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〃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
Chinese editions state there were 〃1000〃 of the Sakya seed。 The general
account is that they were 500; all maidens; who refused to take their place
in king Vaidurya's harem; and were in consequence taken to a pond; and
had their hands and feet cut off。 There Buddha came to them; had their
wounds dressed; and preached to them the Law。 They died in the faith; and
were reborn in the region of the four Great Kings。 Thence they came back
and visited Buddha at Jetavana in the night; and there they obtained the
reward of Srotapanna。 〃The Life of the Buddha;〃 p。 121。
'16' See the account of this event in M。 B。; p。 150。 The account of it
reminds me of the ploughing by the sovereign; which has been an
institution in China from the earliest times。 But there we have no magic
and no extravagance。
'17' 〃The place of Liberation;〃 see chap。 xiii; note 7。
'18' See the accounts of this event in M。 B。; pp。 145; 146; 〃The Life of
the Buddha;〃 pp。 15; 16; and 〃Buddhist Birth Stories;〃 p。 66。
'19' There is difficulty in construing the text of this last statement。 Mr。
Beal had; no doubt inadvertently; omitted it in his first translation。 In his
revised version he gives for it; I cannot say happily; 〃As well as at the pool;
the water of which came down from above for washing (the child)。〃
'20' See chap。 xvii; note 8。 See also Davids' Manual; p。 45。 The latter
says; that 〃to turn the wheel of the Law〃 means 〃to set rolling the royal
chariot wheel of a universal empire of truth and righteousness;〃 but he
admits that this is more grandiloquent than the phraseology was in the ears
of Buddhists。 I prefer the words quoted from Eitel in the note referred to。
〃They turned〃 is probably equivalent to 〃They began to turn。〃
'21' Fa…hien does not say that he himself saw any of these white
elephants; nor does he speak of the lions as of any partic