The Smaller Sukhavati-vyuha

¹§ I. Thus it was heard by me : At one time the Blessed (Bhagavat, i.e. Buddha) dwell at AVavasti in the 6'eta-grove, in the garden of Anathapiwfaka, together with a large company of Bhikshus (mendi- cant friars), viz. with twelve hundred and fifty Bhikshus, all of them acquainted with the five kinds of knowledge ^ elders, great disciples and Arhats *, ' ASravasti, capital ot the Northern Kojalas, residence of king Prasenadt. It was in ruins when visited by Pa-hian (inil. V. Sacc.) ; not far from the modern Fizabad. Cf. Burnous, Introduction, p. 22 . ® Abhi^^;7anabhi^/7atai//. The Japanese text reads abhi- ^watabhawatai^, i.e. abhiwatabhi^;7atai^. If this were known to be the correct reading, we should translate it by ‘ known by known people,' notus a viris notis, i. e. well known, famous. Abhiwata in the sense of known, famous, occurs in Lalita- vistara, p. 25 , and tile Chinese translators adopted the same meaning here. Again, if we preferred the reading a b h ir / 7 a n a b h i^^ /7 a t a i ^ , this, too, would admit of an intelligible rendenng, viz. known or distinguished by the marks or characteristics, i. e. the good quali- ties w'hich belong to a Bhikshu. But the technical meaning is ‘possessed of a knowledge of the five abhi^'^was.' It would be better in that case to write abhi^/7atabhi^/7anai^, but no MSS. seem to support that reading. The five abhi^^as or abhi^^^wanas which an Arhat ought to possess are the divine sight, the divine hearing, the knowledge of the thoughts of others, the remembrance of former existences, and magic power. See Burnous, Lotus, Appendice, No. xiv. ^The larger text of the Sukhavali-vyfiha has * * See next page. 90 THE SMALLER SUKHAVAtI-VYHA. such as ^’Ariputra, the elder, Mahdmaudgalydyana, Mahakdjryapa, Mahdkapphia, Mah&kdtyyana, Ma- hdkaush//iila, Revata, .Suddhipanthaka, Nanda, Ananda, Rcihiila, Gavampati, Bharadva^, Kdlo- dayin, Vakkula, and Aniruddha. He dwelt together with these and many other great disciples, and to- gether with many noble-minded Bodhisattvas, such as Ma;74ni.?rs, the prince, the Bodhisattva Aita, the Bodhisattva Gandhahastin, die Bodhisattva Nityo- dyukta, the Bodhisattva Anikshiptadhura. He dwelt together with them and many other noble-minded Bodhisattvas, and with 6akra, the Indra pr King® abhi^^^«anal)hi^/ 7 ai^, and afterwards abhi^«atabhi^«ai>^. The position of the participle as the uttara-pada in such compounds as abhi^>^/ 7 anabhii^; 7 atai/; is common in Buddhist Sanskrit. Mr. Bendall has called my attention to the Pali abhiwata-abhi«;7dta (Vinaya-])iak.i, ed. Oldcnberg, vol. i, p. 43), which favours the Chinese acceptation of the term. “ Maharavaka, the great disciples; sometimes the eighty principal disciples. * Ar had bin//. I have left the correct Sanskrit form, because the Japanese text gives the termination adbhi//. Hugo s text has the more usual form arhantai^^. The change of the old classical arhat into the Pali arahan, and then back into Sanskrit arhanta, arahanta, and at last arihanta, with the meaning of ‘destroyer of the enemies,' i e. the passions, shows very clearly the different stages through which Sanskrit words passed in the different phases of Buddhist litcrati*re. In Tibet, in Mongolia, and in China, Arhat is translated by ‘destroyer of the enemy,' i.e. ari-hanla. See Biirnouf, Lotus, p. 287, Introduction, p. 295. Arhat is really the title of the Bhikshu on reaching the fourth degree of. perfection. Cf. Siltra of the 42 Sections, cap. 2. Clemens of Alexindria (d. 220) speaks of the Sfiiot who worshipped a pyramid erected over the relics of a god. This may be a translation of Arhat, as Lassen (‘De nom. Ind. philosoph/ in Rhein. Museum, vol. i, p. 187) and Burnous (Introduction, p. 295) supposed, or a transliteration of Samana. Clemens also speaks of Scuiiai (Stjomat. p. 539, Potter). ^ Indra, the old Vedic god, has come to mean simply lord, and

²the smaller SUKllAVATt-VvCnA. 9 1 of the Devas, and with Brahman Sahdmpati. With these and many other hundred thousand nayutas ’ of sons of the gods, Bhagavat dwelt at 5 rAvastl.

