120 JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
now be easily acquired by Europeans.* from our 
possession of a copious dictionary and valuable 
grammar of it, compiled by Mr. Judson, of which 
an edition has been printed with the native charac¬ 
ter annexed, at the missionary press at Serampore. 
The Budd’hist religion, as it exists amongst the 
Burmans, does not appear, in any essential respect, 
to differ from the same worship as practised in 
Ceylon, Siam, and Kamboja. Its doctrines, the 
institution of the priesthood, and the external 
forms of devotion, appear to be the same. The 
following sketch of Burmese cosmography, drawn 
from the writings or conversations of the Burmese 
themselves, was furnished to me by Mr. Judson, 
and I may safely add that its accuracy may be 
depended on. 
44 A life period, called A-yen-kat, is a revolu¬ 
tion of time, during which the life of man gra¬ 
dually advances from ten years to an A-then-kye, 
and returns to ten. Sixty-four life periods make 
one intermediate period (An-ta-ra-kat); sixty-four 
intermediate periods, make one quarterly period , 
which may be so termed, because four of such 
periods make one grand period (Ma-ha-kat), or 
complete revolution of nature. The revolutions 
of nature, as marked by the various periods, are 
eternal or infinite. Some grand periods are dis¬ 
tinguished by the 44 developement” of an extra¬ 
ordinary being called 44 a Budd’ha,” who, though 
born of earthly parents, attains the summit of 
