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INTRODUCTION During my visit to Nepal in search of some additional manuscripts of the Arthaviniscayasūtral and its Commentary (Nibandhana) in 1960, I had come across a small manuscript named Lokottaradharmadānam in the then known Darbar Library, Kathmandu. The details of the manuscript as recorded by me are as follows: No. 154, size : 14"x6", script : Devanāgari, folios : 7, lines : 12 to a page, written on Nepalese handpaper, no colophon.
I examined the Ms. cursorily and found it quite an important one as it explained some importapt Buddhist terms and concepts. Among the sections that this text includes are six abhi jñās, four pratisamvids, ten vasitās, eight vimoksas, four smrtyupasthānas, eight abhibhvāyatanas, ten tathāgatabalas, etc. As I was particularly interested in the study of mahāpuruşalaksanas and anuvyañjanas of the Buddha at that time, I copied the material on these two categories. The text has some corrupt and indistinct readings. However, I am publishing the relevant extracts from the Lokottaradharmadāna explaining the laksanas and anuvyan janas for the scholars interested in the comparative studies of these special characteristics which make the Buddha a superman. The lists and explanations are found in many other Buddhist texts both in Pali and Sapskrit but they vary in order, terminology and explanation in not a few cases."
1. The texts have been published now under the title The
Arthaviniscay'a-sūtra & Its Commentury, edited by the present writer, (Patna, K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, 1971). To my knowledge, this text has not been published so far. Neither have I come across any reference to or quotation from this text (which is obviously a Mabāyānic text) in any other treatise or modern work. The present writer will be thankful to readers for any further information on this text. For laksanas, see Lakkhana-sutta, DN. II, pp. 110 ff.; MN. II, pp. 384 ff; Lalitavistara (Darbhanga ed.) pp. 74-75; Arthaviniscaya-sūtra, pp. 53-66; Aloka (Commy. on Aștasahsrikā Prajñāpāraniitā, pp. 537 ff.; Abhidharmadipavrtti, pp. 187 ff.; Dharmasangraha, section 83. For anuvyañ janas, see all the Sanskrit texts quoted above; but for the Pali list, see Milindaţikā (PTS), pp. 17-18.
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संकाय पत्रिका-१
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