[53] See their names in Le Livre de la Voie et de la Vertu (hereafter abbreviated thus—L. V. V.). Composé dans le VI Siècle avant l'ère chrétienne par le Philosophe Laò-tséu. Traduit en Français et publié avec le texte chinois par Stanislas Julien. 8vo. Paris, 1872, xxxvi.
[54] Such is the description of M. Julien, derived from the most ancient Chinese commentators. I am at a loss to reconcile it even with his own translation, though it would be presumptuous in me to deny that the learned Sinologue may have reasons for it of which I am not aware.—See L. V. V., p. xiii.
[55] Mémoire sur la Vie et les Opinions de Laò-tséu, par M. Abel Rémusat, Paris, 1823, p. 27.
[56] The literature of the Veda is now copious. To mention only a few works, H. H. Wilson published a translation of the first five Ashtakas of the Rig-Veda-Sanhitâ, but I have forborne to make use of it, from a conviction that the advance of Vedic scholarship has to a great degree, if not wholly, superseded the methods of interpretation employed by him. Benfey has translated the whole of the Sâma-Veda-Sanhitâ into German, and I have studied his translation, but have preferred to rely mainly on the labors of English scholars, both because the inherent obscurity of these ancient hymns might be increased by the process of re-translation, and also because I might possibly fail to catch the exact shade of meaning of the German words. His work should, however, be consulted by those who desire to acquaint themselves with the style of the Veda. Max Müller has unhappily published but one volume of his translation of the Rig-Veda-Sanhitâ, which is doubtless destined (if completed) to become the standard English version of that portion of the text. The same eminent scholar has translated many of the hymns in his "Ancient Sanskrit Literature." Another source from which I have derived valuable assistance is Dr. Muir's laborious work entitled "Original Sanskrit Texts." Such are the principal authorities on the hymns. Of the Brâhmanas, the whole of the Aitareya Brâhmana has been translated by Haug, and portions of others by Roer and by Rajendralal Mitra.
[57] All this will be found admirably treated in Mr. Cox's "Mythology of the Aryan Nations."
[58] No complete translation of the Tripitaka exists, or is ever likely to exist in any European language. Its vast extent, and the comparative worthlessness of many of its parts, would preclude its publication as a whole. But complete treatises, or portions of treatises, have been translated by Burnouf, in his "Histoire du Buddhisme Indien," and "Lotus de la Bonne Loi;" by Beal, in his "Chinese Buddhist Scriptures;" by Schmidt, in "Der Weise und der Thor;" by Hardy, in his "Manual of Buddhism," and by Alabaster, in his "Modern Buddhist." An exact analysis of the contents of the hundred volumes of the great collection called the Kah-gyur is supplied by Csoma Kőrösi in the 20th vol. of the "Asiatic Researches." The leading features of the books, and parts of books thus translated, are so well marked and uniform, that nothing further is needed to enable us to estimate the general character of each division of the whole Tripitaka.
[59] Southern Buddhists fix the dates of these General Councils somewhat differently.
[60] Apparently a people living beyond the frontiers (of the civilized world). See H. B. I., p. 252, n.
[61] The state of an "Arhat" is the highest of four degrees which the hearers of the Buddha used to attain; i. e., the one which led most directly to Nirvâna. The other three degrees were those of Srotâpatti, of Sakridâgâmin, and Anâgâmin. The Arhat was not born again; each of the other three had a smaller or greater number of existences to undergo before Nirvâna.
[62] I translate "l'Assemblée" by this phrase, which appears to render its meaning more precisely than a more literal translation.