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Gautama Buddha's (566-486 B.C.) (the founder of Buddhism) life story tells us that, in spite of the 'See Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka, Vol. 20, p. 962.

101 luxuries and temptations around, Siddhartha Gautama opted 5 for the life of an ascetic-wanderer. The reason was he was disgusted by the sight of suffering, disease and death. Here lie the roots of the interests of the Buddhists in minimizing the miseries and sorrows. Consequently the Buddhists were interested in medicine to achieve this goal. The medicinal properties of mercury were studied by them. Mercury was supposed to cure many illnesses, confer longevity and even immortality. The investigation of these properties of mercury and its compounds was thus of primary importance to the Buddhists. Buddhists' interests in alchemy and tantra are noticeable in various texts. Modern research has revealed a vast ancient literature, written by Buddhists, with alchemy as a part of it. From the Chinese and Tibetan sources we know that a very large number of Tantrik texts were written in the sixth to eighth centuries AD in India, and were translated into Chinese and Tibetan. Some of these deal with alchemy. Prafulla Chandra Ray has given an account of three such texts. Rasaratnakara is a manuscript of alchemical tantras and it was found in Bengal. It is a tantra of the 5. Basham, A. L., see Secondary Sources, p. 259.

102 Mahayanist school and the invocations are addressed to Buddha. Research by Bendal, Sastri, and Levi discovered a few more tantrik texts dealing with alchemy. 6 Kubjikamata is one such Mahayanist text with alchemical literature. Four Sanskrit treatises on alchemy, viz. Rasasiddhisastra, Dhatuvadasastra, Sarvesvara rasayana and Dhatuvada, all of the eighth to ninth century AD, were translated into Tibetan and included in the scriptures Kanjur and Tanjur, the Tibetan equivalents of the Buddhist Tripitaka. Matrkabhedatantram is a Tantrik text probably Several of its written in the early medieval period. chapters contain alchemical subjects. We come across a reference to "Cinatantra" 7 in its first chapter. It is 6 Dutt, Nalinaksha, see Secondary Sources, p. 80. Mahayana Buddhism is more religious and metaphysical being a later phase of Buddhism. The scriptures are in Sanskrit whereas Hinayana scriptures are in Pali. It is the attainment of perfection of knowledge, i.e., Prajnaparamita, the highest goal in Mahayana, which is observed in the above-mentioned texts. 7. Matrkabhedatantram, section I, Sloka 7. cinatantranusarena pujayet siddhakalikam | 1 athava pujayet devim daksinam kalika param || i.e., Worship of Siddhakalika and Daksinakalika should be done according to Cinatantra and Kalikatamtra.

therefore evident that Chinese alchemical ideas and methods were known in India and were incorporated in the Indian scientific tradition of that period. A Sanskrit alchemical text Rasasara also refers to the TibetanBuddhists' knowledge of alchemy. Buddhists' interests in alchemy are noticed in 9 Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka as well. Waley gives an 103 account of "References to alchemy in Buddhist scriptures". He quotes from "Taisho Tripitaka" and various other Sutras such as Avtamsaka Sutra, Mahaprajnaparamitopadesa, and Mahayanasamgraha bhasya; where alchemical practices such as transmutation of base metals into noble metals It refers to a drug-juice called Hataka are mentioned. and also a stone juice 10 which would change a thousand 8. Rasasara, section 9, Sloka 2. rasoparasadhatunam rahadrava susobhanam | etadbauddhah vijananti bhotadesanivasinah || 2 || 9 Waley, A., see Secondary Sources, pp. 14 and 1102. 10 shi zhi (Shi-Zhi), i.e., Stone juice.

measures of other metals into gold. This stone juice is probably the "Sailodaka" (which means rock or mountain water) described in Rasarnava and Rasarnavakalpa texts. Waley's work suggests the possibility of a good amount of transmission of scientific ideas between China and India, especially in the areas of alchemy. Hence it is plausible that the Chinese and Indian scholar-travelers contributed in the exchange of scientific knowledge prevalent in the two culture areas. 104