
ee a 
1923.] Notes on Five Bharaut Epithets. 359 
canikaya occurs in the Vinaya Cullavagga! as a collective 
designation for one of the two divisions of the Buddhist 
Canon therein recognised, the other division being represented 
by ‘Ubhato-Vinaya.’ The Milinda quotes passages from the 
books of the Sutta-Pitaka bearing such titles as Digha-Nikaya, 
Majjhima-Nikaya, Samyutta-Nikaya, and the rest. In Bud- 
dhaghosa’s commentaries,?. on the other hand, the expression 
signifies not only the five well-known collections of Buddha’ 
discourses or dialogues enumerated as five classical divisions 
of the books of the Sutta-Pitaka but also a general five- 
fold division of the entire Buddhist Canon, the Khuddaka- 
Nikaya including, over and above the usual 12 or 15 Sutty 
books, all the books composing the Vinaya or the Abhidhamma 
Pitaka. Except in the sense of a sect, school or denomination, 
the term Nikaya is not at all found in use among the 
Buddhists. From this, one may be naturally led to suppose 
that Nikaya in the sense of a canonical divisionis a technical 
term exclusively used by a particular Buddhist sect or school, 
namely, the Theravada or Sthavira. The expression found 
in the literature of other sects and schools correspond- 
dhist explanations of these expressions, th m to have 
fen used with the express o of indicating a tradi- 
tional character of the original body o dha’s doc- 
trine.* Thus one need not be surprised that in the Dipa- 
vamsa aceount of the proceedings of the first Buddhist 
Council, the. Dhazamasangaha is otherwise called Agama- 
Pitaka. What is the special significance of Nikaya applied 
as a designation for a Canonical division ! Buddhaghosa says 
that Nikaya in its ordinary usage means samiha and nivasa, 
and that in this respect there is no difference between its 
common and technica! sense. For instance, the Digha-Nikaya 
yup, aggregate, set or receptacle of the long 
discourses * In the earlier Jaina and Buddhist texts, Nikaya 
appears to have been used as a biological expression, meaning 
eat wigicrte me iykl yes oe 
' Cullavagga, Vinaya-Pitaka, 11, p. 287. a 
_ * Samanta-Pasadika, Ceylonese eet 8. Atthasalini, pp. 17-18; 
‘Sumangala-Vilasini, Siamese Ed. 1. pp. 20-33. cs ae 
i * Ct. Bahussuta, Agatédgama, Dhammadhara, Vinayadhara, Matika 
thera, 
* Sumangala-Vilasini, IT, Siamese Ed., p. 216 t é 
_ § Atthas dint, p- « © Di appamananam suttinam samihato 
"tvGsato ca , samitha-nivasa hi nikayo ti vuccati. 
