889 M Cornell University Library ^y. The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924091024889 in compliance with cun^ent copyright law, Cornell University Library produced this replacement volume on paper that meets the ANSI Standard Z39.48-1992 to replace the Irreparably deteriorated original. 2001 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SVSTEMS OF BUDDHISTIC THOUGHT BY YAMAKAMl SDOEIN, Research Scholar of the Sotoshiu Baigak of Tohio, and Reader to the University of Calcutta. Published by the University of Calcutta 1912 , ( ...f- i I .\ \* Printed by Atulchandra Bhattacbaryya, AT THE CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY PRESS, Senate House, Calcutta. PREFACE. In the autumn of the year 1906, when I was leaving the shores of Japan, as a Post-Graduale Research Scholar of the Soto-shiu Daigak of T6kio, with the object of studying Sanskrit and P41i in the land of Buddha's birth, I came across a fellow-passenger, a kind-hearted American gentleman, who, on learning that I was a Buddhist priest, enquired of me in a half-curious, half-condescending manner, what Buddhism really meant. I fully understood the import of the question, and, though my heart was over-flowing with eagerness to explain to my interlocutor the doctrines of the religion in which I had been brought up, I discovered, to my very great regret, that my defective knowledge of the English language proved an unsurmountable barrier to the accomplishment of my pious purpose. A few words of broken English came to my lips and melted there. But my fellow-passenger was inexorable ; he was determined to have an answer. Being at a loss to satisfy his laudable curiosity, I went down to my cabin and brought up Hepburn's English-Japanese Dictionary and a brand-new copy of Dr. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the parting gift of a benevolent friend and fellow-countryman. The Bng- ish-Japanese Dictionary was unfortunately of little or no use ; but Brewer's work appeared for the time being to relieve me of my helplessness. Without hesitating for a single moment, I turned over the leaves of Brewer's book until I came to the article on Buddhism, and showed it to my trans-Atlantic companion who read it with apparent pleasure, thanked me for the information thus supplied, and departed in good humour. "When he had gone out of sight, I retired to my cabin and attempted the then somewhat heroic feat of interpreting to myself with the help of Hepburn's Dictonary, the account given of Buddhism by the venerable Brewer ; and distressing indeed was my surprise when I had made the passage intelligible to myself. Most of you, who are no doubt more familiar with Brewer's Dictionary of Phi-ase and Fable than I can claim to be, will recollect how even in the revised, corrected and enlarged edition iv PREFACE. of that work published in 1900, the article on Buddhism reads. "Buddhism," says 'Brewer on p. 184 of that book, "is a system of religion established in India in the third (!) century. The general outline of the system is that the world is a transient reflex of deity (!), that the soul is a 'vital spark' matter again till (!) of deity, and that after death it will be bound to the 'wearer* has, -by divine contemplation, been * so purged and purified that it is fit to be absorbed into the divine essence (!)". "Surely," said I to myseLE after perusiug Brewer's statements, "there must be some error somewhere ; for the Buddhism which I have practised and studied from my earhest youth believes in neither deity nor its 'spark,' and is something quite different". And the necessity of exposing the erroneous notions prevalent in occidental countries about Buddhism—the enormity of which might be measured by the fact of their having misled even the octogenarian encyclopsBdic Brewer—urged itself upon me more strongly than ever. At that very time I made a solemn resolve that, should I be spared to acquire a sufficient command over English and Sanskrit, it would be my first care to explain to the inhabitants of the country which gave us our religion, what Buddhism really is and what it is not. Such an opportunity, however, seemed never to be coming, until, to my great surprise, I was informed one day that the large-hearted and erudite Vice-Chancellor* and the learned Syndicate had appointed me Reader on Buddhism to the University of Calcutta. And great indeed is the thankfulness and delight with which I embrace this opportunity which promises an early fulfilment of my long-cherished hope of expounding to the countrymen of Buddha the real essence of the faith which he preached, recovered from the numerous, though fragmentary, accounts enshrined in the Sanskrit canon, which, though