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INTRODUCTORY NOTE 8 In the year 1833 in January he was appointed as the Resident of Kathmandu, Nepal, and he continued in the same post from that time up to the close of 1843. - During this period he discovered a great number of Sanskrit Buddhist works in manuscripts, the total number being 381 bundles. As many of you know, these have been distributed to various learned Societies like the Asiatic Society of Bengal; Royal Asiatic Society, London; India Office Library; Bodleian Library, Oxford ; Societe Asiatique and M. Burnouf and the Bibliotheque Nationale of France.’ The existence of these Mahayana Sanskrit manuscripts was perfectly unknown before this time not only to Europe, China, Japan but even to India itself. However, this discovery has entirely revolutionised the history of Buddhism, because, up to that time Buddhist scholars of Europe and even of India: had the idea that all the Buddhist Canons were written in Pali. It was only alter this discovery tha{ they came to know that there were other Buddhist Canons which were written in Sanskrit as well as mixed Sanskrit, and simultaneously their attention ‘was also drawn to the Tibetan, Chinese and Japanese Buddhist Canons. Henceforth they could not but study Buddhism in different languages. As soon as those Mahayanic Sanskrit manuscripts were discovered, they came to know that the Buddhism embodied in those manuscripts is quite different in character, from that embodied in the Pali canons. At the same time they cradually. understood that the Buddhism embodied in the Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese canons on the whole does bear quite a family-resemblance with Sanskrit Buddhism which was just a little before discovered in Nepal. “Thus a new vista dawned in the mental horizon of Buddhist ‘ Dr. R. Mitra’s Nepalese Buddhist Literature, p. xxiv. 4 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM scholars—new points of views and new visions were the results thereof. This Nepalese Buddhism was entirely different from the Buddhism in Pali which prevailed in Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Anam. Since that time Buddhist scholars of _Europe made two-fold divisions of Buddhism asa whole from the geographical point of view. Or in other words, they took India as the centre and countries like Nepal, Tibet, China and Japan, etc., where Buddhism is prevailing in a different shape, are situated in the Northern direction, so they applied the terms “ Northern “Buddhism ” to this, while in as much as the countries like Ceylon, Burma and Siam, etc., where Pali Buddhism is prevailing ‘are situated ina Southern direction from India, “they termed it “Southern Buddhism.” - _ Let it be said here that this geographical division is not perfectly correct as Dr. J. Takakusu and Dr. K. Watanabe! have pointed out. Because although the Islands of Java and Sumatra lie in a Southern direction from India, yet we. must not forget, that their Buddhism was entirely on the same par with Northern Buddhism. But this division seems. to be very convenient for understanding different forms, ‘different religious types, different doctrines, different philosophies, different canons in different languages with different antecedents. From ‘the point of religious type or character “Southern Buddhism” is Original form of Buddhism,* while that of the “ Northern Buddhism” is partially Original,’ and partially Developed, form of Buddhism. As you know, the so-called ‘Southern Buddhism ” was originally spread from: India to Ceylon at the time of King Asoka about.250 B.C. by the missionary propagation of Mahinda, the son of king Asoka and his other five | + A Pati Chrestomathy of Dr. J. Pakakeisi; p: xi. Dr. K. Watanabe’s European Baddhism, p. 14 (in Japanese). * See Appendix. INTRODUCTORY NOTE 5 colleagues, viz., Itthiya, Utteya, Sambala, Bhaddasala and Sumana, the son of his sister.' From Ceylon it has spread into other different countries. The Buddhism which was in vogue among the Sthaviras in the time of king Asoka was the Original form of Buddhism.? Because this Sthavira doctrine alone spread into Ceylon and other Southern countries, therefore, it is termed “ Southern Buddhism.” And that was precisely the Original Doctrine. On the other hand, speaking generally, we must also bear in mind that what is termed “ Northern Buddhism” is a growth mainly in Post-Asokan times. The Sthaviras incladtaie. even those who in Asoka’s time left Magadha and went to Kashmira-Gandhara, later on occupied a- place in Northern Buddhism under the new name of -- the ‘Sarvastivadin.’ If we analyze the history of. Indian Buddhism, we see first, that just after the Third Buddhist Council in the time of King Asoka, Kukkutarama in the capital city of Pataliputra Lonams a centre of Buddhism more prosperous than any other: place. But it was in the hands of the Mahasainghika school. At first, King Asoka tried his level best for the unity of the contending Sthavira and Mahasamghika parties ; the Sthaviras could not long stand united in amity with the Mahasarhghika. They left Magadha; at that time they seceded in a body and divided themselves into two parties—one following the line of the Vinaya- bhinakas went to Ceylon and the other who followed tlié tradition of the Sttra-bhanakas went to Kashmira- Gandhara.? The former as I have told you became the founder of Southern Buddhism while the jotter made ’ Mahavamea XII. 7. and XIIL 4. and Agoka by V. A. Smith, p. 213. > Of course at thet time Mahdsathghika doctrines were also extended in India. But the Buddhism of Sthavira school mast be pronoanced as Original for of Buddhism. 2 See my “Shifting of the Centres of Buddhism in India ” in Calcutta University Journal of Letters, Vol, 1, aud the History of Early Buddhist Schools which will appear in the Vol. TV, Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Silver Jubilee Volumes (Orientulia). 6 ORIGIN O# MAHAYANA BUDDHISM their centre in Kashmira and Gandhara. These Kashmira-Gandhara Sthaviras at first kept’ to theit original doctrines, but later on being influenced by Mahasamghikas they were found to emphasise the philosophical aspect of their doctrine more and more and became known as Sarvastivadin. The Mahasamghika and its lineage schools tried to manifest Buddha's introspectional perception and eventually paved the way for the later establishment of Mahayana doctrines. Not only that, some of their parties were themselves the founders of Mahayana schools. This is the reason why we called “Northern Buddhism” partially Original Buddhism and the partially Developed Buddhism, Of Languages : the canons of “ Southern Buddhism ”! so far as I understand, are written in Pali language at least from the time of Buddhaghosa (about 550 A. D.). On the other hand the canons of ‘“ Northern Buddhism ” are. written ‘partly in Classical Sanskrit, partly in the aatha-dialect and partially in Prakrit, and some even n Pali. This fact becomes very clear at the present ime from the manifold investigations done by many icholars both in the East and in the West.2 We get sorroboration on this point from the Chinese translations ~ Buddhist canons. In some of them the translation uggests clearly Sanskrit originals. In others hiot is riven of Prakrit as well as Pali originals. Dr. M. Anesaki las. pointed this out in his “ Four Buddhist Agamas in Yhinese,”? and Dr. J. Takakusu says the same in‘ a earned article in the J. R. A. S., July, 1896, pp. 416-439. 1 Ido not mean to say that the original canon vf Southern Buddhiem was tuatly. written in Pali and it is a very difficult task at present to fiud out actly the original language in which it was written. * The language of eéxistent manuscripts of Northern Buddhism are some in assical Sanskrit, some in Gathi-dialect and some in Prakrit, Much evidence of this n be had from the discoveries made by men like Stein, Grunwedal, Peirowsky, remenz, and Pelliot in Chinese Turkestan and Central Asia, ete. * Trangactiong of the Asiatic Suviety of Japan, Vol. XXXV, Part (3), Lutroductivn. INTRODUCTORY NOTE 7 Over and above this, we have an ancient reliable authority. The learned Buddhist monk Vinita-deva of 8th century A. D. makes statement like this—the Sarvastivadins used Sanskrit, the. Mahasathghikas Prakrit, the Sammitiyas Apabhransa and Sthaviravadins used Paisaci.' . On the side of doctrine, it may be generally said that “Southern Buddhism ” is carrying the original doctrines of Buddha which dealt with his Phenomenological perception, while the so-called “‘ Northern Baddhism ” on the other hand is the product of an intermixture of both the original of Buddha’s Phenomenological perception and his Ontological perception. In other words, the Northern schools of, Sthaviras or Sarvastivadins and their allied branches ‘generally speaking, are bearing the original character ‘pf Buddhism; while all developed forms of Buddhism and its schools are to indicate Ontological side of Buddha’s perception. II, The terms Mahayana and Hinayina— Doctrinal Division of Buddhism, (ar y only object here is to draw. your attention to the great importance’ of the two terms Mahayana and Hinayina,—which will help a better. and clearer understanding of the subject. A detailed discussion of this topic is of absorbing interest to every student of Buddhism. It is reserved.for my main book. Therefore, in this introductory note, I will give you a bare summary of the subject. ‘The terms Mahayana and Hinayana are known only to Northern Buddhism but not to Southern Buddhism. As a matter of fact, therefore, we never. meet with such 1 Dr. M. Anesnki’s Consideration of Indian Religious History, p. 543 Japanese) nd Dr, M. M. 8. C. Vidyabhnshana’s Indian Logic, ai 8 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM terms in the Pali canon of Southern Buddhism.