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T H E O R I G I N O F T H E ~ A K A - E R Ab y

P I E R R E H . L . E G G E R M O N THengelo (0 . )

I . T H E P R E D I C T I O N O F T H E D U R A T I O N O F T H E L A W B Y T H E B U D D H AI n th e 5 t h y e a r a f te r th e I l lu m i n a t i o n B u d d h a ' s f a t h e r S u d d h o d a n a d i e da n d i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h i s t h e B u d d h a w e n t t o K a p i l a v a t t h u . 1 T h e r eh i s a u n t M a h ~ p a j f i p a t i b e s e e c h e d h i m :I t w o u l d b e w e l l , L o r d , i f w o m e n s h o u l d b e a l l o w e d t o r e n o u n c e t h e i r h o m e sa n d e n t e r t h e h o m e l e s s s t a t e u n d e r t h e d o c t r i n e a n d d i s c i p l i n e p r o c l a i m e d b yt h e T a t h ~ g a t a . ~H a v i n g r e t u r n e d t o V es,~li t h e B u d d h a g r a n t e d t h e s u p p l i c a t i o n s o f h i sa u n t ; h e sa i d h o w e v e r :I f w o m e n h a d n o t r e c e iv e d t h e g o i n g f o r t h i n t h e d o c t r i n e a n d d i sc ip l in e , t h er e l i g i o u s s y s t e m w o u l d h a v e l a s t e d l o n g , t h e g o o d d o c t r i n e w o u l d h a v e s t a y e df o r a t h o u s a n d y e a r s ; b u t a s w o m e n h a v e g o n e f o r th , n o w t h e r e li g io u s s y s te mw i ll n o t l a s t l o n g ; n o w , , ~ n a n d a , t h e g o o d d o c t r i n e w i ll l a s t o n l y 5 0 0 y e a r s . 3T h e B u d d h a m a d e t h is p r e d i c t i o n i n t h e 4 0 t h y e a r o f h is l if e, 4 4 0 y e a r sb e f o r e h i s d e a t h . I f w e k e e p t o th e g e n e r a l t r a d i t i o n t h a t t h e B u d d h aa c q u i r e d t h e M a h a p a r i n i b b ~ n a i n t h e 8 0 t h y e a r o f h is l i fe , 5 w e m i g h te x p e c t t h a t t h e p r e d i c t e d d e c l i ne o f t h e L a w w o u l d o c c u r i n th e y e a r5 0 0 m i n u s 4 0 w h i c h is 4 6 0 y e a r s a f te r t h e d e a t h o f t h e B u d d h a ( 4 60p o s t B u d d h a m m o r t u u m ) .

A c c o r d i n g t o t he M a h a v a m . s a i n t h is y e a r 4 6 0 p . B . m , k i n g V a . tt a g am a . n iw a s r e i g n i n g . 6 A f t e r a r e i g n o f 5 m o n t h s i n t h e y e a r 4 3 9 p . B . m , h e w a s1 E . J . T h om a s , The Life of Buddha (London , 1952), p . 107 ; H . Kern , Manual oflndian Buddhism (Strassburg, 1896), p. 30.Vinayapit.akam, ed. H . Oldenberg (1880), vol. II , Cullavagga X, 1 (p. 253 sqq );see translation S.B.E., XX (Vinaya Texts).3 E . J . T h o m a s , ibidem, p. 109; H. Kern, ibidem, p. 31.Prince S iddh attha aged 29 years left the wo rld in search o f the Illumination. 6 Ye arslater h e received the Illumination, so in his 35th year. Su dd ho da na died 5 years later,so in the 40 th yea r o f Buddha ' s l if e (Av.gat., II , 231 ; Digha, II , 151 ; Dfpava.msa, I I I , 58).5 Dipava.msa, I I I , 58-60, records that the Buddha is 35 years old , when he meetsking Bimbis~ra; fur thermore that Bimbishra l ived for another 37 years af terwards;af ter the de ath of Bimbis~ra the Bu ddh a l ived 8 years dur ing the re ign o f Aj~tasat tu .The tota l of Buddha 's years of l i fe must be 35 plus 37 plus 8 is 80 years .W . Geiger, The M ahdva.msa or the Gr eat Chronicle o f Ceylon (P~.li Te xt Society,L o n d o n , 1 93 4 ), p . X X X V I / X X X V I I .

