Lalit Vistara

Author(s): Rajendralala Mitra
Publisher: Asiatic Society

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LALITA VISTARA.
But either terir. is equally common in the Sutras; it appears even in the most important formulas, in the phrase by which he who desires to bccome a Bidhist, makes his vow before Súkya or one of his disciples, on entering a religious life: Strengthen us, () Bhagaván, under the discipline of the very renowned law, to enter into religious lifo, to receive ins u re, and tu buvome an ecclesiastic. Strengthen us, Lord, to complish under Bhagaván, the duties of the Brahma. charyn.' Blagavan lied with the voice of Brahıná; Comc, chilor, dirompulih tl duties of the Drahmacharya.' This torm receives undoubte n ce to some extent in sucl phrases as the following Tb.cy spready religious law (Brahmacharya),' saya Bude..; to 14. lis adversary Sin. replies in the sanie form, Thy religius lar: Pralinmharya) is spread; it is allnitted by many natus, it is luckome j e Taistúrikám le Brahmachuryan mehujanair prithabútor indholri in the Dirya Aralún, f. 996.) Again the map in which the religious law (Brahmachurya) may contine lony. (V. in the D. A) In all these passages and namry utrp similar ones that I could cite lere, it is evident that the tein hanedarka is nised in a special sense, in that of life,' or
relios Tow;'- - sense which does unt exclude, confess, that of Chastity, but is much more comprehensive. Now to be admitted in this song by the Buddhists, it must be that this term had lost its original signification, which it bas iu Brúhmaņical writings, i. e, the siate of Drukarya or 'the Brahınan in his noviciate,' and it roust Tollew that the Buldhists hail forgotten the value of the title flrahmacharin, si signifies and cannot signify more than that whirh porements from the l'cda.' That a Brúlmuan lesiynates by it his sort or bespil that the law of Mami sanctions this denomination, and points wet in ietail the duties of the noviciate of which the first and most difficult, in truth, is a lifo of chastity,--is not difficult to compreheul. But that the founders of Buldhism should adopt llis tern, it must be that they had not paid more attention to its primary signication, obat of a Brahman novico, and that the word can be enopred with inpuity in the sense of one who undertakes a mligious noviciate;' and lastly it must be that it was pretty popular in this sone before the advent of S'ákya Muni, in order that