A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms

Fa-Hien, James Legge

• Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
• Year: 2023
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9783988680013
• Subtopic: Chinese History
• Index: History

The record of personal observations gathered by the Chinese priest Fa-hien during the travels he made at the beginning of the fifth century in Central Asia, the Punjab, India, Ceylon and thence back by sea to China, were repeatedly published, apparently under different titles, in the course of the fifth and following centuries and when the Buddhist canon was authoritatively fixed by the Sung dynasty, this record was included in the Tripitaka with the sanction of the Sung and subsequently the King dynasties. Both the Corean and Japanese editions of the Buddhist Tripitaka also include Fa-hien's Record among the canonical writings of Northern Buddhism. The text suffered, in the course of time, slight corruptions, but the differences existing between the secular editions, as contained in various Confucian cyclopedias, and the canonical editions of the Buddhist churches of China, Corea and Japan, are very small. Dr. Legge was, so far as we know, the first translator of this work who took pains to collate the principal existing recensions of the Chinese text, and he has now produced, on the basis of the Corean edition, a text which may be considered as critically established.

Table of contents

• PREFACE
• INTRODUCTION
• CHAPTER II. ON TO SHEN-SHEN AND THENCE TO KHOTEN
• CHAPTER III. KHOTEN. PROCESSIONS OF IMAGES. THE KING’S NEW MONASTERY.
• CHAPTER IV. THROUGH THE TS’UNG OR “ONION” MOUNTAINS TO K’EEH-CH’A;—PROBABLY SKARDO, OR SOME CITY MORE TO THE EAST IN LADAK.
• CHAPTER V. GREAT QUINQUENNIAL ASSEMBLY OF MONKS. RELICS OF BUDDHA. PRODUCTIONS OF THE COUNTRY.
• CHAPTER VI. ON TOWARDS NORTH INDIA. DARADA. IMAGE OF MAITREYA BODHISATTVA.
• CHAPTER VII. CROSSING OF THE INDUS. WHEN BUDDHISM FIRST CROSSED THE RIVER FOR THE EAST
• CHAPTER VIII. WOO-CHANG, OR UDYANA. MONASTERIES, AND THEIR WAYS. TRACES OF BUDDHA.
• CHAPTER IX. SOO-HO-TO. LEGEND OF BUDDHA.
• CHAPTER X. GANDHARA. LEGENDS OF BUDDHA.
• CHAPTER XI. TAKSHASILA. LEGENDS. THE FOUR GREAT TOPES.
• CHAPTER XII. PURUSHAPURA, OR PESHAWUR. PROPHECY ABOUT KING KANISHKA AND HIS TOPE. BUDDHA’S ALMS-BOWL. DEATH OF HWUY-YING.
• CHAPTER XIII. NAGARA. FESTIVAL OF BUDDHA’S SKULL-BONE. OTHER RELICS, AND HIS SHADOW.
• CHAPTER XIV. DEATH OF HWUY-KING IN THE LITTLE SNOWY MOUNTAINS. LO-E. POHNA. CROSSING THE INDUS TO THE EAST.
• CHAPTER XV. BHIDA. SYMPATHY OF MONKS WITH THE PILGRIMS.
• CHAPTER XVI. ON TO MATHURA OR MUTTRA. CONDITION AND CUSTOMS OF CENTRAL INDIA; OF THE MONKS, VIHARAS, AND MONASTERIES.
• CHAPTER XVII. SANKASYA. BUDDHA’S ASCENT TO AND DESCENT FROM THE TRAYASTRIMSAS HEAVEN, AND OTHER LEGENDS.
• CHAPTER XVIII. KANYAKUBJA, OR CANOUGE. BUDDHA’S PREACHING.
• CHAPTER XIX. SHA-CHE. LEGEND OF BUDDHA’S DANTA-KASHTHA.
• CHAPTER XX. KOSALA AND SRAVASTI. THE JETAVANA VIHARA AND OTHER MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS OF BUDDHA. SYMPATHY OF THE MONKS WITH THE PILGRIMS.
• CHAPTER XXI. THE THREE PREDECESSORS OF SAKYAMUNI IN THE BUDDHASHIP.
• CHAPTER XXII. KAPILAVASTU. ITS DESOLATION. LEGENDS OF BUDDHA’S BIRTH, AND OTHER INCIDENTS IN CONNEXION WITH IT.
• CHAPTER XXIII. RAMA, AND ITS TOPE.
• CHAPTER XXIV. WHERE BUDDHA FINALLY RENOUNCED THE WORLD, AND WHERE HE DIED.
• CHAPTER XXV. VAISALI. THE TOPE CALLED “WEAPONS LAID DOWN.” THE COUNCIL OF VAISALI.
• CHAPTER XXVI. REMARKABLE DEATH OF ANANDA.
• CHAPTER XXVII. PATALIPUTTRA OR PATNA, IN MAGADHA. KING ASOKA’S SPIRIT-BUILT PALACE AND HALLS. THE BUDDHIST BRAHMAN, RADHA-SAMI. DISPENSARIES AND HOSPITALS.
• CHAPTER XXVIII. RAJAGRIHA, NEW AND OLD. LEGENDS AND INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH IT.
• CHAPTER XXIX. GRIDHRA-KUTA HILL, AND LEGENDS. FÂ-HIEN PASSES A NIGHT ON IT. HIS REFLECTIONS.
• CHAPTER XXX. THE SRATAPARNA CAVE, OR CAVE OF THE FIRST COUNCIL. LEGENDS. SUICIDE OF A BHIKSHU.
• CHAPTER XXXI. GAYA. SAKYAMUNI’S ATTAINING TO THE BUDDHASHIP; AND OTHER LEGENDS.
• CHAPTER XXXII. LEGEND OF KING ASOKA IN A FORMER BIRTH, AND HIS NARAKA.
• CHAPTER XXXIII. MOUNT GURUPADA, WHERE KASYAPA BUDDHA’S ENTIRE SKELETON IS.
• CHAPTER XXXIV. ON THE WAY BACK TO PATNA. VARANASI, OR BENARES. SAKYAMUNI’S FIRST DOINGS AFTER BECOMING BUDDHA.
• CHAPTER XXXV. DAKSHINA, AND THE PIGEON MONASTERY.
• CHAPTER XXXVI. IN PATNA. FÂ-HIEN’S LABOURS IN TRANSCRIPTION OF MANUSCRIPTS, AND INDIAN STUDIES FOR THREE YEARS.
• CHAPTER XXXVII. TO CHAMPA AND TAMALIPTI. STAY AND LABOURS THERE FOR THREE YEARS. TAKES SHIP TO SINGHALA, OR CEYLON.
• CHAPTER XXXVIII. AT CEYLON. RISE OF THE KINGDOM. FEATS OF BUDDHA. TOPES AND MONASTERIES. STATUE OF BUDDHA IN JADE. BO TREE. FESTIVAL OF BUDDHA’S TOOTH.
• CHAPTER XXXIX. CREMATION OF AN ARHAT. SERMON OF A DEVOTEE.
• CHAPTER XL. AFTER TWO YEARS TAKES SHIP FOR CHINA. DISASTROUS PASSAGE TO JAVA; AND THENCE TO CHINA; ARRIVES AT SHAN-TUNG; AND GOES TO NANKING. CONCLUSION OR L’ENVOI BY ANOTHER WRITER.