he Buddhists. It forms part of the
Buddhist canon; and as we know of a translation into Chinese, which M.
Stanislas Julien ascribes to the year 76 A.D., we may safely refer its
original composition to an ante-Christian date. It has been published
in Sanskrit by Babu Rajendralal Mittra, and we owe to M. Foucaux an
edition of the same work in its Tibetan translation, the first Tibetan
text printed in Europe. From specimens that we have seen, we should
think it would be highly desirable to have an accurate translation of
the Chinese text, such as M. Stanislas Julien alone is able to give
us.[58] Few people, however, except scholars, would have the patience
to read this work either in its English or French translation, as may
be seen from the following specimen, containing the beginning of Babu
Rajendralal Mittra's version:

'Om! Salutation to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Aryas,
_S_ravakas, and Pratyeka Buddhas of all times, past,
present, and future; who are adored throughout the farthest
limits of the ten quarters of the globe. Thus hath it been
heard by me, that once on a time Bhagavat sojourned in the
garden of Anathapi_nd_ada, at _G_etavana, in _S_ravasti,
accompanied by a venerable body of 12,000 Bhikshukas. There
likewise accompanied him 32,000 Bodhisattvas, all linked
together by unity of caste, and perfect in the virtues of
paramita; who had made their command over Bodhisattva
knowledge a pastime, were illumined with the light of
Bodhisattva dhara_n_is, and were masters of the dhara_n_is
themselves; who were profound in their meditations, all
submissive to the lord of Bodhisattvas, and possessed
absolute control over samadhi; great in self-command,
refulgent in Bodhisattva forbearance, and replete with the
Bodhisattva element of perfection. Now then, Bhagavat
arriving in the great city of _S_ravasti, sojourned therein,
respected, venerated, revered, and adored, by the fourfold
congregation; by kings, princes, their counsellors, prime
ministers, and followers; by retinues of kshatriyas,
brahma_n_as, householders, and ministers; by citizens,
foreigners, _s_rama_n_as, brahma_n_as, recluses, and
ascetics; and although regaled with all sorts of edibles and
sauces, the best that could be prepared by purveyors, and
supplied with cleanly mendicant apparel, begging pots,
couches, and pain-a