The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c9.58

c9.58

The canonical importance of the *mahâ-prâtihârya* of Çrâvastî is incontestable. The *Divyâvadâna* gives it expressly as one of the ten acts of which every perfect Buddha must necessarily acquit himself before dying (¹). It is likewise in this text — that is to say, as MM. S. Lévi and Ed. Huber have shown, in the *Vinaya* of the Mûla-Sarvâstivâdins — that we find the most ancient and most detailed account of the miracles whereby on this occasion Çâkyamuni triumphed over his rivals, the six chiefs of sects. Thanks to the translation of Burnouf, this account is too well known to need citation here (²). We shall restrict ourselves to bringing out the essential points. After having wrought a few minor miracles, which were mere preliminary trifles, and refusing to allow anyone, monk or layman, man or