About The Book
Born in A.D. 1575, Lama Taranatha wrote this book in 1608. V. Vasil'ev of St. Petersburg translated it from Tibetan into Russian in April 1869 followed by the German translation of the text by Schiefner also published from St. Petersburg in October of the same year. In view of the profound Importance of the work for understanding Indian History in General and of the history of Buddhism in particular, modern scholars have extensively using specially Schiefner's German translation of the History for decades and this for varied purposes. Dr. Niharranjan Ray, as Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Simla, assigned to Dr. Alaka Chattopadhyaya the work of directly translating it into English from its Tibetan original. In carrying out the assignment, she naturally sought collaboration of her own Tibetan teacher, Lama Chimpa. After the English rendering was prepared, Professor Niharranjan Ray wanted it to be edited by Professor Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya. Thus edited, the present English translation was published by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Simla in 1970. The present Edition of the work has the additional attraction of carrying a Foreword to it by no less an eminent Tibetologist than Professor S. Rinpoche, Director of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, Varanasi.
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Taranatha's History of Buddhism in India :
Introductory
Benedictory Verse
Aim of the Work
Table of Contents
The Sources
1. Account of the Period of King Ajatasatru
2. Account of the Period of King Subahu
3. Account of the Period of King Sudhanu
4. Account of the Period of Arya Upagupta
5. Account of the Period of Arya Dhitika
6. Account of the Period of King Asoka
7. Account of the Incidents during the Period of King Asoka
8. Account of the Period of King Vigatasoka
9. Account of the Period of Kasyapa, the Second 79
10. Account of the Period of Arya Mahaloma and others
11. Account of the Period of King Mahapadma
12. Account of the Period of the Third Council
13. Account of the Period of the Beginning of the Extensive Propagation of the Mahayana
14. Account of the Period of Brahmana Rahula
15. Account of the Period of the Doctrine under the Leadership of Arya Nagarjuna
16. Account of the Period of the First Hostility to the Law and of its Restoration 120
17. Account of the Period of Acarya Aryadeva and others
18. Account of the Period of Acarya Matrceta and others
19. Account of the Period of the Renewed Hostility to the Doctrine and of its Restoration
20. Account of the Period of the Third Hostility to the Doctrine and of its Restoration
21. Account of the Period of the Final Activities of King Buddhapaksa and of the period of King Karmacandra
22. Account of the Period of 'Brothers Arya Asanga' [Asanga and Vasubandhu]
23. Account of the Period of Acarya Dignaga and others
24. Account of the Period of King Sila
25. Account of the Period of the Kings Cala, Pancamasimha and others
26. Account of the Period of Sri Dharmakirti
27. Account of the Period of King Govicandra and others
28. Account of the Period of King Gopala
29. Account of the Period of King Devapala and His Son
30. Account of the Period of King Sri Dharmapala
31. Account of the Period of King Masuraksita, King Vanapala and the Great King Mahipala
32. Account of the Period of the Kings Mahapala and Samupala
33. Account of the Period of King Canaka
34. Account of the Period of Kings Bheyapala and Neyapala
35. Account of the Period of Amrapala, Hastipala and Ksantipala
36. Account of the Period of King Ramapala
37. Account of the Period of the Four Sena Kings and others
II. TARANATHA'S SUPPLEMENT TO THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM IN INDIA :
38. Account of the Succession of Teachers at Vikramasila
39. Account of the Spread of the Doctrine in Ko-ki in the East
40. Account of the Introduction of the Law into the Smaller Islands and of its Revival in the South
