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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



by the destruction of these accumulations of merit and demerit 

 consciousness is destroyed, by the destruction of consciousness the 

 mind and body are destroyed, by the destruction of the mind and 

 body the six organs of sense are destroyed* by the destruction of 

 the six organs of sense contact is destroyed, by the destruction of 

 contact sensation is destroyed, by the destruction of sensation evil 

 desire is destroyed, by the destruction of evil desire attachment to 

 sensible objects is destroyed, by the destruction of attachment to 

 sensible objects existence is destroyed, by the destruction of 

 existence birth is destroyed, by the destruction of birth, decay and 

 death, sorrow and weeping, suffering and grief, and prostration are 

 destroyed. Such is the destruction of this whole aggregation of 

 sufferings.] 



A hymn of victory is then chaunted, and the service is 

 closed by all the priests together chaunting the Ratana 

 suttam and the Karaniyametta suttam. This is the end of 

 the service on the eve of the pirit festival. 



Next morning, at daybreak, all the priests assemble in 

 the preaching hall, and two of them take their seats on 

 the pulpits. Of these two, one reads the first portion of the 

 pirit book to the end of the Dasadhamma suttam. They 

 then descend from the pulpits and take their places with 

 the other priests on the platform, and all chaunt together 

 the Mamgala suttam, Ratana suttam, and Karaniyametta 

 suttam. Two other priests then take their places in the pulpits, 

 and continue the reading of the pirit. The other priests 

 return to their lodgings. The reading of pirit is continued 

 day and night, interrupted only by the assembling of all the 

 priests three times a day to chaunt the three sutras, and by 

 the relief of the readers every three Sinhalese peyas (equal 

 to about two and a quarter English hours). The two read the 

 pirit together in Pali ; no explanation of the meaning is 

 given. During the pirit week the congregation is, of course, 

 constantly changing. The people come and go as they 

 please. The largest attendance is in the morning, at noon, 

 in the evening,— when the priests assemble to chaunt the 

 three sutras. 



The first portion of the pirit book is read through from 

 end to end over and over again, till the night of the sixth 



