10 CEYLON BRANCH ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



that can be done is to examine the documents we have, and 

 form an opinion of the system from them. In doing this we 

 must not so much regard the Commentaries as the Text, the 

 former being confessedly much more modern than the latter. 

 They are of use, but are not to be implicitly relied on, 



The Books of the Budhistical, sacred texts have been cor- 

 rectly enumerated by the late Mr. Tubnour. The whole 

 is divided into two parts — Doctrine and Discipline. The 

 books of Doctrine are again divided into two classes es3£5X>^ 

 discourses, and cp?8S)i©3^ eminent doctrines, the whole 

 forming three Pitakas, or collections, termed by the Sin- 

 ghalese Wini y a Pitaka, Sutra Pitaka and Abhidharma 

 Pitaka. Each of them having numerous subdivisions. 



The Sutra Pitaka, (or discourses,) contains five principal 

 divisions called by the Singhalese 1. Dik Sangi, 2. Sanyut 

 Sangi, 3. Medum Sangi, 4. Angotra Sangi and 5 Kudugot 

 Sangi. The second and fourth books have the most appear- 

 ance of systematic arrangement, but throughout, the dis- 

 courses are miscellaneously arranged. The Kudugot Sangi 

 comprises 1 5 books, some of which are in the form of sermons, 

 others are poetical, as the Damnia Padan, or Paths of 

 Religion, which consists of moral aphorisms, each comprised 

 in one or at most two verses ; The Jataka, containing 

 aphorisms, apologues and tales; it is divided into sections** 

 the first containing aphorisms, &c, complete in a single verse • 

 the 2nd division, those in two verses, &c, &c. It is the com- 

 mentary on this book which is called the Pansiya panas 

 jataka, or five hundred and fifty births (of Budha), and which 

 has been frequently referred to by European writers ; each 

 verse, or series of verses in the text, being illustrated by a 

 tale, some of them rather long ones. Some of the books are 

 compilations from other parts of Budha's discourses, as the 

 Udana, which commences with the first verse spoken by 

 Goutama after he became Budha. The other books in this 

 division have the same general character. 