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22 6 P I E R R E H . L . E G G E R M O N Te x p e l l e d b y T a m i l i n v a d e r s , b u t i n 4 5 4 p . B . m , h e r e g a i n e d p o w e r b yd r iv i n g b a c k t h e i n v ad e r s. T h e n h e c a u s e d t h e A b h a y a g i r i -m o n a s t e r y t ob e b u i l t a n d g a v e t h e g u i d a n c e t o t h e T h e r a M a h S t i s sa . 7 T h i s T h e r as ee m s t o b e t h e v e r y T h e r a M a h ~ t is s a w h o i n a n o t h e r t e x t o f t h e C h r o n i c l ei s s a id t o h a v e b e e n e x p e l l e d f r o m t h e M a h ~ v i h f ir a in c o n s e q u e n c e o fa n o f f e n c e a g a i n s t t h e L a w ? S o th e g e n e r a l d i s p o s i t i o n in t h e A b h a y a g i r i -v i h ~ ra m u s t h a v e b e e n u n f a v o u r a b l e t o w a r d s t h e o l d M a h ~ v i h ~ r a f r o mt h e b e g i n n i n g o n w a r d s . T h e s i t u a t i o n c o m e s t o a n o u t b u r s t w h e n ad i s ci p le o f M a h h t i s s a e s t a b l i sh e d a g r o u p w h o s e a i m w a s t o p r e v e n t th em o n k s f r o m g o i n g t o t h e M a h ~ v i h a r a . I n c o n s e q u e n c e o f th i s d iv i si o ns o m e t h i n g h a p p e n e d w h i c h b e c a m e o f c o n s i d e r ab l e i m p o r t a n c e t o t h eS a m g h a o f C e y l o n ; t h e t e x t s a ys :Th e tex t o f the th ree pi t.akas and the a t. t.hakath~t the reo n d id the m ost wisebhikkhus han d dow n in fo rme r times ora lly , bu t s ince they saw tha t the peoplewere f a l l ing away ( f rom re l ig ion) the bh ikkhus came toge the r , and in o rde rtha t the t r ue do c t r ine might end ure , they wro te them dow n in bo oks . 9S e e m i n g ly th e r e is a c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e s e c ta r ia n m o v e m e n t i n t h eA b h a y a g i r i - v i h ~ r a a n d t h e f i x a t io n o f t h e P i t .a k as i n t o w r i ti n g .

Conclusion: F r o m t h e a f o r e - s a i d d a t a I c o n c l u d e t h a t i n t h e S a t 0 .g h ao f t h e T h e ra v ~ d i n s i n C e y l o n d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d f r o m t h e b e g in n i n g o ft h e I V t h c e n t u r y u n t i l t h e f ir st q u a r t e r o f th e V I t h c e n t u r y ( i .e ., t h e v e r yt i m e t h a t t h e D i p a v a msa a n d a f t e r w a r d s t h e M a h ~ v a m . s a w e r e w r i t t e n )t h e r e e x i s te d a tr a d i t i o n , w h i c h c o n t a i n e d t h e f o l l o w i n g p o i n t s :

1 ) 4 0 y e a r s b e f o r e h i s d e a t h t h e B u d d h a p r e d i c t e d t h a t t h e d o w n f a l lo f t h e L a w w o u l d t a k e p l a c e 5 0 0 y e a r s l a t e r ;

2 ) i n d e e d d i ff ic u lt ie s d i d a r i se b e t w e e n t h e M a h ~ v i h ~ r a a n d t h eA b h a y a g i r i - v i h a r a i n t h e y e a r 4 6 0 p . B . m . ;3 ) t o a s s u r e t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n o f t h e L a w t h e P i~ a ka s w e r e p u t i n t ow r i t in g i n t h is y e a r 4 6 0 p . B . m .T o t h e s e d a t a I a d d a f o u r t h : d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d t h a t t h e C e y l o n e s ec h r o n i c l e s we r e wr i t t e n a B u d d h a - v a r . s a o f 4 8 3 B . C . w a s i n u s e . 1~

I I . THE ORIGIN OF THE ~AKA-ERAI n t h e h i s t o r y o f B u d d h i s m a f i x a t io n o f t h e B u d d h i s t t e x ts is o n l y o n c ea g a i n r e c o r d e d . T h e C h i n e s e p i l g r im H s t ia n - t sa n g , w h o t r a v e l l e d in

Mah~va.msa, XXXIII, 80-83.8 Mahavarvsa, XXXIII, 95.9 Mah~va.msa,XXXIII, 100-101.lo W . Geiger, ibidem, p. X XV III sqq. ; P. H. L. Eggerm ont, The Chronology of thereign ofAsoka Moriya (Leiden , 1956), p. 120.