³Then Bhagavat addressed the honoured ^iiri- putra and said, ‘ O ^Sdriputra, after you have passed from here over a hundred thousand kols of Buddha countries there is in the Western part a Buddha country, a world called Sukhdvatl (the happy coun- try). And there a TathSgata, called Amitayus, an Arhat, fully enlightened, dwells now, and remains, and supports himself, and teaches the Law ■*. ‘ Now vvhat do you think, ^ariputra, for what reason is that world called Sukhavati (the happy) ? In that world Sukhdvati, O 6'ariputra, there is neither bodily nor mental pain for living beings. The sources of happiness are innumerable there. For that reason is that work! called Sukhavati (the happy).

⁴'And again, O ^arlputra, that world Sukhavati is adorned with seven terraces, with seven rows of in ihc Ainda Paritta (Journal Asialiquc, 1871, p. 220) we actually find Asurinda, the Indra or Lord of the Asuras. ^ The numbers in Buddhist literature, if they once exceed a koi or koi, i. e. ten millions, become very vague, nor is their value always the same. Ayuta, i. e. a hundred kois ; niyula, i. e. a hundred ayutas ; and nayuta, i.e. i with 22 zev)s, are often con- founded ; nor does it matter much so far as any definite idea is concerned which such numerals convey to our mind. Sec Prof. H. Schubert, ‘On large numbers,' in Open Court, Dec. 14, 1893. ® TishMati dhriyate yapayati dharmaw ^a dejayati. This is an idiomatic phrase, which occurs again and again in the Nepalese text of the Sukhavatt-vyfiha (MS. 26 b, 11 . 1,2; 55 a, 1 . 2, &c.). It seems to mean, he stands there, holds himself, supports himself, and teaches the law. Burnous translates the same phrase by, ‘ ils se trouvent, vivent, existent' (Lotus, p. 354). On ydpeti in Pali, see Fausboll, Dasaratha-^taka, pp. 26, 28 ; and yapana in Sanskrit. 92 THE SMALLER SUKIIAVAt{-VyOiIA. § 3 - palm-trees, and with strings of bells ^ It is enclosed on every side ^ beautiful, brilliant with the four gems, viz. gold, silver, beryl, and crystal \ With ^ Kihkiwi^^^ala. The texts read kahkawaalaij ^a and kahka;/i^4,Mlais >^a, and again later kahkawialunam (also 1ft) and kankawt^'^alanam. Mr. Boal translates from Chinese ‘ seven rows of exquisite curtains,* and again ' gemmous curtains.* First of all, it seems clear that we must read ^ala, net, web, instead of ^ala. Secondly, kankawa, bracelet, gives no sense, for what could be the meaning of nets or strings of bracelets? I prefer to read kirikiij;^ala, nets or strings or rows of bells. Such rows of bells served for ornamenting a garden, and it may be said of them that, if moved by the wind, they give forth c^'rtain sounds. In the commentary on Dhammapada 30, p. 19 1, wc meet with kinkinika^^ala, from which likewise the music proceeds; see Childer.N, s.v. ^ala. In the MSS. of the Nepalese Sukhavati-vyiiha (R.A.S.), p. 39 a, 1 . 4, 1 likewise find svar;/aratnakinki;/i^'-alani, which settles the matter, and shows how liitlc confidence we can place in the Japanese texts. “ Anuparikshipta, enclosed; sec parikkhepo in Childers* Dictionary, and compare pairidaeza, paradise. 'The four and seven precious things in Pali are (according to Childers) : — I. suvazwaw. gold. 2. ra^'-ataw. silver. 3. mutta. pea I Is. 4. rnawi. gems (as sapphire, ruby). 5. veuriyaw, cat’s eye. 6. va^^iira///, diamond. 7. pavaam, coral. Here Childers translates cat* s eye; but s.v. veuriyam precious stone, perhaps lapis lazuli. In Sanskrit (Burnous, Lotus, p. 320): — I. suvarwa, goin. 2. rftpya. silver. 3. vai^/ftrya. lapis lazuli 4. sphaika, crystal. 5. lohitamukti. red pearls. 6. ajmagarbha, diamond. 7 musaragalva, coral. §4- THE SMALLER SUKIIAVAtJ-VyOiIA. 93 such arrays of excellences peculiar to a Buddha country is that Buddha country adorned.

