A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s1.73

v2.c19.s1.73

² The entire Pāli literature, canonical as well as non-canonical, is frequently termed "Southern Buddhist," because, at the present day it is preserved and spread among the Buddhists of Ceylon, Burma and Siam. This term is, however, to be deprecated owing to the fact that the texts of the Pāli Canon and the Milindapañha are in no wise related to the South, and do not even give indications of a knowlege of South India and Ceylon, but in all probability originated in North India. The occasional occurrence of the expression tāmraparṇīyanikāya in some manuscript or other, is not sufficient ground to justify our talking about "the Singhalese Canon" as does *La Vallée Poussin* (JA s. 9. t. XX, 1902 p. 237). Cf. *Rhys Davids* in JRAS 1896, 378 f. recensions of six different schools, that "*the Pāli version of the school of the Theravādins proves itself to be the most faithful preserver of an earlier tradition*" (p. 187). S. also *Oldenberg*, AR 13, 1910, 596 ff.; NGGW 1912, 171 ff. *Barth*, RHR, t. 41, 1900, 166 ff. (= Oeuvres II, 300 ff.); *La Vallée Poussin* and *T. W. Rhys Davids*, JRAS 1903, 359 ff. A canon similar to the Tipiṭaka is also recognised by the Mahāyāna Buddhists, s. *Kern*, Manual, p. 3 n. 4, and *La Vallée Poussin*, Bouddhisme, p. 29 f.