A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms Being an account by the Chinese monk Fâ-hien of his travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in search of the Buddhist books of discipline

Several times during my long residence in Hong Kong I endeavoured to read through the ‘Narrative of Fâ-Hien;’ but though interested with the graphic details of much of the work,...

General Cunningham says: ‘The Christians number about 270 millions; the Buddhists about 222 millions, who are distributed as follows:—China 170 millions, Japan 25, Anam 14, Siam...

Fâ-hien had been living in Chʽang-gan.[1] Deploring the mutilated and imperfect state of the collection of the Books of Discipline, in the second year of the period Hwăng-che, b...

After travelling for seventeen days, a distance we may calculate of about 1500 le, (the pilgrims) reached the kingdom of Shen-shen,[1] a country rugged and hilly, with a thin an...

Yu-teen is a pleasant and prosperous kingdom, with a numerous and flourishing population. The inhabitants all profess our Law, and join together in its religious music for their...

When the processions of images in the fourth month were over, Săng-shâo, by himself alone, followed a Tartar who was an earnest follower of the Law,[1] and proceeded towards Kop...

It happened that the king of the country was then holding the pañcha parishad, that is, in Chinese, the great quinquennial assembly.[1] When this is to be held, the king request...

From this (the travellers) went westwards towards North India, and after being on the way for a month, they succeeded in getting across and through the range of the Onion mounta...

The travellers went on to the south-west for fifteen days (at the foot of the mountains, and) following the course of their range. The way was difficult and rugged, (running alo...

After crossing the river, (the travellers) immediately came to the kingdom of Woo-chang,[1] which is indeed (a part) of North India. The people all use the language of Central I...

In that country also Buddhism[1] is flourishing. There is in it the place where Śakra,[2] Ruler of Devas, in a former age,[3] tried the Bodhisattva, by producing[4] a hawk (in p...

The travellers, going downwards from this towards the east, in five days came to the country of Gandhâra,[1] the place where Dharma-vivardhana,[2] the son of Aśoka,[3] ruled. Wh...

Seven days’ journey from this to the east brought the travellers to the kingdom of Takshaśilâ,[1] which means ‘the severed head’ in the language of China. Here, when Buddha was...

Going southwards from Gandhâra, (the travellers) in four days arrived at the kingdom of Purushapura.[1] Formerly, when Buddha was travelling in this country with his disciples,...

Going west for sixteen yojanas,[1] he came to the city He-lo[2] in the borders of the country of Nagâra, where there is the flat-bone of Buddha’s skull, deposited in a vihâra[3]...

Having stayed there till the third month of winter, Fâ-hien and the two others,[1] proceeding southwards, crossed the Little Snowy mountains.[2] On them the snow lies accumulate...

After they had crossed the river, there was a country named Pe-tʽoo,[1] where Buddhism was very flourishing, and (the monks) studied both the mahâyâna and hînayâna. When they sa...

From this place they travelled south-east, passing by a succession of very many monasteries, with a multitude of monks, who might be counted by myriads. After passing all these...

From this they proceeded south-east for eighteen yojanas, and found themselves in a kingdom called Saṅkâśya,[1] at the place where Buddha came down, after ascending to the Traya...

Fâ-hien stayed at the Dragon vihâra till after the summer retreat,[1] and then, travelling to the south-east for seven yojanas, he arrived at the city of Kanyâkubja,[2] lying al...

Going on from this to the south-east for three yojanas, they came to the great kingdom of Shâ-che.[1] As you go out of the city of Shâ-che by the southern gate, on the east of t...

Going on from this to the south, for eight yojanas, (the travellers) came to the city of Śrâvastî[1] in the kingdom of Kośala,[2] in which the inhabitants were few and far betwe...

Fifty le to the west of the city bring (the traveller) to a town named Too-wei,[1] the birthplace of Kâśyapa Buddha.[1] At the place where he and his father met,[2] and at that...

Less than a yojana to the east from this brought them to the city of Kapilavastu;[1] but in it there was neither king nor people. All was mound and desolation. Of inhabitants th...

East from Buddha’s birthplace, and at a distance of five yojanas, there is a kingdom called Râma.[1] The king of this country, having obtained one portion of the relics of Buddh...

Going on twelve yojanas, still to the east, they came to the city of Kuśanagara,[3] on the north of which, between two trees,[4] on the bank of the Nairañjanâ[5] river, is the p...

East from this city ten yojanas, (the travellers) came to the kingdom of Vaiśâlî. North of the city so named is a large forest, having in it the double-galleried vihâra[1] where...

Four yojanas on from this place to the east brought the travellers to the confluence of the five rivers.[1] When Ânanda was going from Magadha[2] to Vaiśâlî, wishing his pari-ni...

Having crossed the river, and descended south for a yojana, (the travellers) came to the town of Pâṭaliputtra,[1] in the kingdom of Magadha, the city where king Aśoka[2] ruled....

(The travellers) went on from this to the south-east for nine yojanas, and came to a small solitary rocky hill,[1] at the head or end of which[2] was an apartment of stone, faci...

Entering the valley, and keeping along the mountains on the south-east, after ascending fifteen le, (the travellers) came to mount Gṛidhra-kûṭa.[1] Three le before you reach the...

Out from the old city, after walking over 300 paces, on the west of the road, (the travellers) found the Karaṇḍa Bamboo garden,[1] where the (old) vihâra is still in existence,...

From this place, after travelling to the west for four yojanas, (the pilgrims) came to the city of Gayâ;[1] but inside the city all was emptiness and desolation. Going on again...

When king Aśoka, in a former birth,[1] was a little boy and played on the road, he met Kâśyapa Buddha walking. (The stranger) begged food, and the boy pleasantly took a handful...

(The travellers), going on from this three le to the south, came to a mountain named Gurupada,[1] inside which Mahâkaśyapa even now is. He made a cleft, and went down into it, t...

Fâ-hien[1] returned (from here) towards Pâṭaliputtra,[2] keeping along the course of the Ganges and descending in the direction of the west. After going ten yojanas he found a v...

South from this 200 yojanas, there is a country named Dakshiṇa,[1] where there is a monastery (dedicated to) the bygone Kaśyapa Buddha, and which has been hewn out from a large...

From Vârâṇasî (the travellers) went back east to Pâṭaliputtra. Fâ-hien’s original object had been to search for (copies of) the Vinaya. In the various kingdoms of North India, h...

Following the course of the Ganges, and descending eastwards for eighteen yojanas, he found on the southern bank the great kingdom of Champâ,[1] with topes reared at the places...

The country originally had no human inhabitants,[1] but was occupied only by spirits and nâgas, with which merchants of various countries carried on a trade. When the traffickin...

South of the city seven le there is a vihâra, called the Mahâ-vihâra, where 3000 monks reside. There had been among them a Śramaṇa, of such lofty virtue, and so holy and pure in...

Fâ-hien abode in this country two years; and, in addition (to his acquisitions in Patna), succeeded in getting a copy of the Vinaya-piṭaka of the Mahîśâsakâḥ (school);[1] the Dî...