80 ROYAL ASTATIC SOCIETY, (CEYLON BRANCH.) 



which distinguished him from the rest of mankind. It 

 was after he had been told of the fact. 



Without multiplying authorities to prove, what is already 

 manifest, that Gotama Buddha was an ordinary man of the 

 6th century B. C, we may now proceed to consider the 

 passage in the Vinaya, from which it is inferred that he was 

 eighteen feet high. 



This inference is drawn, it is believed, from a misappre- 

 hension of the meaning of " sugata " in sugaia vidatthi. 



Sugata, it is true, is an appellative for Gotama. The 

 Buddhists in Ceylon, following the definition of Buddha- 

 ghosa, interpret sugata as " Bauddha" or " Buddha's," and 

 sugata vidatthi as " Bauddha span," or " Buddha's span." 

 A little reflection, however, must convince the reader that 

 such could not be the meaning of this word. Gotama was a 

 man either of extraordinary, or ordinary stature. If the 

 former, and if moreover by sugata his ownself was meant, 

 it is quite clear the measures given by the phrases sugata 

 vidatthi, and sugata ahgula, were exceptional, and therefore 

 conveyed no correct notion to any person who had not 

 previously known the exact size of Buddha's hand or finger: 

 and it is remarkable that that measure is not stated by the 

 law-giver in any part of his Canon, which was intended 

 for priests scattered about in different parts of the Maj- 

 jhimadesa,— some of whom had never seen the sage, — and 

 for priests who might come into existence centuries after his 

 death. We are, therefore, constrained to distrust, that he 

 meant by sugata vidatthi his own span — the size of which 

 is not stated. That he did not mean the ordinary span, 

 which might vary from age to age is sufficiently proved 

 by the use of sugata before vidatthi. 



On the other hand, if, as we may abundantly prove, 

 Gotama was an ordinary person of his age, it is simply 

 absurd to believe that he would speak of an ordinary 