⁵‘And again, O .5ariputra, in that world SukhA- vati there are lotus lakes, adorned with the seven gems, viz. gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, dia- monds, and corals as the*seventh. They arc full of water which possesses the eight good ciiialities\ their waters rise as high as the fords and bathing-places, so that even crows ^ may drink there ; they are Julien (Polcrins Buddhistes, vol. ii, p. 482) gives ihe following list : — i« sphaika, rock crystal. 2. vaidftra, lapis lazuli. 3. ajmagarbha, cornnline. 4. musaragalva, amber. 5. padinaraga, jiiby. Vai//ftrya (or Vaidiirya) is mentioned in thcTalliagalaguwa- ^«ana/{’intyavishayavalaranirdeAa (WassilieT p. 16 1) as a precious stone which, if pLiced on green cloth, 'oks green, if placed on red cloth, red. The fact that vai^/iirya is often compared with the colour of the eyes of a cat would seem to point to the cat's eye (see Borooah's Engl.-Sanskrit Dictionary, vol. ii, preface, p. ix), certainly not to lapis lazuli. Cat’s eye is a kind of chalcedony. I see, how- ever, that vai</urya has been recognised as the original of the Greek ffqpvWos, a very ingenious conjecture, either of Weber's or of Pott's, considering that lingual d has a sound akin to r, and ry may be changed to fy and 11 (Weber, Omina, p. 326). The JVrsian billaur or balliSr, which Skeat gives as the etymon of ^^fwXXos, is of Arabic origin, means crystal, and couKl ^ardly have found its way into Greek at so early a time. See ‘ India, what can it teach us?’ p. 267. * The eight good qualities of water are limpidity and purity, refreshing coolnc’ss, sweetness, softness, fertilising qualities, calm- ness, power of preventing famine, productiveness. See Beal, Catena, p. 379. ® Kakapeya. One text reads kakapeya, the other kaka- peya. It is difficult to choose. The more usual word is kakapeya, which is explained by Pawini, II, i, 33. It is uncer- tain, however, whether ^kkapeya is meant as a laudatory or as 94 the smaller SUKIlAVATt-VY<JHA. §4. strewn with golden sand. And in these lotus-lakes there are all around on the four sides four stairs, beautiful and brilliant with the four gpms, viz. gold, silver, beryl, crystal. And on every side of these lotus-lakes gem- trees are growing, beautiful and brilliant with the seven gerns, viz. gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, diamonds, and corals as the seventh. And in those lotus-lakes lotus-flowers arc growing, blue, blue-coloured, of blue splendour, blue to behold ; yellow, yellow-coloured, of yellow splen- dour, yellow to behold ; red, red-coloured, of red splendour, red to behold ; white, white-coloured, of white splendour, white to behold ; beautiful, beau- tifully-coloured, of beautiful splendour, beautiful to behold, and in circumference as large as the wheel of a chariot. a depreciatory tcim. Bolulingk takes it in the latter sense, and translates nadi kakapeya, by a shallow river that could be drunk up by a crow, Taranatha takes it in the former sense, and trans- lates nadi kakapeya, as a river so full of water that a crow can drink it without bending its neck (kakair anatakandharai// piyate ; pdrwodakatvena prajasye kakaiA peye nadyadau). In our passage kakapeya must be a term of praise, and we therefore could only render it- by * ponds so full of water that crows could drink from them.' But why should so well known a word as kakapeya have been spelt kakapeya, unless it was done intentionally? And if intentionally, what was it intended for? We must remember that Bazini, II, i, 42 schol., teaches us how to form the word tirthakaka, a crow at a tirtha, which means a person in a wrong place. It would seem therefore that crowds were considered out of place at a tirtha or bathing-place, either because they were birds of ill omen, or because they defiled the water. From that point of view, kakapeya would mean a pond not visited by crows, free from crows. Professor Pischel has called my atten- tion to Maluiparinibbana Sutta {J. R. A. S. 1875, p. 67, p. 2i), where kakapeya clearly refers to a full river. SamatiMika, if this is the right reading, occurs in the same place as an epithet of