lost in the original, is stDl accessible to scholars in Chinese and Tibetan versions, . faithfully executed through centulies of indefatigable labour, by generations of learned and pious scholars who consecrated their lives and energies to the dissemination of Buddha's teachings beyond the confines of Jambudvipa. The gentleman* now at the helm of this University, and to whom I take this opportunity of offering my humble tribute of thanks, is a man of many- • The Hon. Justice Sir AButosh Mookerjee, Kt., C.S.I., D.L., D.Sc, Saraaioati, Ac. &c. &c. PBElfACE. V sided abilities as is conspicuously shown by his discharging, in various capacities, a number of the highest public duties. I should like to mention here the supreme courtesy and sympathy that I always received from him. In the eleven months and a year which have passed since I first began lecturing, I have had occasion to become acquainted with many other Indian gentlemen. To them I owe a debt of obligation for the various ways in which they rendered me help and assistance. In view of my insufficient knowledge^of English which has ever been a great obstacle in my path, I cannot but express my sincerest gratitude for the benevolent aid which I have received from them, and without which I could not possibly have accomplished this work. First and foremost I should mention the late Mr. Harinath De, a greater scholar than whom it has seldom been my fortune to come across. He was an honour to his country, and his great linguistic gifts would have proved of invaluable service in what I consider to be the most important task which lies before Indian scholarship, namely, the rediscovery of ancient Buddhistic Works, lost in the original Sanskrit and now to be found only in Chinese and Tibetian versions. To him—alas I now passed away—I must record my deep debt of gratitude for help and counsel in my present task. I must also express my obligation specially to Mr. M. Ghosh, Professor of English Literature in the Presidency College, and to the Hon. Dr. Suhrawardy, M.A., Ph.D., Bar-at-Law, Mr. Kasiprasad Jayaswal, Bar-at- Law, and Mr. R. Jagannath&c&rya for their kind revision of portions of this book. And last, but not the least, I should mention Babu Bidhubhushan Dutta, M.A. of this University, and now working on educational lines in Calcutta. In him I found a fine scholar and a sincere worker to whom I am also indebted for assistance in revision and the looking over of proofs. In conclusion, I desire to express my thanks to all who have helped me in the preparation of this work and to whom is chiefly due the rapid progress in its publication. I am more sensible of its deficiencies than any one else can be. Yet I do not hesitate to commend it to the public, if for no other reasons, at least for the comprehensive character of the philosophical system expounded therein—a philosophy, which, though arising from the Vl PREFACE. soil of Indian speculationj has been totally ignored and condemned here for centuries together. It is my devout hope that Indian scholars of Sanskrit and P^H may not neglect the Chinese and Tibetian versions of the Canons of Buddhism. It is they who have to take up the mission of unveiling the true relation between the religious and philosophical ideas that lie concealed in the numberless, though fragmentry works of ancient India and Tibet, and solve the problem of the bond of union amongst the great religions of the East. I believe or rather am convinced that these religions, though modified greatly in the course of long ages and their passage through varying climes, all have their beg^innings in the soil of India : and hence, a future religious union of the East may not be altogether a dream. I ought perhaps to add a few words as regards the scope and nature of the present little work. My main object has been to present in a short and comprehensive form a complete view of Buddhistic philosophy, both of Mahdy^na and Hinay&na Schools, in order to stimidate my fellow scholars in the same field to independent research. Obviously, the attempt to confine so vast a subject within narrow limits must lead to unavoidable obscurity. I hope in the near future to issue a series of books, each treating of a separate portion of this great subject in a clearer and more detailed manner. Calcutta : S. YAMAKAMI. September, 1912. ] TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Page. Classification of Buddhism 1 The Easy Path and Difficult Path 2 Theoretical and practical divisions of Buddhism 3 Classification based on the Tripitaka 3 Controversialism in Buddhism 4 The Dhyftna School 5 Psyehologfical Classification of Buddhism 6 THE ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY.