98 



following remarks, which clearly indicate that from the very begin- 

 ning Buddhism depended upon the written laws and discourses of 

 its Founder. 



"Many individuals (viz.) ten thousand sinful Vajjian* bhikkus who 

 had been expelled by the theras, assembled together ; and, having formed 

 another party, held a council of Dhamma. This is thence called Maha 

 Sangiti. 



"The bhikkhus who held the Maha Sangiti reduced the religion into 

 confusion, set aside the first compilation, and made another. They placed 

 in different places the Suttans which occurred in different other places, 

 and distorted the sense and the words of the five nikaya. They did so, 

 ignorant of (the difference between) the general discourses, and those 

 (delivered) on particular occasions, and also (between) their natural and 

 implied significations. They expressed in a different sense that which 

 was otherwise declared, and set aside various significations under the 

 unwarranted authority (shadow of) words. They omitted one portion 

 of the Suttan, and Vinaya of deep import, and substituted (their own) 

 version of them and the text. They left out the Parivaran annotations, 

 six books of the Abhidhamma, the Patisambhida, the Niddesa, and a 

 portion of the Jatakas, without replacing anything in their stead. They, 

 moreover, disregarded the nature of nouns, their gender, and (other) 

 accidents, as well as the (various) requirements of style, and corrupted 

 the same by different forms. 



" The originators of the Maha Sangiti were the first seceders. Many 

 followed their example. * * * 



" The schisms of the seceders were (thus) seventeen, the vada of those 

 who had not seceded, was one ; and with it there were altogether eighteen 

 sects. 



" Like the great Nigrodha (among) trees, the orthodox discourses alone 



* « Vajji,— a portion of Behar in which the Lichchavi Princes were settled. It is 

 however not stated where the Council was held. Doubtless it was at a distance 

 from the principal seat of Government and Buddhism, which at this period was at 

 Yesali or modern Allahabad." 