⁶THE SMALLER SUKIlAvATi-VYOlTA. 95 § 5 , ‘And again, O ^'Ariputra, in that Buddha country there are heavenly musical instruments always played on, and the ^arth is lovely and of golden colour. And in that Buddha country a flower-rain of heavenly MAnddrava blossoms pours down three times every day, and three times evdry night. And the beings who are born there worship before their morning meal ^ a hundred thousand kols of Buddhas by going to other worlds ; and having showered a hun- dred thousand kois of flowers upon each Tatha- gata, they return to their own world in time for the afternoon rest^ With such a'Tays of excellences peculiar to a Buddha country is that Buddha country adorned.

⁷‘And again, O ^ariputra, ihere are in that Bud- dha country swans, curlews and peacocks. Three times every night, and three time's every day, they a river, by the side of kSkapeya, and I thaik it most likely that it means rising to a level with the ttrthas, the fords or bathing-places. Mr. Rhys Davids informs me that the commentary explains the two words by samatitlikd ti samaharitd, kdkapeyya ti yatlhalatlhai lire /Aitena kakena sakka patum ti. * Purobhaktena. The text is diflicult to read, but it can hardly be doubtful that purobhaktena corresponds to Pali purebhattaw (i.e.* before the morning meal), opposed to pa^- ^Aabhattaw, after the noonday meal (i.e. in the afternoon). Sec Childers, s.v. PDrvabhaklika would be the fir^ repast, as Prof. Cowell inform's me. ® Divdvihdraya, for the noonday rest, the siesta. See Childers, s.v. vihara. ’ Krau«/idi . * Snipe, curlew. Is it meant for Kuravtka, or Karavika, a fine-voiced bird (according to Kern, the Sk. kard- yika), or for Kalayihka, ^dli Kalavika? See Childers, s.v. opapdtiko; Burnous, Lotus, p. 566. I see, however, the same birds mentioned together elsewhere, as ha»<sakrau»^amayfiramka- jdlikakokila, &c. On mayfira see Mahav., Introd. p. xxxix ; Rv. I, 191, 14. 96 THE SMALLER SUKHAvATi-VvOHA. §6, come together and perform a concert, each uttering his own note. And from them thus uttering proceeds a sound proclaiming the five virtues, tl\e five powers, and the seven steps leading towards the highest knowledge \ When the men there hear that sound, remembrance of Buddha, r&membrance of the Law, remembrance of the Church, rises in their mind. ‘ Now, do you think, O 6'driputra, that there are beings who have entered intc the nature of animals (birds, &c.) ? This is not to be thought of. The ^ Indriyabalabodhyahgajabda. These are technical terms, but their moaning is not quite clear. Spence Hardy, iru his Manual, p. 498, enumerates the five indrayas, viz. (i) sardhawa, purity (probably jraddha, faith); (2) wiraya, persevering exertion (vtrya); (3) sati or smirti, the ascertainment of truth (smrti); (4) samadhi, traiKpiillity; (5) pragndwa, wisdom (pra^»-^a). The five balayas (bala), he adds, are the same as the five indrayas. The seven bowdyanga (bodhyanga) are according to him : (i) si hi or smirti, the ascertainment of the truth by mental applicadon; (2) dharmmavvieha, the investigation of causes; (3) wiraya, persevering exertion; (4) prtli, joy; (5) passadhi, or