The manuscript narrates the story of Buddha Gotama after his awakening and his missions to propagate the Dhamma at different places. When the Buddha taught Abhidhamma to his divine mother, Sirimahāmāya (in text, Srimahāmāyā), she asked him how long Buddhism would exist. He replied that the religion would last for 5,000 years. After the Buddha’s parinibbāna (death), there would be five Buddhist devout kings (Dhammikarāja): 1) Sisudhammasokarāja in Sāvatthī, 2) Bāṇijadhammarāja in Haṃsāvatinagara, 3) Taṃbuladhammikarāja in Malamahānagara, 4) Daliddadhammarāja in Tarādessanagara (the northern side of Ra Ming River), and 5) Jambūdavīpateyyarāja in Yodhiyārājanagara. Each of the kings would be born every 1,000 years respectively to govern the cities, support Buddhism, and sponsor revisions of the Buddhist Canon, so that the life of Buddhism could last for 5,000 years.
Colophon:
Nibbāna paccayo hotu me niccaṃ
In Chulasakkarat (CS) of 1244, a tao sanga year, on the first waning-moon day of the eighth lunar month, a Wednesday, at the time of the tut chao, Nan (ex-monk) Yana wrote the manuscript in honor of an older brother, Khanan (ex-monk) Mahawan.
Namāmi dhammaṃ sabbapāpaṃ vinassantu me If there are any mistakes and typos left, may I apologize for that.
Other notes:
The right corners of the manuscript are slightly damaged by rats. The middle of folios 37–38 was cracked. A phrase on folio 41 – the last folio – was written with blue ink and reads “Tamnan Khun Tham.”
The date corresponds to 1244 Vaisahkha 16 = Wednesday, 3 May 1882 of the Gregorian calendar.