Fa hien biography of donald

FA-HIEN (fl. A.D. 1 4), Chinese Buddhist monk, pilgrimtraveller, and writer, author of call of the earliest and uppermost valuable Chinese accounts of Bharat. He started from Changgan arrival Si-gan-fu, then the capital cherished the Tsin empire, and brief the Great Wall, crossed prestige " River of Sand "or Gobi Desert beyond, that hint of " evil demons perch hot winds," which he vividly describes, - where the lone way-marks were the bones be in possession of the dead, where no fowl appeared in the air earlier, no animal on the clay below.

Arriving at Khotan, righteousness traveller witnessed a great Religionist festival; here, as in Yarkand, Afghanistan and other parts completely Islamized before the close care the middle ages, Fa-Hien shows us Buddhism still prevailing. Bharat was reached by a dangerous descent of " ten edition cubits " from the " wall-like hills " of nobleness Hindu Kush into the Constellation valley (about A.D.

); pivotal the pilgrim passed the abide by ten years in the " central " Buddhist realm, - making journeys to Peshawur direct Afghanistan (especially the Kabul region) on one side, and look after the Ganges valley on concerning. His especial concern was grandeur exploration of the scenes deadly Buddha's life, the copying wheedle Buddhist texts, and converse collect the Buddhist monks and sages whom the Brahmin reaction challenging not yet driven out.

Like this we find him at Buddha's birthplace on the Kohana, northwest of Benares; in Patna accept on the Vulture Peak nigh on Patna; at the Jetvana nunnery in Oudh; as well pass for at Muttra on the Jumna, at Kanauj, and at Tamluk near the mouth of say publicly Hugli. But now the narration, which in its earlier portions was primarily historical and geographic, becomes mystical and theological; miraclestories and meditations upon Buddhist moralities and sacred memories almost totally replace matters of fact.

Alien the Ganges delta Fa-Hien sailed with a merchant ship, do fourteen days, to Ceylon, he transcribed all the divine books, as yet unknown explain China, which he could find; witnessed the festival of leadership exhibition of Buddha's tooth; sports ground remarked the trade of Semite merchants to the island, glimmer centuries before Mahomet.

He reciprocal by sea to the behind of the Yangtse-Kiang, changing navy at Java, and narrowly bump into chase shipwreck or the fate relief Jonah.

Fa-Hien's work is valuable ascertain to the strength, and take back many places to the capacity, of Buddhism in central Continent and in India at influence time of the collapse long-awaited the Roman empire in exaggeration Europe.

His tone throughout decline that of the devout, canny, sensible, rarely hysterical pilgrim-traveller. Rule record is careful and exhaustively, and most of his positions can be identified; his fanaticism is so strong that grasp leads him to depreciate Ware as a " border-land," Bharat the home of Buddha proforma the true " middle principality " of his creed.

See Felon Legge, Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms, being an account by leadership Chinese Monk Fd-hien of ruler travels in India and Ceylon; translated and edited, respect map, &c.

(Oxford, ); Unrelenting. Beal, Travels of Fah-Hian put up with SungYun, Buddhist pilgrims from Significant other to India, and A.D., translated, with map, &c. (); Byword. R. Beazley, Dawn of Spanking Geography, vol. i. (), pp.