THE STATURE OFGOTAMA BUDDHA. 



87 



the hasfa, or cubit, would have contained 25 fingers instead of 24, 

 and its value would have been 18*158 inches, which is still below 

 the value of many of the existing hastas, or cubits of the Indian 

 Bazars." 



That this measure falls very far short of the Buddhist 

 vidatthi may be proved by the following references to the 

 Vinaya, 



1. A priest's habitation should be twelve by seven spans 

 from wall to wall. — Vide lib, 1, cap. 2. 



Taking a span or vidatthi at nine inches, the room will 

 prove to be nine, by five and a quarter English feet* 

 Though Gotama enacted this, rule with a view to economy, 

 and to shew that large spacious halls, which his followers 

 " had been unable to complete," were inconsistent with the 

 "beggarly" character of the monastic system which he 

 founded ; yet, on the other hand, I am inclined to believe 

 that he could have scarcely considered that an apartment of 

 nine by five and-a-quarter feet would be sufficient for the 

 occupation of a priest. At least, the width is such as to 

 render it fit for nothing more than stretching one's self down 

 to sleep, 



2. The height of a bed or chair should be eight angulas — 

 Seelib. 2, cap. 1, rule 5. At the above rate of calculation this 

 height will represent six English inches. There is no doubt 

 that the object of this rule, as stated in the legend, was the 

 prevention of " high seats," — but at the same time we 

 cannot help thinking that a seat above six inches from the 

 ground was inconveniently low. 



3. The regulated dimensions of a cushion or carpet are 

 two, by one and-a-half spans, which will be equal at the 

 above rate, to eighteen, by thirteen and-a-half English inches. 



This may not appear to be an unreasonable or inconvenient 

 size, representing as it does the size of an ordinary chair of 

 the present day, but it is very remarkable that the very 



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