prasrabdhi, tranquillity ; (6) samadhi, tranquillity in a higher degree, including freedom from all that disturbs either body or mind; (7) upeksha, equanimity. It will be seen from this that some of these qualities or excel- lences occur both as indriyas and bodhyanas, while balas are throughout identical with indriyas. liurnouf, howevpr, in his Lotus, gives a list of five balas (from the Vocabulaire Penlaglotte) which correspond with the five indriyas of Spence Hardy; viz, jr add ha -bala, power of faith; virya- b ala, power of vigour ; s m r ft i - b a 1 a , power of memory ; samadhi- b a I a , power of meditation ; p r a^ ;7 a - b a 1 a , power of knowledge. They precede the seven bodhyahgas both in the Lotus, the Vocabulaire Pentaglotte, and the La|jta-visiara. To these seven bodhyangas Burnous has assigned a special treatise (Appendicc xii, p. 796). They occur both in Sanskrit and Pali. See also Dharmasangraha s.v. in the Anecdota O.xonicnsia. § 9 - THE SMALLER SUKIIAVAXi-VYOUA. 97 very name of hells is unknown in that Buddha country, and likewise that of (descent into) animal bodies and of the realm ofYama (the four apAyas)'. No, these tribes of birds have been made on purpose by the Tathagata Amitayus, and they utter the sound of the Law. With sucli* arrays of excellences, &c. I 7 . ‘And again, O ^jiriputra, when those rows of palm-trees and strings of bells in that Buddha country are moved by the wind, a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds from them. Yes, O lyariputra, as from a heavenly musical instrument consisting of a hundred thousand kois of sounds, when played by Aryas, a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds, a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds from those rows of palm-trees and strings of bells moved by the wind. And when the men hear that sound, reflection on Buddha ari.ses in them, reflection on the Law, reflection on the Church. With such arrays of excellences, &c.

⁸‘ Now what do you think, O 6 ariputra, for what reason is that Tathagata called AmitAyus ? The length of life (ayus), O Yariputra, of that TathAgata and of those men there is immeasurable (amita). Therefore is that TathAgata called AmitAyus. And ten kalpas have passed, O .Sariputra, since that TathAgata awoke to perfect knowhujge. J 9. ‘And what do you think, O 6'Ariputra, for what reason is that TathAgata called AmitAbha ? The ^ Niraya, the* hells, also called Naraka. Yamaloka, the realm of Yama, the judge of the dead, is explained as the four apayas, i.e. Naraka, hell; Tiryagyoni, biVth as animals; Pretaloka, realm of the departed ; Asuraloka, realm of evil spirits. The three terms which are here used together occur likewise in a passage translated by Burnous, IntroduLtion,#p, 544. [49] n. 98 THE SMALLER SUKhAvAt!-VyOhA. § lO. splendour (ibha), O Kydriputra, of that Tathdgata is unimpeded over all Buddha countries. Therefore is that Tathdgata called Amitdbha. ‘And there is, O 5ariputra, an innumerable as- sembly of disciples with that Tathdgta, purified and venerable persons, whose dumber it is not easy to count. With such arrays of excellences, &c. § lO. ‘And again, O ^yariputra, of those beings also who are born in the Buddha country of the Tathdgata Amitdyus as purified Bodhisattvas, never to return again and bound by one birth only, of those Bodhisat- tvas also,0 ^driputra, the number is not easy to count, except they are reckoned as infinite in number ‘ Then again all beings, O vydriputra, ought to make fervent prayer for that Buddha country. And why ? Because they come together there with such excellent men. Beings are not born in that Buddha country of