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“ It will be acknowledged that the suttas have preserved for us at least the belief of the earliest Buddhists — the Buddhists of India — as to what the original doctrines taught by the Buddha himself had been. Page XXII “The hrst record we have of the Buddhist Scnptures being reduced into writing is the well-known passage in Dipa Vansa. which speaks of their being recorded in books in Cevlon towards the beginning of the first century before the commencement of our era ” The date of Dipavan<^ may be placed about the .4th centuiy A D." Buddhism of the Pali Pitakas is not only a different thing from Buddhism a*J hithcr-to commonly received, but is antagonistic to it Introduction !X Page XXXIV. No record of his actual words could have been preserved It is quite evident that the ''peeches placed in the Teacher’s mouth, though formo* lated in the first person, in direct narrative, are only intended to be summaries, and very short summaries, of what was said on these occasions ” 11. “ The Doctrine of the Buddha ” by C^rge Gnmm Preface page XVI “ The fixing of the Tipitaka in writing followed onl} a feu decades before the beginning of our era under King Vaitagamni in Ceylon, to which island the Canon bad been brought by Mahinda, the son of King Asoka. This definite fixing of the Pall Canon took place about 400 years after the Buddha's death " The present work sets forth the onginal genuine teaching of the Buddha. in The life of the Buddha by Edward f. Thomas, M A., (1927) Intro — Page XVIII. *' As the aothontathe teaching represented by the dogmatic utterances and discourses of the Founder were not recorded in wnting, but were memorised by each school, differences inevitably began to appear ” Page XXII " They (the Pali Chronicles of C^Ion) are corroborated in their main oat-lines by the Fuiamc and Jam traditions The chronological relations with general history have been determined by' the discovery of Sir William Jones that the Candagutta (Candragupta) of the Chronicles and Puranas is the Sandrocottos of Strabo and Justin, the Indian King who about 303 B.C. B X Introduction made a treaty with S^ttcits Ntcator and at whose coaft Megasthenes resided for some years as ambassador " Page 204 “ They all agree in holding that the primitive teaching must have been something different from what the earliest Scnptures and commentators thought it was ** If the philosophies of the Jains and the old Bud- dhists were the same with only difference in some external conduct of monks, especially m this that Nirgran- tha saints viere naked and the Buddhist monks wore clothes, then it is to be found out whether Mahavira began his preaching or not when Goutam Buddha left home and followed external conduct of a Digambar Jam Saint for some time. Whether Lord Mahavira had commenced his preaching or not it is certain that knowledge of Jainism was prevalent before Lord Mahavira began his sermon Buddha Chatya P. 481 Samagama Sutta (M N 3-1-4) says " When Goutama Buddha was 77 years of age Mahavira attained Nirv&na in his age of 72 It IS evident from the Jain Scnptures that Maha- vira did not b^in his preaching before bis age of 42. He preached during his last 30 years It means that when Goutama Buddha was of 47 3 rear 5 of age, Maha vira’s teachings were commenced. Goutama Buddha left home in his age of 29 and began his preaching after 6 years te., at the age of 35. It proves that the Preaching of Mahavira began 12 years after the commencement of the preaching of Goutama Buddha, Then whatever conduct of Digambar Jam Saints was Introduction XI prevalent in India at the time when Goutama left home at 29 and began preaching at 35, was due to the teach- ing of some one previous to Mahavira. The Jama Samt Devasena writes in his Darsanasara that Goutama Buddha became the disciple of Pihitasrava Jain saint, who was in the line of Lord Parsva Nath, the 23td Tirthankara of the Jains. This proves that Parsvanath nourished before Mahavira. The period of 250 years is the interval time between the Nirv&na of Parsva and that of Mahavira When Mahavira was bom, Parsva had attained mrv&na only 178 years before. As yet the name of Parsva has not been found in many inscriptions or historical records , therefore he may not be taken as a historical great man , but it is perfectly proved that Jainism or the old Buddhism was prevalent before Lord Mahavira and Goutama Buddha began their teachings In my opinion there is not any difference between Jainism and Buddhism. Whether we speak of Jainism or Buddhism before Gautama Buddha we speak of one h^nd the same thing Gautama Buddha made easy the external conduct of the monks only. He maintained the same philosophy which was prevalent m Jainism or old Buddhism This fact> will be known to the readers ff they study these books carefully. That there was Jainism before the preaching of Buddha was commenced, will be known from some of the opinions of the scholars, given below .