JOURNAL 



OF THE 



ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



DECEMBER, 1848. 



A few Gleanings in Buddhism, by Lieut. -Col. Low. 



The following are some of the memoranda, most of which I made long 

 ago while looking over Bali and Siamese books, in presence of Siamese 

 Buddhist priests. I do not profess an acquaintance with the Pali lan- 

 guage, but I had in my service until his death a Siamese, but not a 

 priest, of Bankok, who was, for his country at least, a proficient in it. 

 I had not, unfortunately, leisure to avail myself of what he did know of 

 the language for acquiring a competent acquaintance with it, and any 

 how the want of a Pali grammar and dictionary would have been a 

 serious obstacle. 



Some of the Siamese contend that the present Buddha had no right 

 to enter Nirvana or Nirbritti, as his period had not arrived, and that he 

 attained to this dignity by practising a deception upon Yakaro Ariya, 

 his elder brother, he himself being the fifth. The deception is thus 

 described. These two brothers proposed to justly determine which of 

 them was best prepared for the divine condition of Nirvana, by a trial 

 of superhuman skill or power. Two lotus buds were placed before 

 them. Turning their persons from these, but in opposite directions, 

 they repeated certain sacred formulae, and on resuming their positions 

 found that Ariya' s bud had blossomed, but that his brother's had not. 

 Buddha, pretending some informality, required another trial ; and dur- 

 ing this he deceitfully changed the buds, and thus appeared the victor. 

 Ariya, by his intuitive knowledge was aware of the trick ; but being of 

 a humane disposition he said nothing, and permitted Buddha to enter 

 Nirvana. 



No. XXIV.— New Series. 4 i 



