Eastern Jin Dynasty
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Faxian
Shanxi, Eastern Jin Dynasty
Archival Overview
Chinese Buddhist monk who at age sixty walked across the Gobi Desert and Himalayas to India to retrieve the monastic Vinaya, authoring 'A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms'.
Biographical Record
Faxian (c. 337–422 CE) was appalled by the corrupted and fragmented state of Buddhist monastic rules in fourth-century China, embarking on foot to India in 399 at the advanced age of sixty-two.
He walked thousands of miles through Central Asia, lived in India and Sri Lanka for fifteen years, and survived typhoons at sea to return with complete Vinaya texts, authoring the famous travelogue Gaoseng Faxian Zhuan.
Key Life Milestones
Acquisition of the Vinaya in Pataliputra
Spent years in the capital of the Gupta Empire copying the Mahasamghika and Sarvastivada monastic codes.
Publication of A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms
Authored 'Foguo Ji', providing humanity's primary historical record of fifth-century Indian civilization and Buddhist sites.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialJingzhou, China