— P-25 I. The Itfe of the Buddha hy E. ]. Thomas (1927) Xli lNTIlODOC]:iON Intro. P XIV "There were gymnosophists or naked saints in India, but the}* Mere not Buddhists *' II Ancient India as described by Magasthenes and Arnan (1887). Page 104. " Philosophy, then with all its blessed advantages to man, flourished long also among the Indians, the gj’mnosophists." P. 103. Sarmanes called Germanes by Strabo and Sumanans by Parphynus, are the ascetics of a different religion, and may have belonged to the sect of the Jains or to another. P^e 115. ^Vhen Alexander arrived at Taxila, and saM the Indian gymnosophists (Jain Munis), a desire seized him to have one of these men brought into his presence The oldest of these sophists with M>hom the others lived as disciples with a master Daulanus by name, not only refused to go himself, but prevented the others going. He is said to have w on over Kalamis one of the sophists of the place P. 122. Socrates speaks of the soul as at present coniined in the bod) as in species of prison. This was the doctrine of P)thogoras, men in its most striking peculiarities, bears such a close resemblance to the Indians as greatly to favour the supposition that it was directl)' borrowed from it. There was even a tradition that P)-thogoras had visited India. III. Science of Comparative religions b)^ Major General J.G.R Forlong, fr.s.i;, f.r.a-SM.ai etc. (1877) ISTRODUCTION MU This book shous that jatnistn and old Baddhistn Were one and the same religion, and that this religion was prevalent in India and outeide of India from a verj', very long time and that its mflaence was impressed upon the Jewish religion and Christianity also Intro P. XIV. “The selection of these Short Studies has enabled us to virtually embrace and epito< mize all the faiths and religious ideas of the world, as well as, to lay bare the deep-seated tap root from which they sprang, viz. the crude yatism, jati or asceticism of thoughtful Jatis or Jinas, who in man’s earliest ages have in all lands separated themselves from the world and dwelt from pious motives m lone forests and mountain caves.” Intro. P. XIX. “ It 18 clear also that the Gotama of early Tibetans, Mongols and Chinese must have been a Jama; for the latter say he lived m the IQth and 11th centuries B C. Tilietans say he was born in 916, became a Buddha in 881, preached from his 33th year and died m 831 5C dates w'hich closely correspond W’lth those of the saintly Parsva" Page 2. “Through what historical channels did Buddhism influence early Christianity ? We must w iden the inquiry* by making it embrace Jamism~the undoubt- edly prior faith of very many millions through untold millenmuras — ^though one little known in Europe except to the few " Page 20. “ So slight seemed to Asoka the difference between Jams and Buddhists that he did not think it XIV Introduction necessary to make a public profession of Buddhism till about his 12th regnal year (247 B.C.) ; so that nearly if not all his Rock inscriptions are really those of a Jama Sovereign." P. 29. From Aini-akban of Abul Fazl it is clear that Asoka supported Jainism in Kashmir when Viceroy of Ujjam about 260 B.C., as had his father Bindusara and grand-father Chandragupta throughout the Magadha Empire. Buddhism ivas apparently for about a century after Gotama's death thought, by all who did not trouble themselves with details to be a mere form of Jainism. Among and b^ond these millions, Asoka laboured assiduously to propagate his mild and kindly Jainism, espeaally concerning the sacredness of all life, as wdl as peace, chanty, and universal brother-hood In all his rock-inscriptions he designates himself by the favourite Jattuf title " Deua natn ptya,** the Bdoved of God ? " This then was the theory and practice of the great Jaino-Buddhist religion which ilounshed in India many centunes before and o/ter the teaching of Gotama Sakya Mum... .It was certainly long prior to Parsva and Mahavira .... Whilst India was certainly the fruitful centre of religion from the 7th century B.C , yet Trans Himalaya, Oxiana, Baktna, and Kaspiana seem to have still earlier developed similar religious views and practices ; and Indian Jams and Buddhists rlaim and almost histoncally show, that about a score of their saintly leaders perambulated the Eastern World long prior to the 7th Century B C. We may reasonably believe that Jaino-Buddhism was very anciently preached by Introduction XV them from China to the Kaspian . .It existed m Oxiana and north of the Himalayas 2000 years before Mahavira. Page 32. In these moves, we see how Baktnan faiths passed West and how in the 7th and 6th centuries B C.