Remarks on Remusat's Revieio of Buddhism. 499 



(D) Where the man-slaughtering demon Old-Age, of immense power, and mut- 

 tering hoarsely, might, formerly t frantic, roam amid the horrid world-destroying 

 devils, there, during the currency of the year of the prosperous cherisher of the 

 world, (Sha'liva'hana) 100*, this mountain-topping, hell-opposing, divine her- 

 mitage [was constructed], that the assembly of the illustrious immortals, and 

 every noble and pious personage, might there take up their abode. 



(B) Blessings attend thee. O Devotee, of an auspicious spiritual mind, having 

 an unimpeded utterance, who art purified, and sound in all thy members ; thou 

 who art journeying towards our Supreme Lord, thou art now approaching the 

 door. — Blessings attend thee. 



[Mr. Stevenson has, since the type for the above was cut, favored me with a litho- 

 graphic copy of the same inscriptions, which differs in one or two trifling forms from 

 the above. The transcript in Nagari has been corrected by the lithographic versi- 

 on.— J. P.] 



VI. — Remarks on M. Remusat's Review of Buddhism. By B. H. 

 Hodgson, Esq. Resident at the Court of Nepal, $c. 

 I resume my notice of Remusat's speculations on Buddhism in the 

 Journal des Savans. 



He observes, " On ne seroit pas surpris devoir que, dans ce systeme, 

 la formationt et la destruction des mondes soient presentes comrae les 

 resultats d'une revolution perpetuelle et spontanee, sans fin et sans 

 interruption ;" and afterwards remarks, " II y a dans le fond meme des 

 idees Bouddhiques une objection contre l'eternite du monde que les 

 theologiens de cette religion ne semblent pas avoir prevue. Si tous 

 les etres rentroient dans le repos reel et definitif a l'instant que les 

 phenomenes cesseroient et disparoitroient dans le sein de l'existence 

 absolu, on concoit un terme ou tous les etres seroient devenus Buddha, 

 et ou le monde auroit cesse d'exister." 



This Buddha, it is said, is " 1' intelligence innnie, la cause souveraine, 

 dont la nature est un effet." 



Now, if there be such a supreme immaterial cause of all things, what 

 is the meaning of alleging that worlds and beings are spontaneously 

 evolved and revolved ? and, if these spontaneous operations of nature 

 be expressly allowed to be incessant and endless, what becomes of the 

 apprehension that they should ever fail or cease ? 



As to the real and definitive repose, and the absolute existence, 

 spoken of, they are as certainly and customarily predicated of Diva na- 

 tura by the Swabhavikas, as of God or Adi Buddha, by the Aiswarikas ; 

 to which two sects respectively the two opposite opinions confounded 

 by Remusat exclusively belong. 

 * A. D. 176. 



■f- The question of formation is a very different one from that of continuance. 

 Yet Remusat would seem to have confounded the two. See the passage beginning 

 14 Mais ce qui merite d'etre remarqueV' 

 2s2 



