II. M Vidyabhushan— Tht Buddhist Bhava Chakra. [March, 



Dr. G. M. Giles. Or. W. J. Simpson. 



Dr. G. King. Colonel H. Thuillier. 



Rev. Fat her E. Lafont. Colonel J. Waterhouse. 



J. J. D. La Touche, Esq. J. Wood-Mason, Esq. 

 C. S. Middlemiss, Esq. 



Pandit Hari Mohan Vidyabhushan read a note on the Buddhist Bliava 

 Chakra, as described by Kshemendra. Communicated by the Philo- 

 logical Secret i rv. 



The Buddhist Bhava Chakra (Cycle of Existence) by Hari Mohan 

 Vidyabhushan. 



The theory of Pratitya-Samutpada (causal formation, or evolution,) 

 has ever been regarded by the Buddhists as containing the essence of 

 Buddha's doctrine, and occupies the highest place in the philosophy 

 of Buddhism, and occurs in both schools of Buddhism, in the lesser 

 and the greater vehicles. The Pali Mahivagga and the Lalita-Vistara 

 of the Northern Buddhist literature, both explain it in the same way. 

 Mr. Foucaux has published a French translation of the latter in the 

 " Annales du Musee Guimet," and Professor Sir Monier Williams 

 gives an account of the theory in his " Buddhism," p. 102. But these, 

 being merely translations from the texts (Pali and Sanskrit), do not 

 throw any additional light on the interpretation of the original. 



In course of reading the Avadana Kalpalata with Babu Sarat 

 Chandra Das, which is being published for the Bibliotheca Indica, I 

 came across the 75th Pallava called Pratitya Samutpada Avadana which 

 consists of only 11 S'lokas. 



Here the great poet Kshemendra has so clearly set forth the theory 

 in his inimitable style of versification that one is almost tempted to 

 regard it as the key to the abstruse Buddhist ontology which is so 

 imperfectly understood. 



I have carefully studied Sir Monier Williams' account of the theory, 

 and the comparison which he has made between Buddhism and the 

 Vedanta and Sankhya schools of philosophy. I have also compared the 

 texl of the Kalpalata with the controversial argument at ion of Yachaspati 

 Misra in Bhamati, aud I find that there are additional materials to be 

 drawn from the latter for a thorough elucidation of the famous theory. 

 The Kalpalata inns as follows : — 



THE TEXT. 



%\i 3sf ^3* v mtap *^1^ II * II 



