107 



very least, as the close of the first century before our era ; and, though 

 beyond this, there is ground only for conjecture, it is worthy of remark, 

 that the tradition relates to an event, which might very naturally have 

 been connected with the expulsion of the Turushkas from Cashmere 

 about b, c. 249."* 



" The date ordinarily assigned to the introduction of Buddhism into 

 China, first stated by Deguignes on Chinese authority is a. d. 65.| But 

 since it has been shewn that the influence of Buddhism had probably 

 extended to Khotan, as early at least as the end of the first century 

 before Christ, and that political relations began to arise between Khotan 

 and China, not far from that time ; we can scarcely hesitate to believe, 

 that the propaganclism of the Buddhists had carried their religion into 

 the Celestial Empire even before our era; more especially as we find it 

 to have been common, in later times, for Buddhist mendicants of the 

 cloisters of Khotan, to be employed in political negociations with the 

 Chinese Empire. X During the first three or four centuries Buddhist 

 pilgrims were constantly on the way from China to India, and the eastern 

 part of the Sassanidan empire, to obtain instruction in the faith of Bud- 

 dha, and to collect the books of the religion ; and a missionary zeal carried 

 many from afar to China.§ The first great era of the propagation cf 

 Buddhism amongst the Chinese early in the fourth century, was owing 

 to the influence of an Indian Buddhist, named Fo-thou-tching, or Purity 

 of Buddha, who, by adroitly availing himself of a knowledge of the 

 powers of nature, to effect the semblance of miracles of healing and of 

 raising the dead to life, and by fortunate predictions and shrewd auguries, 

 and the so-called gift of second sight, gained entire command of the 

 popular mind." |j 



Considering, in connection with the foregoing, that a missionary 

 of the Buddhist faith had established himself in China as early 



* Journal of Amer. Or. Soc. vol. i. pp. 119-120. 



f Histoire Generate des Huns, &c, par. M. Deguignes, i. p. 30, Paris, 1756. 



X Hist, de la Ville Khotan, pp. 83, 85, 96. 



§ Foe Koue Ki. Introd. pp. 38, 41. 



|| Journal of Amer. Or. Soc. vol. i. pp. 125-126. 



