said;  {。} 

converted this demon; which Chinese character Beal rendered at first by 

〃in one of his incarnations;〃 and in his revised version he has 〃himself。〃 

The   difference   between   Fa…hien's   usage   of   {。}   and   {。}   throughout   his 

narrative is quite marked。 {。} always refers to the doings of Sakyamuni; 

{。}; 〃formerly;〃 is often used of him and others in the sense of 〃in a former 

age or birth。〃 

     '20' See Hardy; M。 B。; p。 194:〃As a token of the giving over of the 

garden; the king poured water upon the hands of Buddha; and from this 



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time it became one of the principal residences of the sage。〃 

    '21' This would seem to be absurd; but the writer evidently intended to 

convey the idea that there was something mysterious about the number of 

the topes。 

    '22' This seems to   be   the meaning。 The bodies   of the monks   are   all 

burned。 Hardy's E。 M。; pp。 322…324。 



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                         CHAPTER XVIII 



    KANYAKUBJA; OR CANOUGE。 BUDDHA'S PREACHING。 

    Fa…hien   stayed   at   the   Dragon   vihara   till   after   the   summer   retreat;'1' 

and then; travelling to the south…east for seven yojanas; he arrived at the 

city    of  Kanyakubja;'2'       lying   along   the   Ganges。'3'     There    are   two 

monasteries in it; the inmates of which are students of the hinayana。 At a 

distance from the city of six or seven le; on the west; on the northern bank 

of the Ganges; is a place where Buddha preached the Law to his disciples。 

It has been handed down that his subjects of discourse were such as 〃The 

bitterness   and   vanity   (of   life)   as   impermanent   and   uncertain;〃   and   that 

〃The body is as a bubble or foam on the water。〃 At this spot a tope was 

erected; and still exists。 

    Having   crossed   the   Ganges;   and   gone   south   for   three   yojanas;   (the 

travellers)   arrived   at   a   village   named   A…le;'4'   containing   places   where 

Buddha preached the Law; where he sat; and where he walked; at all of 

which topes have been built。 



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                                       NOTES 



     '1' We are now; probably; in 405。 

     '2' Canouge; the latitude and longitude of which have been given in a 

previous     note。  The    Sanskrit   name    means    〃the   city  of  humpbacked 

maidens;〃 with

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