210 Translation of a Burmese [Mat, 



In concert with his assemhiy of priests the illustrious king of kings, 

 Raja Seta Naginda*, in the full moon of the month Mrigasiras (Feb.) 

 in the year 2329f of the sacred or Jina era, having nominated the 

 venerable priest, learned in the three volumes, Vimala vansa dhaja, 

 of illustrious family, chief Guru, and saint, after the manner of the 

 holy MahindaJ, and five eminent divines, established the Bauddha 

 religion throughout the country : three of these having come, founded 

 the kaliani temple : as many villages as there were, so many chaityas 

 did these guardians of mankind erect on the joyful hills. 



May the dignified of men, stand fast in the holy precepts, unruffled 

 like an ccean of oil, and with saints, rajas, and good devas, spreading 

 illumination as the full moon, in multitudes attain freedom §. 



Burmese text. 



Four months after attainment of final emancipation by Buddh, 

 and after the dispersion and extermination of those who conformed 

 not to the dictates of his shastras were complete, 500 Arahanta\\ 

 entered into a general conference on the remarkable sayings, maxims, 

 and doings of Buddh. From this time to the third general conference 

 Dasaka sonaka siggava,Moggaliputtatissather, and their successors, 

 preserved the shastras in purity. In the third general conference, and 

 in the 218th year of the annihilation of Buddha, when his doctrines and 

 dogmas were established and become the rule and standard amongst his 

 votaries, a certain minister, MoGGALipUTTATissATHERby name, in union 

 with the votaries, companions, and guardians of the Arahant, employed 

 appropriate instruments to circulate Buddhism amongst mankind. It 

 was on this occasion first established in Ceylon, where it has been ever 

 since maintained and preserved by Mahinda Sonather, Aritha, Tis- 

 saatta Kalasumana, Dighasumana, and by their respective succes- 

 sors to this day. In the country of Suvannabhummi (in Burmah called 

 Sativum) it was first introduced in the 236th year of Buddh annihilation 

 by Sonather and Uttarather, and has been preserved with purity 



* Lord of the white elephant, a translation of the Burmese Raja's name Simpyi* 

 myaskhcn menturagl. (See the same name correctly written in page 212). — Ed. 



f In Pali, as in Sanscrit, the date is expressed in words : chhidra, champa, rama, 

 and netra, (hole, a flower of two kinds, Ram, and eye,) signifying respectively 9, 2, 

 3, and 2 : (see page 3 of the present volume,) and forming invertedly the year 2329 

 of the Gautama era, which corresponds with A. D. 1785-6. — Ed. 



J A Buddha saint, son of Dharma. Asoka. 



§ The Pali text was made out with the help of Hindu pandits ; it may not he 

 quite correctly rendered, though most of the words are readily convertible into 

 Sanscrit. — Ed. 



|| By Arhant is meant those who have achieved an entire conquest over their 

 evil passions, witnout a possibility of these passions ever obtaining the predomi- 

 nance. 



