Mr. B. H. Hodgson's Sketch of BuddJiism. 241 



perceiving the shadow of Sankara's body on the ground, fixed a knife in 

 the place of the shadow ; Sankara directly fell upon the knife, which 

 pierced his throat and killed him instantly. Such is the legend or tale 

 that prevails, and thus we account for the fact ; the Buddhatndrgi practice 

 of Bhote is purer, and its scriptures more numerous, than ours. 



Question XIII. 

 What is the name of your sacred writings, and who is their author ? 



Answer. 

 We have nine Purdnas, called " the nine Dharmas." (See note 26.) A 

 Purdna is a narrative or historical work, containing a description of the rites 

 and ceremonies of Buddhism, and the lives of our chief Tathdgatas. The 

 first Dharma is called Prajna Pramita, and contains 8,000 slocas. This is a 

 Nydya Sdstra, or work of a scientific character, capable of being understood 

 only by men of science ; the second is named Ganda Vyuha, of 12,000 

 slocas, which contains the history of Sudhana Kumara, who made sixty- 

 four persons his gurus, from whom he acquired Bodhijndna ; the third, 

 is the Samddhi Raja, of 3,000 slocas, in which the nature and value ofjapa and 

 lapas are explained ; the fourth is the Sancdvatdr, of 3,000 slocas, in which is 

 written how Ravana, lord of Lanca, having gone to Malayagiri moun- 

 tain, and there heard the history of the Biiddhas from Sakya Siniia, obtained 

 Buddhijndna. The fifth, which is called Tathdgata Guhya, is not to be found 

 in Nfpal ; the sixth, is the Sat Dharma Pundarihd, which contains an account 

 of the method of building a chaitya or Buddha-mandal, and the mode and 

 fruits of worshipping it. {Chaitya * is the exclusive name of a temple dedi- 

 cated to A'di-Buddiia or to the Pancha Dhydni Buddhas, and whatever temple 

 is erected to Sakya, or other Mdnushi Buddhas, is called vihdr ;)t the seventh, 

 is the Lalita Vistdra, of 7,000 slocas, which contains the history of the several 

 incarnations of Sakya Sinha Bhagavan, and an account of his perfections in 

 virtue and knowledge, with some notices of other Buddhas. The eighth, is 

 the Suvama Prabhd, containing, in 1,500 slocas, an account of Saraswati, 

 Laksh.mi and Prithvi ; how they lauded Sakya Sinha Bkagavan ; and how 

 he, in return, gave each of them what she desired. The ninth, is the Das'a 

 Bhumts'wara, of 2,000 slocas, containing an account of the ten Bhuvanas of 



• See Plate V. — N.B. Besides these chaityas and the Vihars, the Nipalese have common 

 temples, dedicated equally to the Dii minores and the Bauddkas, and to all the deities of the 

 Saivas — See Plate VI. f See Plate VII. 



Vol. II, 2 I 



