Faxian
Chinese Buddhist monk who traveled to India for scriptures.
Faxian (337–c. 422 CE), also written as Fa-hien or Fa-hsien, was a Chinese Buddhist monk and translator. He walked from the Later Qin kingdom to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures. His travelogue, the *Foguoji* (*Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms*), is an important firsthand account of early Buddhism in India and sets a latest possible date for many historical names, events, texts, and ideas.
Born in Shanxi during the Later Zhao dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, his family name was Gong. He later took the name Faxian, meaning “Splendor of Dharma.” Three older brothers died young, so his father had him ordained as a novice monk at age three. Around 399 CE, when he was about sixty, Faxian set out from Chang’an with four others to find sacred texts; five more pilgrims joined him at Zhangye. He traveled west along the Silk Road, crossing deserts and mountain passes, and entered India from the northwest. He spent ten years in India, visiting sites linked to the Buddha’s life—Kapilvastu, Bodh Gaya, Varanasi, Shravasti, and Kushinagar—as well as major monasteries and learning centers. He learned Sanskrit and collected texts from Pataliputra, Oddiyana, and Taxila. His writings note the Hinayana and emerging Mahayana traditions, along with dissenting Theravada sub-traditions in fifth-century India.
After a two-year stay in Sri Lanka, a storm drove his ship to an island, likely Java. After five months there, he took another ship for southern China, but it was blown off course, and he landed at Mount Lao in present-day Shandong, near Qingdao. He returned in 412 and settled in what is now Nanjing. Around 414, he wrote his travel book, which describes early Buddhism and the geography and history of countries along the Silk Road. He spent the rest of his life translating the Sanskrit texts he had brought back, and these translations greatly influenced East Asian Buddhism.
Quick Facts
- Background
- #FFA500
- Religion
- Buddhism
- Other Names
- Gong Sehi
- Monastic Name
- Fǎxiǎn
- Birth Date
- 337 CE
- Birth Place
- Pingyang Wuyang (zh · 平陽武陽), in modern Linfen City, Shanxi
- Death Date
- c. 422 CE (aged 85)
- Notable Works
- Foguoji (A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms)
- Birth Name
- Gong (surname)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Faxian was born in Shanxi in the 4th-century under the Later Zhao dynasty. Three of his elder brothers died young, and his father, fearing the same fate, had him ordained as a novice monk at age three. He later adopted the name Faxian, meaning 'Splendor of Dharma'. At about age 60, in 399 CE, he set out from Chang'an, capital of the Buddhist Later Qin dynasty, with four others to locate sacred Buddhist texts; five more pilgrims joined him at Zhangye. He walked across icy deserts and rugged mountain passes, entering India from the northwest and reaching Pataliputra. He spent ten years in India, visiting Kapilvastu, Bodh Gaya, Benares, Shravasti, and Kushinagar, and learned Sanskrit, collecting texts from Pataliputra, Oddiyana, and Taxila. On his return, after a two-year stay in Sri Lanka, a storm drove his ship to an island, probably Java; after five months there, another ship was blown off course, landing him at Mount Lao in what is now Shandong. He settled in what is now Nanjing, wrote his travel account around 414, and spent the rest of his life translating and editing the scriptures he had collected.
Reader's Guide
Faxian's significance lies in his pioneering pilgrimage from China to India at about age 60, traveling overland via the Silk Road and returning by sea, a journey that took from 399 to 412. His Foguoji (Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms) is an independent record of early Buddhism in India, describing the Hinayana and emerging Mahayana traditions, as well as dissenting Theravada sub-traditions in 5th-century Indian Buddhism. The Sanskrit texts he brought back and translated greatly influenced East Asian Buddhism and provide a terminus ante quem for many historical names, events, texts, and ideas. His memoirs also offer a valuable account of the geography and culture of countries along the Silk Road at the turn of the 5th century CE. Faxian's work remains a key source for understanding the spread of Buddhism and the historical conditions of the regions he visited.
Did You Know?
- Faxian's birth surname was Gong.
- He was ordained as a novice monk at age three because three of his elder brothers had died young.
- His journey and return took from 399 to 412, with ten years spent in India.
- He visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II.
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