41. Account of the Spread of the Doctrine in the South as Related in the Garland of Flowers
42. Some Discussion on the Four Sects
43. A Brief Discourse on the Origin of the Mantrayana
44. The History of Image-makers
45. On the Sources etc
Colophon
Colophon of the Potala Edition
SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES : -
1. The Patriarchs
2. The Asoka Legends
3. Ten Prohibitions and the Second Council
4. Tisyaraksita & Kunala Legend
5. Mahadeva and his Five Principles
6. Kaniska's Council : Yuan-Chuang & Bu-ston
7. Vararuci
8. Saraha
9. Nagarjuna : Biographical
10. Nagarjuna : Works
11. Aryadeva
12. Obermiller's Note on the Madhyamika Acaryas and their Different Points of View
13. Nagabodhi
14. Sakyamitra
15. Sabarapada
16. Matrceta
17. Asvaghosa & Matrceta
18. Sura
19. Asvaghosa
20. Lui-pa
21. Asanga
22. Maitreya
23. Vasubandhu
24. Vasil'ev on the Two Vibhangas
25. Darika-pa
26. Sthiramati
27. Dignaga
28. Bhavya or Bhavaviveka
29. Candrakirti
30. Candragomi
31. Dharmapala
32. Viru-pa
33. Santideva
34. Dombi Heruka
35. Vajraghanta
36. Ratnakirti
37. Dharmakirti
38. Kambala
39. Indrabhuti
40. Kukuri-pa
41. Saroruhavajra
42. Lalitavajra
43. Jalandhari-pa
44. Krsnacari
45. Sahajalalita
46. Vinitadeva
47. Jnanagarbha
48. Buddhajnana
49. Santaraksita
50. Haribhadra
51. Yasomitra
52. Sakyamitra
53. Kalyanamitra
54. Damstrasena
55. Manjusrikirti
56. Lilavajra
57. Pandita Rahula
58. Kalyanagupta
59. Prabhakara
60. Buddhaguhya
61. Vairocanabhadra
62. Kamalasila
63. Dharmottara
64. Vimalamitra
65. Dharmakara
66. Anandagarbha
67. Parahita
68. Jinamitra
69. Sarvajnadeva
70. Tilli-pa
71. Prajnapalita
72. Jetari
73. Kalacakrapada
74. Santi-pa
75. Vagisvarakirti
76. Naro-pa
77. Bodhibhadra
78. Ratnavajra
79. Mahajana
80. Jnanasri
81. Amoghavajra
82. Viryabhadra
83. Manikasri
84. Jnanavajra
85. Bharata Pani
86. Abhayakaragupta
87. Sakyasri
88. Ratnaraksita
89. Dipamkarabhadra
90. Sridhara
91. Bhavabhadra
92. Durjayacandra
93. Tathagataraksita
94. Kamalaraksita
95. Khyun-po-rnal-byor
96. Vanaratna
97. Sahajasiddhi
98. The Turuska king 'Moon' (Fol 125B)
99. History of Image-makers
List of Appendix (Appendices)
Foreword to the Introduction of the Russian Translation of Taranatha's History of Buddhism in India by Professor Wassiljew (Vasil'ev)/A. Schiefner
Introduction to the Russian translation of Taranatha's History of Buddhism in India/V.P. Vasil'ev
About the Editors
Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya (the editor) is M. A., D. Litt. of the Calcutta University, Honorary D. Sc. of the Moscow Academy of Sciences, Member of the German Academy of Sciences. Besides working as Visiting Professor at various universities, he is the author of a considerable number of works on Indian Philosophy and Science inclusive of many that are published abroad in Russian, Chinese, Japanese, German and other languages. He has been elected National Fellow of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, though also working in an honorary capacity as a Guest Scientist of National Institute of Science Technology and Development Studies (a constituent establishment of CSIR).
About the Translator
Prof. Lama Chimpa, Head of Indo-Tibetan Studies, Visvabharati University, Santiniketan, is acknowledged as one of the foremost Tibetologists in India.
Dr. Mrs. Alaka Chattopadhyaya obtained her doctorate degree of the Calcutta University with her highly acclaimed work based on Tibetan sources published with the title Atisa and Tibet. By profession she was until recently the principal of the Vidyasagar College of Women, Calcutta. Her other published works include the translation (in Bengali) of the Caturasitisiddha-pravrtti- life of the 84 Siddhacaryas available hitherto before only in its Tibetan version, besides many other Tibetan studies. She has extensively toured abroad, delivering lectures in USSR, China, Oxford, Cambridge, Budapast and other places.