The Life of The Buddha - And The Early History of His Order (Derived From Tibetan Works in The Bkah-Hgyur And Bstan-Hgyur

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Any one who has glanced at the analysis of the Tibetan Bkali-ligyur by Alexander Csoma de Körös, published in the 20th volume of the "Asintic Researches," must have been struck with the wonderful patience and p l perseverance of this extraordinary scholar. Some idea of the extent of the researches which are embodied in his analysis of the Dulva, about the tenth part of the whole Bkah-hgyur, may be had when it is known that it occupies more than 4000 leaves of seven lines to the page, each line averaging twenty-two syllables. But notwithstanding all that Csoma did to make known to Europe the vast Buddhist literature of Tibet, his work is hardly more than an index of the Tibetan Tripitaka. Moreover, when he wrote it, Buddhist studies were in their infancy, and many important subjects on which the Blah-hgyur furnishes answers, which, if not always acceptable, are still plausible and interesting, had not been investigated by scholars, and their importante was as yet ignored.

Csoma's premature death prevented him examining as fully as we could have desired the Tibetan Bstan-hgyut, in which may be found many important works which help to elucidate the difficulties which so frequently beset the canonical works in the Bkah-hgyur.

**Contents and Sample Pages**