I On the "Fo shuo si di jing" (『佛説四諦經』) found in the Kongo-ji Issaikyo (金剛寺一切経) The manuscript of this Canon, written at the end of the Kamakura period, was found by Prof. T. Ochiai among the Mss. of the Kongo-ji Issaikyo. The ms. is very. short and describes the four noble truths very simply, but nowhere else the same text has been known and any references to this canon cannot be found in the catalogues. Moreover, the name of the translator is not written in the ms. The new found canon is very short and gives us simple descriptions about the essence of the four noble truths without any detailed commentaries, and has a style of an usual independent canon. These are the most important characters of this text. The name of the translator is unknown but technical terms in Chinese used here have some similarities with those adopted by Paramartha (真諦) in several works translated by him. Further, Paramartha translated Vasuvarman's work on the four noble truths, i.e.『四諦論』. Our canon is unique and interesting in its simplicity. I will continue to investigate the text, including the possibility of its being an apocrypha. II The Four Noble Truths and Buddha The teaching of the four noble truths was given at the first sermon of Buddha. It is one of the fundamental teachings of him. There are a great number of canons on the four noble truths, with detailed and complicated explanations or commentaries. But the aim of this sermon is naturally to teach how to be freed from sufferings. In this respect the term ramaniya in the Mahaparinibbanasutta is examined here. Such phrases as "ramaniya Vesali" (Vesali is pleasant), etc. are repeatedly used in this sutta. Any place in this world has been pleasant to Buddha. His living in this world does not mean suffering. Therefore, he says to Ananda that he is able to prolong his life as long as possible, if Ananda entreats Buddha, his living in this world being no problem to himself. These phrases mean, therefore, the inner state of his being, and this is only one of cases where Buddha expresses and confesses himself. Detailed discussions on this problem will follow.
