Text of Confucianism Part 02

SR No.: 007676
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: James Legge
Publisher: Oxford
Publication Year: 1882
Total Pages: 2405
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 43 MB

Page 1543

xxvi
FO-SHO-HING-TSAN-KING.
(8) Kwo-hu-hien-tsai-yin-ko-king
過去現在因果經 It is not divided into sections, but each kiouen embraces a distinct portion of the history.
Kiouen I contains an account of Sumedhas and his nomination by Dîpankara Buddha. It then proceeds to narrate the events attending the conception, incarnation, and early years of the Bodhisattva until his tenth year, and his superiority at school (p. 26).
Kiouen II begins with the martial contest and victory of Bodhisattva over his compeers, and ends with the flight from his palace at nineteen years of age (p. 27).
Kiouen III begins with Bodhisattva's interview with the different Rishis, and concludes with the conversion of the five men after Buddha's enlightenment (p. 34).
Kiouen IV begins with the conversion of Yasa and his father, and afterwards his fifty friends. It then gives in great detail the history of the Kasyapas, and ends with an account of the gift of the Getavana. This life of Buddha is of a circumstantial character, and is full of interesting episodes.
The next memoir in point of time of translation is the history of Buddha as it occurs in the Vinaya Pitaka. I shall take as my example the Vinaya according to the Mahîsåsaka school. In the 15th and 16th chapters of this work is a brief life of Buddha. This copy of the Vinaya was brought from Ceylon by Fa-hien at the beginning of the fifth century (A.D. 414); it was not translated by him, but by Buddhagiva, a native of Cophene, A. D. 423 (see Abstract of Four Lectures, p. 21), with the assistance of Tao-sing (Ku-tao-sing), a Sramana of Khoten.
In this life the order of events (and the precise words occasionally) agree with the Pali of the Mahâvagga, as published by Oldenberg. It begins, however, with the history of the origin of the Sâkyas, and in this it resembles the account in the Manual of Buddhism', except that in the Chinese the
Spence Hardy, p. 130.
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