| Administrative History | The Tripitaka (Sanskrit: 'Sacred Basket') was written chiefly in India before 500 AD, and is the chief religious authority of the southern or Hinayana school of Buddhism. There are versions in both Sanskrit and Pali (in Pali it is known as the Tipitaka), and versions also differ slightly between the different schools of Buddhism. It deals, amongst other material, with monastic rules, sermons and texts mostly by the Buddha, and, in some versions, a systematisation of doctrine.
James Troup was born at Newhills in 1840, and graduated MA from Aberdeen University in 1861. After working in the university library, he was appointed a student interpreter in Japan in 1863, and held several consular appointments there, including, in 1896, Consul-General at Yokohama. He retired in 1898, and made many contributions to the journals of Asiatic and Japan Societies. In his retirement he also developed an interest in angling and travel. He died in Bournemouth in 1925. |