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APRIL, 1890.;
BUDDHAGHOSA.
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calls him a Burman priest; as also does the Singhalese Compendium when it speaks of his "return" to Burma from Ceylon.
8. The Burnouf-Lassen variation supposed that he was driven out of India during a persecution of Buddhism by the Brahmans : but none of the indigenous authorities support this supposition.
9. The rest of the authorities are silent on the subject of his early life: and it has been already mentioned that modern Burmese scholars have abandoned the claim set up for Thâtôn as the place of his birth and education.
B.-His visit to Ceylon.
(1) The object of his visit. 1. The Carey variation of the Burmese legend states that he was deputed to Ceylon to copy the Vissuddhimagga, -implying that this work, which is generally attributed to Buddhaghosa, was in existence in Ceylon before his arrival there, and was therefore not composed by him.
2. The Turnour Mahavarisa states that his visit to Ceylon was made at the instigation of the superior of his monastery in Magadha, to study the Singhalese language and to translate the commentaries of Mahinda on the Tripitaka from that language into the language of Magadha, in order to qualify himself to compose a general commentary on the Buddhist scriptures which he had proposed to undertake. The Neto Mahayázawin has the same statement.
3. The Great Maháyázawin, on the other hand, states that he went to Ceylon to bring away to Burma a copy of the Tripitaka.
4. The Siamese Buddhists have a tradition that he introduced Buddhism into Ceylon. The Landresse variation is perhaps in accord with this tradition when it states that he caused & revival of Buddhism in Ceylon.
5. Colonel Sykes says87 that he went to Ceylon " for the express purpose of dispatations with the heterodox Buddhist priests, as he considered them," thus placing his visit before his conversion to Buddhism; but he gives no authority for the statement, which is probably based upon a misconception of the passage in the Turnour Mahávarsa.
(2) His literary work there. 1. The Carey tradition states that he made a copy of the Visuddhimagga, including the Játakas, upon palm-leaves with an iron style presented to him for the purpose by a celestial being. The Crawfurd.Judson variation is to the same effect, substituting, however, the Buddhist scriptures for the Visuddhimagga.
2. The Carpanius variation states that he obtained a copy of the Pali books in Ceylon and brought them to Pegu, and that he introduced the Pali written character into Pegu at the same time. The Phayre-Fytohe-Maháyázawin variation is to the same effect. So also is the statement of the Phayre-New-Maháyázawin, which adds that the books so brought over by him were the Visudhinagga, the three great divisions of the Pitaka, and the Commentaries.
3. The Fytche variation states that he was employed by the rulers of his order in Ceylon to rewrite the Sinhalese commentaries in Påli; but it does not appear whether the PAli language or the Pâli character is intended here.
i. One of the Bigandet variations states that he translated the Sinhalese scriptures into
Påli, meaning apparently the PÅli language. ii. Another Bigandet variation states that he made a copy of the Sinhalese Tripitaka,
merely substituting the Burmese character for the Sinhalese in which he found it written,
$7 Jour. R. As. Soc., Vol. VI. (1841), pp. 339, 416.
