symbol,” says Eitel (p. 142) “of such
a king is the chakra or wheel, for when he ascends
the throne, a chakra falls from heaven, indicating
by its material (gold, silver, copper, or iron)
the extent and character of his reign. The
office, however, of the highest Chakravartti, who hurls
his wheel among his enemies, is inferior to the
peaceful mission of a Buddha, who meekly turns
the wheel of the Law, and conquers every universe
by his teaching.”
(9) This was Brahma, the first person
of the Brahmanical Trimurti,
adopted by Buddhism, but placed
in an inferior position, and surpassed
by every Buddhist saint who attains
to bodhi.
(10) A common name for the earth
below, where, on digging, water is
found.
(11) The height is given as thirty
chow, the chow being the distance
from the elbow to the finger-tip,
which is variously estimated.
(12) A note of Mr. Beal says on this:—“General Cunningham, who visited the spot (1862), found a pillar, evidently of the age of Asoka, with a well-carved elephant on the top, which, however, was minus trunk and tail. He supposes this to be the pillar seen by Fa-hien, who mistook the top of it for a lion. It is possible such a mistake may have been made, as in the account of one of the pillars at Sravasti, Fa-hien says an ox formed the capital, whilst Hsuan-chwang calls it an elephant (P. 19, Arch. Survey).”
(13) That is, in niches on the sides.
The pillar or column must have
been square.
(14) Equivalent to “all through.”
(15) Has always been translated “heretical teachers;” but I eschew the terms heresy and heretical. The parties would not be Buddhists of any creed or school, but Brahmans or of some other false doctrine, as Fa-hien deemed it. The Chinese term means “outside” or “foreign;”—in Pali, anna-titthiya,="those belonging to another school.”
(16) These three predecessors of Sakyamuni were the three Buddhas of the present or Maha-bhadra Kalpa, of which he was the fourth, and Maitreya is to be the fifth and last. They were: (1) Krakuchanda (Pali, Kakusanda), “he who readily solves all doubts;” a scion of the Kasyapa family. Human life reached in his time 40,000 years, and so many persons were converted by him. (2) Kanakamuni (Pali, Konagamana), “body radiant with the colour of pure gold;” of the same family. Human life reached in his time 30,000 years, and so many persons were converted by him. (3) Kasyapa (Pali, Kassapa), “swallower of light.” Human life reached in his time 20,000 years, and so many persons were converted by him. See Eitel, under the several names; Hardy’s M. B., pp. 95-97; and Davids’ “Buddhist Birth Stories,” p. 51.
(17) That is, walked in meditation. Such places are called Chankramana (Pali, Chankama); promenades or corridors connected with a monastery, made sometimes with costly stones, for the purpose