the Tathdgata Amitdyus as a reward and result of good works performed in this present life ^ Iti sankhyiiw gay(’/ 7 /anti, they arc called; cf. Childers, s.v. sahkhya. Asahkhyeya, even more than aprameya, is the recognised term for infinity. Burnonf, Lotus, p. 852. " Avaraniatraka. This is the Pali oramattako, ‘ belonging merely to the present life/ and the intention of the writer seems to be to inculcate the doctrine, that salvation can be obtained by mere repetitions of the name of Amitabha, in direct opposition to the original doctrine of Buddha, that as a man soweth, so he reapeth. Buddha would have taught that the kujalamflla, the root or the stock of good works performed in this world (avaramatraka), will bear fruit in the next, while here * vain repetitions * seem all that is enjoyed. I'he Chinese translators take a different view of this passage. But fiom the cnil of this section, where we read kulaputrewa va kuladuhiti a va latra buddhakshetre >&ittapra;/idhanaOT karlavyam, it seems clear that the locative (buddhakshetre) forms the object of the prawidhana, the fervent prayer or longing. The Satpuruslias already in the Buddhaksltra would be the innu- merable men (manushyas) and Bodhisattvas mentioned before. § II. THE SMALLER SUKriAvATi-VvOlIA. 99 No, whatever son or daughter of a family shall hear the name of the blessed Amitayus, the TathSgata, and having heard it, shall keep it in mind, and with thoughts undisturbed shall keep it in mind for one, two, three, four, five, six or seven nights, — when that son or daughter of a family comes to die, then that Amitdyus, the Tathdgata, surrounded by an assembly of disciples and followed by a host of Bodhi- sattvas, will stand before them at their hour of death, and they will depart thi^ life with tranquil minds. After their death they will be born in the world Sukhdvatl, in the Buddha country of the same Amitdyus, the Tathdgata. Therefore, then, O 6'dri- putra, having perceived this cause and effect’, I with reverence say thus. Every son and every daughter of a family ought with their whole mind to make fervent prayer for that Buduha country. J II. ‘And now, O Ji’driputia, as I here at present glorify that world, thus in the East, O ^driputra, other blessed Buddhas, led by the Tathdgata Akshobhya, the Tathdgata Merudhvaa, the Tathdgata Maha- meru, the Tathdgata Meruprabhdsa, and the Tath.d- gata Mawdhvaa, equal in number to the sand of the river Gangd, comprehend their own Buddha countries in their speech, and then reveal them’’. ’ Arthavaja, lit. the power of the thing; cf. Dhammapada, p. 388, V. 289. “lam not quife certain as to the meaning of this passage, but if we enter into the bold metaphor of the text, viz. that the Buddhas cover the Buddha countries with the organ of their tongue and then unrol it, what is intended can hardly be anything but that they first try to find words for the excellences of those countries, and then reveal or proclaim them. Burnous, however (Lotus, p. 417), takes the expression in a literal spse, though he is shocked by its grotesqueness. On these Buddhas and their countries, see Burnous, Lotus, p. 113. lOO T7IE SMALLER SUKhAvAtJ-VYOhA. § Accept this repetition of the Law, called the “ Favour of all Buddhas,” which magnifies their inconceivable excellences. • (J 1 2. ‘ Thus also in the South do other blessed Bud- dhas, led by the Tathigata A'andrasfiryapradlpa, the Tathagata Yaazprabha, tlic Tathdgata MahArAd- skandha, the Tathagata Merupradipa, the Tathagata Anantavirya, ecpial in number to the sand of the river Ganga, comprehend their own Buddha countries in their speech, and then reveal them. Accept, &c.