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THE ORIGIN OF THE SAKA-ERA 227Ind ia f rom 629-645 A.D., tha t is in the same time that the Mah~var~. sawas written, records that Kani.ska, king of Gandh~ra, wanted to makean end to the dissension in the Sa mgha. On the advise o f the venerablePhr~va he decided to convoke a Council in which comment should bemade on the sacred books. An assembly was held in the monastery ofKundala-vana in Kashmir, where 500 monks under the presidency ofVasumit ra drew up commenta ries on the Sf~tra-Pit.aka, on the Vinayaand on the Abhidh arma . 11

This tradition about the third Buddhist Council of Kashmir originatingfrom the Sarv~stivhdin-circles in Northern-India12 shows two motiveswhich concur with the history of the Therav~dins in Ceylon. These arethe dissension in the Sam.gha and the writing down of the Law to stopthe disturbances. The Sarv~stiv~din-tradition looks like being a duplicateof the Therav6din-story.

In that case we have to inquire whether the Sarv~stivhdin-traditionknew as well as the Ceylonese tradition that the Bud dha had predicted thedownfall of the Law after 500 years, i.e. 460 years p.B.m. However thedifficulty arises, that we have to know in the first place which Buddha-erawas used in the Sarv~stiv~din-circles where the afore-said traditioncirculated, and in the second place when the Council was held.

I hope to give a satisfactory answer to the first question. In studying thechronology of A~oka I was struck by the fact that the A~ok~vad~na,which originated in the Sarv~stiv~din-circle of Mathurh, ~3 assigned theyear 100 p.B.m, to the reign o f A~oka, ~a whereas the Ceylonese tra diti onputs the ano int ment of A~oka in 218 p.B.m., ~5 so one c entury later, leNow it is wrong to conclude that according to the Sarvastivhdins A~okalived a century earlier then according to the Therav~dins. On the con-trary one has to insist that A~oka's place in the chronology rests im-movable whereas the Sarvfistivadins put the dea th o f Buddha one century11 Th. Watters, On Yuang Chwang's Travels in India (London, 1904), I, p. 270 sqq.;H. Kern, ibidem, p. 121.a2 R.C. Majumdar, The Age of Imperial Unity (Bombay, 1953), p. 385: "From allthese accounts it is apparent that the Council was held in the stronghold of theSarv~stivadins, and that the leading monks of the Council belonged to this sect."13 J. Przyluski, La l~gende de l'empereur Ar (As (Paris, 1923),pp. 13-18.14 E. Burnouf, Introduction h l'histoire du Buddhisme lndien, 2me ed. (Paris, 1879),p. 327:"100 ans apr6s que je serai entr6 dans le Nirv~n.a complet, il y aura dans laville de P~t.aliputra un roi nomm6 A9oka."15 Dipava~sa, VI, 1.16 One century and not 118 years later, as I have the strong impression that thenumber 100 p.B.m, represents the number 118 p.B.m., rounded off downwards.

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228 PIERRE H. L. EGGERMONTlater in time than according to the chronological system of the Thera-vadins. As the Theravadins of Ceylon used a Buddha-era, beginning in483 B.C., the Sarvhstivadins must have made use of an era of 483 minus100 which is 383 B.C.

If the story of the Council of Kashmir is a duplicate of the Ceylonesestory about the fixation of the Pit.akas, the Council of Kashmir wouldhave been held 460 years after the epoch 383 B.C. according to theSarv~stiv~dins.

As the year 383 B.C. equals the year -382 astronomical reckoning,the date of the Council becomes 460 minus 382 which is 78 A.D.

A nd this date is exac t ly the f irs t ye ar o f the gaka-era.So it is proved that the ~aka-era is a genuine Buddhist and Indian

tradition, based on an old Sarv~stiv~din-era of 383 B.C. In this old erathe year 460 p.B.m., corresponding with the year 78 A.D., was thoughtof as a turning-point in history. The first five centuries of the turningof the Wheel of Law were over and another new period was to come.

So Sarvastiv~din-Buddhism begun a new epoch. The next year 461p.B.m, was reckoned as the year I of the new ~aka-era, which in ourchronology corresponds with the year 79 A.D.