Vol. IX, No. 3.] A Note on Buddhism. 129 
[N.S] 
Jataka texts in their entirety were not a separate possession 
of the southern literature, but a general possession of Buddhism 
as a whole. Is there any hope of our being put in possession 
of a Northern Jataka corpus also? Brian Houghton Hodgson 
mentions among the manuscripts which are said to exist in 
Nepal a Jatakamala of about 560 sections. This number 
approximately agrees with the number of the Pali Jatakas, 
ut is somewhat higher. May we consider this as pointing to 
the existence of a northern recension of the entire Corpus of 
Jatakas ? Is there any hope of the manuscript to which 
Hodgson’s note refers being actually found? The hope, I am 
afraid, is only a faint one. An enquirer who himself had the 
most ample opportunities to experience good and bad fortune 
in his search for MSS. in Nepal, M. Sylvain Levi, writes to me : 
‘*Qne can no more direct one’s search for MSS. in Nepal 
towards some particular work, than the fisherman can choose 
his particular fish.’’ He may be right. But should we on that 
we some day succeed in getting hold of a northern book that 
—truly my imagination is not sufficiently powerful to form 
an adequate idea of the splendour of the triumph which that 
would mean ! 
B must break off. I have attempted shortly to 
indicate the direction which the finds and researches of recent 
times have as it seems to me assigned to the treatment of 
some of the fundamental problems of Buddhistic research. 
Work done in India or in Asia generally, and work done in 
Europe—both are jointly contributing towards our advance. 
And if to-day I have the great good fortune of standing at the 
place which forms the centre of all the work that is done in 
that has ad el and is being done, by this Society. Ladies 
and Gentlemen, be pleased to receive my sincerest thanks for 
the kindness with which you made it possible for me to meet 
you in this place and have afforded me an opportunity co 
giving utterance before you to what necessarily engrosses the 
thought of a European Indologist coming amongst you—what 
engrosses his thought and what moves his heart. - 
eg ct aye eat nie Sa 