⁹‘ Thus also in the West do other blessed Bud- dhas, led by the Tathftgata Amitayus, the Tathdgata Amitaskandha, the Tathagata Amitadhvaa, the Ta- thagata MahAprabha, the TatliAgata Maharatnaketu, the Tathagata Auddhara-miiprabha, equal in number to the sand of the river Gangd, comprehend, &c. J 14. ‘ Thus also in the North do other blessed Bud- dhas, led by the Tathagata Mahartiskandha, the Tathagata Vaivanaranirghosha, the 'I'athagata Dun- dubhisvaranirghosha. the Tathfigata Dushpradharsha, the Tathagata Adityasambhava, the T athagata f 7 aleni- prabha(6'valanaprabha ?),the Tathagata Prabhakara, equal in number to the sand, &c.

¹⁰‘Thus also in the Nadir do other blessed Buddhas, led by the Tathagata Si;«ha, the Tathagata Yaias, the 'I'athagata Ya.?aprabhava, the TathAgata Dharma, theTathagata Dharmadhara, the TatliAgata Dharmadhva.g'a, equal in number to the sand, &c.

¹¹‘Thus also in the Zenith do other blessed Buddhas, led by the Tathagata Brahmaghosha, the Tathagata NakshatrarA^, the TathAgata Indraketu- dhvai,’arAi,’'a, the TathAgata Gandhottama, the Tatha- gata GandhaprabhAsa, the TathAgata MahAr/’iskan- dha, the Tathagata RatnakusumasampushpitagAtra, §17* THE SMALLER SUKIlAVATi-VvOlIA. lOI the Tathfigata Salendrara^, the Tathagata Ratnot- palari, tlie Tathagata Sarvarthadara, the Tathagata Sumerukalpa, equal in number to tlic saiul, &c. ' ^ 1 7. ‘ N ow what do ) ou think, O 6ariputra, for what reason is that repetition (treatise) of the Law called the Favour of all Buddhas ? Every son or dauglitcr of a family who shall hear the name of that repetition of the Law and retain in their memory the names of those blessed Buddhas, will be favoured by the Buddhas, and will never return again, being once in possession of the transcendent true knowledge. Therefore, then, O kyariputra. believe ", accept, and do not doubt of me and tho.se blessed Buddhas ! ‘Whatever sons or daughters of a family shall make mental prayer for tlte Buddha country of that blessed Amitayus, the 'I athag'ata, or are making it now or have made it foinirrly, all these will never return again, being once in possession of llu; tran- scendent true knowledge. They will be born in that Buddha country, have been born, or are being born ‘ It should be remarked that the Tatliagatas here assigned to the ten quarters differ entirely from those assigned to them in the Lalita-vistara, Book XX. Not even AiniUibha is mentioned there. ^ Pratiyatha. •The texts give again and again patliyatlia, evidently the Pali form, instead of pratiyata. I have left I ha, the Pali termination of the 2 p. pi. in the imperajve, instead of la, because that*form was clearly intended, while pa for pra may be an accident. Yet I have little doubt lhat'patiyatha was in the original text. That it is meant for the imperative, we sec from jraddadhadhvam, &c., further on. Other traces of the influence of Pali or Prakrit on the Sanskrit of our S{itra appear in arhan- ta.iA, the various reading^ for arhadhhi^, which I preferred; sambahula for bahula; dhriyatc yapayati; purobhaktena; anyatra; safikhyaw gaX’/^anti; avaramatraka; veMana instead of veshana, in nirvcMana; dharmaparydya (Corp. Inscript, plate xv), &c.* 102 THE SMALLER SUKHAVATt-VYHA. § l. now. Therefore, then, O ^Ariputra, mental prayer is to be made for that Buddha country by faithful sons and daughters of a family. , f i. ‘And as I at present magnify here the incon- ceivable excellences of those blessed Buddhas, thus, O 6ariputra, do those blessed Buddhas magnify my own inconceivable excellences. ‘A very difficult work has been done by ^Sikya- muni, the sovereign of the .SAkyas. Having ob- tained the transcendent true knowledge in this world Saha, he taught the Law which all the world is reluctant to accept, during this corruption of the present kalpa, during this corruption of mankind, during this corruption of belief, during this corrup- tion of life, during this corruption of passions.

