Texts from the Buddhist canon : commonly known as Dhammapada

2 INTROD UCTOR Y REMARKS.
sufficient material before us for a correct knowledge of tlie
work in question. I should not under these circumstances
have undertaken to produce another translation bearing
the same title, but for the fact that no copy of Dhammapada,
has hitherto been known to exist in China. It has been
my good fortune to have had brought under my imme-
diate examination the great body of books comprising the
Chinese Buddhist Canon. Amongst these I found tfcere
were four copies of a work bearing the title of "Law verses"
or " Scriptural texts," which on examination were seen to
resemble the Pali version of Dhammapada in many pa,r-
ticulars. Supposing that some knowledge of these books
would be acceptable to the student, I have undertaken the
translation l of the siinplest of them, and with such notices
of the other copies as are suggested by a brief comparison
of them one with the other, I now offer my book for
candid consideration.
It may here be stated, in order literal translation of the Chinese
to disarm unfriendly criticism, that Text, bnt only such an abstract of it
I do not profess to have produced a as seemed necessary for my purpose.