10 Babu S. C. Das— Notice of two rare Tibetan MSS. [Jan, 



care raore to read the Lam Rim Chhe-wa, than the Sher-chin The 

 former, when printed, may cover about four fasciculi of the Bibliotheca 

 Indica. I have a xylograph copy of it, obtained from Tashi-lhun-po, 

 which, with the Society's copy (also a xylograph), will enable one to edit 

 the work. 



The following is a literal translation of the introduction : — 



" Herein is condensed : — the substance of the " excellent word " 

 (pravacliana) of Jina — the doctrines of both JSTagarjuna and Arya San- 

 gha of the great vehicle (Mahayana) — the religious practices of the prin- 

 cipal personages who have gone over to the knower of all things — the 

 abridgement of the complete series of the study of the three persons 

 (puruslia-traya~) ; and (in short) herein is explained the manner how to 

 conduct one's self according to the (doctrine) of " the gradual way to 

 perfection " to the blessed Buddha. 



In this I wish to explain the Dharma (Buddhist religion) in re- 

 ference to the three purities; vis. — (1) the purity of the speech of the 

 teachers (in connection with the Buddhist sages of S'ri Nalendra) — (2) 

 the purity of the line of their pupils — (3) and the purity of the 

 doctrines (they) expounded. 



In later times the (Buddhist) creed (sdsana), being developed at 

 Vikramasila, among its scholars there were eminent authors. The ex- 

 cellence of religious teaching, the manner of its explication, and the two 

 important methods of comprehending it will be exiDlained here. Ac- 

 cording to first of these (methods) there are four stages in the gradual 

 way to perfection of the Bodhisattvas : — (1) for shewing veneration to the 

 origin of Dharma and thereby to set forth the greatness of the author ; 

 (2) for growing faith in the precept (doctrine), so as to point out the 

 superiority of the Dharma (Buddhist creed) ; (3) how to explain and 

 hear the Dharma that is possessed of the two greatnesses (excellences) ; 

 and (4) how to guide the student by the real precept. 



This precept is generally of the doctrine of Abhisamayalankara, or 

 the ornament of judicious learning, which was promulgated by the 

 venerable Maitreya. The basis (original work) of this (Lam-Rim-chhe- 

 wa) is especially the work called Bodhipatha pradipa— the author of 

 which is also relatively the author of this work (Lam-Rim-chhe-wa). 

 He is the great teacher Dipankara S'rijnana, who is well known by his 

 other name Dpal /dan Atisa." 



The last leaf, which is numbered 491, contains the following : 

 " With the exception of the demonstration of the general characteristics 

 of the three persons (purusha-traya) mentioned in the " Bodhipatha 

 pradipa," all other terms being easy have not been introduced here. 

 This work has been based upon the contents of the Lam Rim written 