¹²' This is even for me, O ^Sariputra, an extremely difficult work that, having obtained the transcendent true knowledge in this world SahA, I taught the Law which all the world is reluctant to accept, during this corruption of mankind, of belief, of passion, of life, and of this present kalpa.’ J 20. Thus spoke Bhagavat joyful in his mind. And the honourable vSariputra, and the Bhikshus and Bodhisattvas, and the whole world with the gods, men, evil spirits and genii, applauded the speech of Bhagavat. This is the Mahaydnasiltra ’ , called Sukhdvati-vyftha. ‘ The Sukhavatt-vyflha, even in its shortest text, is called a Mahdyana-sfitra, nor is there any reacon why a MahUyina-sfitra should not be short. The meaning of Mahdyina-sfttra is simply a Shtra belonging to the Mahdydna school, the school of the Great Boat. It was Bumouf who, in his Introduction to the History of Buddhism, tried very hard to establish a distinction between the

¹³THE SMALLER SUKHAVATi-VvOlIA. IO Vaipulya or developed Sutras, and what he calls the simple Siltras. Now, the Vaipulya Sdtras may all belong to the Mahayana school, but that would not prove that all the SAtras of the Mahayana s-chool are Vaipulya or developed Sutras. The name of simple Sdtra, in op- position to the Vaipulya or developed SiUras, is not recognised by the Buddhists themselves; at least, I know no name for simple SCitras. No doubt there is a great difference between a \'aipui\a Sftlra, such as the Lotus of the Good Law, translated by Burnous, and the SCitras which Burnous translated, for instance, from the Divyavadana. But what Burnous considers as the distinguishing mark of a Vaipulya Sutra, viz. the occurrence of Bodhisatlvas, as followers of the Biuklha .Sakyamuni, would no longer seem to be tenable *, unless we classed our short Sukhavati-vyuha as a Vaipulya or developed SCitra. For this there is no authority. Our Sdtra is a Mahayana SuLia, but never called a Vaipulya Sfttra, and yet in this Siltra the Bodhisatlvas con- stitute a very considerable portion among the followers of Biuldh.i. But more than that, Amitabha, the Buddha of Sukhavali, another personage whom Burnous looks upon as peculiar to the Vaipul}a Sfltras, who is, in fact, one 0^ th . Dhynni-buddhas, though not called by that name in our Shtr.*, forms the chief object of its teaching, and is represented as kuo '/n to Buddha Aakyamuni, nay, as having become a Buddha long befoie the Buddha Aakyainuni f. The larger text of the Sukhavati-vyAha would certainly, according to Burnoufs definition, seem to fad into the category of the Vaipulya Sutras, lut it is not so called in the MSS. which 1 have seen, and Burnous himself gives an analysis of that SAtra (Intro- duction, p. 99) as a specimen of a Mahayana, but not of a Vaipulya SAtra. * ‘ La presence des Bodhisatlvas ou Iciir absence int 6 rcsse done Ic fonds meinc des livres ou on la remarqiic, et il est bieii evident (jue cc sriil trace une ligne de demarcation •profondc entre Icb Sutras ordinaires ct les Sutr.as de- veloppcs.’ — Biyuouf, Introduction, p. 112. • t ‘ L’idce d’un ou de plusieurs Buddhas surhumains, cclle dc Bodhisaltv,as cres par eux, sont des conceptions aussi ^tranres a ces livres (les Sutras simples) que cello d’un Adibiiddha ou d’un Dieu.’ — Burnous, Introduction, p. 120. *