456 NOTICE OP 



with along those ranges. Sakya, as identifiable with Gautama, was, possibly, the 

 founder of the Bauddha system as it now exists, in the sixth or seventh century 

 before Christianity. The names of the cities in which these Buddhas are said 

 to have been born, or to have appeared in a human form, are not verifiable, with 

 the exception of Benares. They contribute therefore to throw doubt on the 

 reality of the persons. The extravagant periods assigned to their lives is ano- 

 ther suspicious circumstance. But these periods are, no doubt, connected with 

 some legendary classification of the Kalpas, or ages of the world, in which man- 

 kind enjoyed a length of life far exceeding any thing in these degenerate days. 

 So GioRGi states that, in the second age of the world and the first of men, the 

 limit of life v/as 80,000 years ; in the third age it was 40,000; in the fourth 

 it was 20,000, and in the fifth one hundred. The Buddhas therefore only 

 partake of the longevity of the periods to which they belong. 



The omission of the name of Gautama proves that he is not acknowledged 

 as a distinct Buddha by the Nepalese, and he can be identified with no other 

 in the list than Sakya Sinha. The Newdri comment adds, that the latter was 

 born in the family of Sudhodana Raja, and Sudodhana is always regarded as 

 the father of Gautama. Other names in the text, which are translated as 

 epithets, Aditya bandhu, the friend of the sun, and Lokaikabandhu, the sole or 

 superior friend of the world, occur as synonimes of Gautama as well as Sakya 

 Sinha, as in the vocabularies of Amera and Hemachandra ; " Sakya Muni, 

 Sakya Sinhaj Sarvdritha Siddha, Soudhodani, (the Son of Sudhodana) Gautama^ 

 Arkabandhu^ (the kinsman of the Sun,) Mayadevi Suta. " Amera Cosha." 

 " The seventh Suddha is named Sakya Sinha — Aid£aba7idhavay the parent 

 of Rahula, (Rahulasu,) Sarvdritha Siddha, Gotamdnwaya, (of the family 

 of Gofama,) Maya Suta^ (the son of Maya,) Sudhodana Suta, (the son of 

 Sudhodana,) Devadattdgraja, (the eld^rhrother of Demdatta,)" Hemachandra.'* 

 On what authority Buchanan asserts that the Priests of Ava consider 

 Gautama a.tid Sakya as distinct, and the latter as a heretic, he ha? not men- 



