312 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [June, 1911.] 
Now taking PA mén and A su (=so) in their classical 
uses, the text a a pam PA could be translated thus :-— 
“« they give dissertations upon the Great Systems ee 
that is, those learned laymen, having vanquished their philo- 
sophical or theological opponents, received grants of land from 
the State in recognition of their learning, and having thus 
Just a few lines above (p. 177), speaking in respect of the 
candidates for the Civil Service who presented themselves in 
the House of Debate to prove their ‘ wonderful cleverness,’ 
I-tsing uses the expression Gu si chung hsi, which has 
been translated by Dr. Takakusu as ‘‘ they raise their seats,’’ 
and which, according to I-tsing’s commentator Kasyapa, refers 
to ‘the Indian custom’ of taking the seat of the vanquishe 
opponent and adding it to that of the victorious disputant. 
Whatever be the value of Kaéyapa’s information, chung hs 
ean not mean ‘ doubling seats.’ sia hst is the Sanskrit trena- 
u 
‘raising,’ and the passage following, viz. “and seek to prove 
their wonderful cleverness,’’ indicates that they had not yet 
defeated their opponents but were going to do so; therefore, 
even accepting Kasyapa’s authority as to the existence of the 
alleged custom, chung hsi could not be intended to mean °° they 
raised their seats.’’ 
By adhering to the literal meaning of the characters, we 
arrive at a very sensible rendering :— 
‘* they, in a grave demeanour, sat on the asanas.”’ 
If hsi be not treated as a verb, as it has been in the above 
translation, chung will have to be taken as a verb and the 
phrase to mean ‘‘ they regarded the asanasas being important,’’ ® 
but the context would give preference to the former transla- 
tion, as when they were going ‘to prove their wonderful 
cleverness,’ they would naturally ‘ sit dignified ’ ; and I-tsing, 
an ultra-mannerist, would characteristically notice the impres- 
sive demeanour. ' 
1 See the note on p. 309. 
2 This rendering is suggested to me by Dr. E. Ross. 
