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150
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JUNE, 1878.
19
This table, as Mr. Rhys Davids points out, ages at their death (col. 5) from the number of abounds in absurdities, as it places the birth years during which they were members of the and the ordination of most Theras too close church (col. 4) the length of time may be found together, and in the case of Sonaka the latter during which each was head of the church. If event before the former. He, however, thinks to the total of these figures the sixteen years are that the absurdities may be removed by taking added which elapsed between Buddha's death the statements, which are merely based on the and the ordination of the second Thera, Dasaka Therdvali by themselves, and by separating (col. 2), as well as the eighteen years which lie them entirely from those of the first two and the between the sixth, Mahinda, and Aśoka's council, last columns, which depend on the Rajavalis of the interval between the Nirvana and Asoka's Ceylon and Magadha. After doing this he finds council is not 236, but 168 years. As the that the figures no longer involve any absurdity, council took place after Asoka had ruled and that by deducting the difference between the eighteen years, the coronation falls in 150 A.B. ages of the four Theras beginning with Dasaka These calculations are embodied in a second at the ordination of their pupils (col. 3) and their table, which, for clearness' sake, I reprint :
Years during Years of his full Age when he perform Age when he
No. of years which he and membership Name. ed the Upasanispada of
died.
he was a full his successor before his suc. successor.
member. were full
cessor's admembers.
mission. Upali ............... Dasaka ................ Sonaka............... Siggava ............ Tissa............
217 Dåsaka admitted to full membership ............
16 A.B. The second council was in the twelfth year of Mahinda's full membership Date A.B. of Asoka's council
18 Date A.B. of Asoka's coronation ..........
150 It thus appears that in reality the Dipavansa, Ceylonese chronicles the Sibunagas reigned just in its Therávali portion, allows for 168 years only 68 years, and that if they are placed before as having elapsed between the Nirvana and Bhatiya and Bimbisåra and their descendants the Asoko's council. At the same time the same number of years of the Mâgadha kings down to work places the council explicitly in 236 A.B., Asoka will be exactly 150, and thus fully agree and Aboka's coronation in 218 (?) A.B. The with the sum of years gained by the adjustment question now arises whether the shorter or the of the Therávali. An explanation may be offered longer period is the more credible one. Mr. Rhys for the insertion of the longer period also. For Davids declares himself in favour of the former, as the sum of the figures in column 3 of the second because the number of the Theras (five) is not table makes 217, it becomes not improbable sufficient to fill a period of 236 years; because, that Buddhist chronologists, in calculating the further, the number of the Ceylonese kings is also distance of Asoka from the Nirvana, by mistake too small for more than two hundred years; and added up the periods daring which each Thera because, finally, the Brahmanical lists of the kings was upasampanna, instead of those during which of Magadha which place the Siśunagas before he was sole teacher of the Vinaya, or head of Bhatiya and his descendants, likewise speak in the church. favour of the shorter interval. Mr. Rhys Davids On first reading Mr. Rhys Davids' deductions, further shows that the Buddhists possessed it is impossible to avoid being fascinated by his a number of ancient works which probably con- eloquent and ingenious pleading, to which my tained the Therávalis, and that the latter have abstract does but scant justice. Still one cannot therefore & claim to be considered historical help feeling a certain distrust against so very He, also, points out that according to the startling results, and the discovery that the an
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