792 Review of L'histoire [No. 167. 



his and the Brahminical methods ; instead of the mysterious doctrine, 

 entrusted almost secretly to a limited number of hearers, instead of 

 formulas, the studied obscurity of which seems as well to discourage 

 the penetration of the disciple as to excite it, the Sutras present round 

 Sakya a numerous assembly, composed of all those who desire to hear 

 him. This vast difference is founded on the essence of Buddhism, a 

 doctrine, in which proselytism is the characteristic feature ; which 

 proselytism, however, is only the result of the universal benevolence 

 and charity, which inspire Buddha, and which at the same time are the 

 cause and the end of his mission on earth. 



The title of the second class, Vinaya, signifies discipline. The 

 Chinese Buddhists understand this term in the same way, and Mr. 

 R^musat defines it, the precepts, the rules, the laws or ordinances, 

 literally the good government. The signification of this term is there- 

 fore clear, but by a singularity, which appears difficult to be accounted 

 for, the collection of Mr. Hodgson does not present, with the excep- 

 tion of some short treatises on religious practices of little importance, 

 works which belong to the class Vinaya. Why then is not the class 

 Vinaya represented in the collection of Mr. Hodgson ? The attentive 

 examination of some volumes of the Nepalese collection, compared 

 with the works, mentioned in the Tibetan Kah-gyur, solves this dif- 

 ficulty. In studying the analysis made by Csoma, I found there a 

 certain number of treatises with titles, which also occur in the Nepalese 

 collection. These treatises in general belong to the same class in either 

 collection, and a work which, according to the double authority of the 

 Nepalese tradition and of the manuscripts, is called Sutra, is classed 

 according to the Tibetans, under the category of the Mdo, that is to say 

 the Sutras. The collection of Mr. Hodgson, contains a great number 

 of small treatises under the title Avadana, which has as large an appli- 

 cation as the title of Sutra, and I even believe, that the number of 

 Avadanas is greater. Several of these treatises, however, have exactly 

 the form of Sutras, and a strict classification would compel us to 

 separate them from the works which bear the title of Avadana, but 

 do not possess the character of a real Sutra. 



The third division, the Abidharmma pitaka, contains in part the 

 metaphysics, and in general the opinions, of the Buddhists concerning all 

 that exists. 



