VOL. X THE PĀLI LITERATURE OF CEYLON George Peiris BY MALALASEKERA, Ph.D., M.A. (London). LECTURER IN SANSKRIT, PĀLI, AND SINHALESE, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND LONDON 1928 Heffer 1-14-38 35230 PREFATORY NOTE I am deeply beholden to the Council of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland for having accepted this little volume to be issued under the ægis of their Prize Publication Fund. My obligations are due to the numerous scholars who have gone before me and explored the fields of Pāli Literature in Ceylon. Their pioneer work has made my efforts pleasanter and more fruitful than they would otherwise have been. I wish also to express my thanks for guidance and inspiration to my teachers at the School of Oriental Studies, Professor R. L. Turner, Dr. L. D. Barnett, Dr. W. Stede, and Mr. M. de Z. Wickremasinghe, and to Mrs. A. de Z. Elliot for various assistance received. I have no words sufficient to convey my heartfelt gratitude to my Acariya, Mrs. Rhys Davids, but for whom this work would never have seen the light of day. The two years I spent in London as her antevāsika have been one of the happiest periods of my life, and I am indebted to her, more than I can express, for the very great honour she has conferred on me by revising this, the result of my first researches. Ciram Jivatu! COLOMBO, January, 1928. G. P. M. |