Faxian
Faxian (法顯 [fà.ɕjɛ̀n]; 337 CE – c. 422 CE), also referred to as Fa-Hien, Fa-hsien and Sehi, was a Chinese Buddhist monk and translator who traveled by foot from China to India to acquire Buddhist texts. Starting his arduous journey about age 60, he visited sacred Buddhist sites in Central, South, and Southeast Asia between 399 and 412 CE, of which 10 years were spent in India.
Faxian | |
---|---|
An honorary Faxian statue in a Singapore museum. | |
Personal | |
Born | 337 CE Pingyang Wuyang (平陽武陽), in modern Linfen City, Shanxi |
Died | c. 422 CE (aged 85) |
Religion | Buddhism |
Parent | Tsang Hi (father) |
Notable work(s) | Foguoji (A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms) |
Other names | Fa-hsien, Sehi |
Faxian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 法顯 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 法显 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kanji | 法顕 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kana | ほっけん | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanskrit name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanskrit | फा हियान |
He described his journey in his travelogue, A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms (Foguo Ji 佛國記). His memoirs are a notable independent record of early Buddhism in India. He took with him a large number of Sanskrit texts, whose translations influenced East Asian Buddhism and which provide a terminus ante quem for many historical names, events, texts, and ideas therein.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.