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第26章

a record of buddhistic kingdoms(佛都记录)-第26章

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(his aunt) Maja…prajapati presented him with a Sanghali;'14' and (where) 

king   Vaidurya   slew   the   seed   of    Sakya;   and   they   all   in   dying  became 

Srotapannas。'15'        A   tope  was    erected   at  this  last  place;   which    is  still 

existing。 

     Several le north…east from the city was the king's field; where the heir… 

apparent sat under a tree; and looked at the ploughers。'16' 

     Fifty le   east   from  the   city was   a   garden;   named   Lumbini;'17'  where 



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the queen entered the pond and bathed。 Having come forth from the pond 

on the northern bank; after (walking) twenty paces; she lifted up her hand; 

laid hold of a branch of a tree; and; with her face to the east; gave birth to 

the    heir…apparent。'18'      When     he   fell  to  the  ground;     he  (immediately) 

walked seven paces。 Two dragon…kings (appeared) and washed his body。 

At the place where they did so; there was immediately formed a well; and 

from it; as well as from the above pond; where (the queen) bathed;'19' the 

monks (even) now constantly take the water; and drink it。 

     There are four places of regular and fixed occurrence (in the history of) 

all Buddhas:first; the place where they attained to perfect Wisdom (and 

became   Buddha);   second;   the   place   where   they   turned   the   wheel   of   the 

Law;'20'   third;   the   place   where   they   preached   the   Law;   discoursed   of 

righteousness; and discomfited (the advocates of) erroneous doctrines; and 

fourth;     the   place    where    they    came     down;     after   going    up   to   the 

Trayatrimsas   heaven   to   preach   the   Law   for   the benefit   of   their   mothers。 

Other places in connexion with them became remarkable; according to the 

manifestations which were made at them at particular times。 

     The country of Kapilavastu is a great scene of empty desolation。 The 

inhabitants are few  and far between。 On the roads   people have   to be   on 

their   guard   against   white   elephants'21'   and   lions;   and   should   not   travel 

incautiously。 



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                                          NOTES 



     '1'   Kapilavastu;   〃the   city   of   beautiful   virtue;〃   was   the   birthplace   of 

Sakyamuni; but was destroyed; as intimated in the notes on last chapter; 

during   his   lifetime。   It   was   situated   a   short   distance   north…   west   of   the 

present Goruckpoor; lat。 26d 46s N。; lon。 83d 19s E。 Davids says (Manual; 

p。 25); 〃It was on the banks of the river Rohini; the modern Kohana; about 

100 miles north…west of the city of Benares。〃 

     '2'   The   father;   or   supposed   father;   of   Sakyamuni。   He   is   here   called 

〃the king white and pure〃 ({。} {。} {。})。 A more common appellation is 〃the 

king of pure rice〃 ({。} {。} {。});〃 but the character {。}; or 〃rice;〃 must be a 

mistake for {。}; 〃Brahman;〃 and the appellation= 〃Pure Brahman king。〃 

     '3' The 〃eldest son;〃 or 〃prince〃 was Sakyamuni; and his mother had 

no other son。 For 〃his mother;〃 see chap。 xvii; note 3。 She was a daughter 

of   Anjana   or   Anusakya;   king   of   the   neighbouring   country   of   Koli;   and 

Yasodhara;   an   aunt   of   Suddhodana。   There   appear   to   have   been   various 

intermarriages between the royal houses of Kapila and Koli。 

     '4' In 〃The Life of the Buddha;〃 p。 15; we read that 〃Buddha was now 

in the Tushita heaven; and knowing that his time was come (the time for 

his last rebirth in the course of which he would become Buddha); he made 

the necessary examinations; and having decided that Maha…maya was the 

right   mother;    in   the  midnight     watch    he  entered    her  womb      under   the 

appearance of an elephant。〃 See M。 B。; pp。 140…143; and; still better; Rhys 

Davids' 〃Birth Stories;〃 pp。 58…63。 

     '5' In Hardy's M。 B。; pp。 154; 155; we read; 〃As the prince (Siddhartha; 

the first name given to Sakyamuni; see Eitel; under Sarvarthasiddha) was 

one day passing along; he saw a deva under the appearance of a leper; full 

of   sores;   with   a   body   like   a   water…vessel;   and   legs   like   the   pestle   for 

pounding rice; and when he learned from his charioteer what it was that he 

saw;   be   became   agitated;   and   returned   at   once   to   the   palace。〃   See   also 

Rhys Davids' 〃Buddhism;〃 p。 29。 

     '6'  This   is   an   addition   of   my   own;   instead   of   〃There   are   also   topes 

erected at the following spots;〃 of former translators。 Fa…hien does not say 

that there were memorial topes at all these places。 



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     '7' Asita; see Eitel; p。 15。 He is called in Pali Kala Devala; and had 

been a minister of Suddhodana's father。 

     '8' In 〃The Life of Buddha〃   we read that the Lichchhavis of Vaisali 

had sent to the young prince   a very fine   elephant; but when it was   near 

Kapilavastu;   Devadatta;   out   of   envy;   killed   it   with   a   blow   of   his   fist。 

Nanda   (not Ananda;   but   a   half…brother   of   Siddhartha);   coming   that   way; 

saw   the   carcase   lying   on   the   road;   and   pulled   it   on   one   side;   but   the 

Bodhisattva;  seeing it   there;  took   it   by  the   tail;  and   tossed   it   over   seven 

fences and ditches; when the force of its fall made a great ditch。 I suspect 

that   the   characters   in   the   column   have   been   disarranged;   and   that   we 

should read {。} {。} {。} {。}; {。} {。}; {。} {。}。 Buddha; that is Siddhartha; was 

at this time only ten years old。 

     '9' The young Sakyas were shooting when the prince thus surpassed 

them all。 He was then seventeen。 

     '10' This was not the night when he finally fled from Kapilavastu; and 

as   he   was   leaving   the   palace;   perceiving   his   sleeping   father;   and   said; 

〃Father; though I love thee; yet a fear possesses me; and I may not stay;〃 

The Life of the Buddha; p。 25。 Most probably it was that related in M。 B。; 

pp。 199…204。 See 〃Buddhist Birth Stories;〃 pp。 120… 127。 

     '11'  They   did   this;   I   suppose;   to   show   their   humility;   for   Upali   was 

only     a  Sudra    by   birth;  and    had   been    a  barber;    so  from    the   first  did 

Buddhism assert its superiority to the conditions of rank and caste。 Upali 

was distinguished by his knowledge of the rules of discipline; and praised 

on that   account by  Buddha。  He   was one   of the   three leaders   of the   first 

synod; and the principal compiler of the original Vinaya books。 

     '12' I have not met with the particulars of this preaching。 

     '13'   Meaning;   as   explained   in   Chinese;   〃a   tree   without   knots;〃   the 

/ficus Indica/。 See Rhys Davids' note; Manual; p。 39; where he says that a 

branch      of   one     of   these    trees    was    taken     from    Buddha       Gaya     to 

Anuradhapura in Ceylon in the middle of the third century B。C; and is still 

growing there; the oldest historical tree in the world。 

     '14'  See   chap。  xiii;  note 11。  I   have not   met   with the   account   of   this 

presentation。 See the long account of Prajapati in M。 B。; pp。 306…315。 

     '15' See chap。 xx; note 10。 The Srotapannas are the first class of saints; 



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who   are   not   to   be   reborn   in   a   lower   sphere;   but   attain   to   nirvana   after 

having     been    reborn   seven    times   consecutively      as  men    or  devas。    The 


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