按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
whom are Confucianists。 My own opinion is； that its adherents are not so
many as those even of Mohammedanism； and that instead of being the
most numerous of the religions （so called） of the world； it is only entitled
to occupy the fifth place； ranking below Christianity； Confucianism；
Brahmanism； and Mohammedanism； and followed； some distance off； by
Taoism。 To make a table of per…centages of mankind； and assign to each
system its proportion； is to seem to be wise where we are deplorably
ignorant； and； moreover； if our means of information were much better
13
… Page 14…
A RECORD OF BUDDHISTIC KINGDOMS
than they are； our figures would merely show the outward adherence。 A
fractional per…centage might tell more for one system than a very large
integral one for another。
14
… Page 15…
A RECORD OF BUDDHISTIC KINGDOMS
CHAPTER I
FROM CH'ANG…GAN TO THE SANDY DESERT
Fa…hien had been living in Ch'ang…gan。＇1＇ Deploring the mutilated and
imperfect state of the collection of the Books of Discipline； in the second
year of the period Hwang…che； being the Ke…hae year of the cycle；＇2＇ he
entered into an engagement with Kwuy…king； Tao…ching； Hwuy…ying； and
Hwuy…wei；＇3＇ that they should go to India and seek for the Disciplinary
Rules。＇4＇
After starting from Ch'ang…gan； they passed through Lung；＇5＇ and
came to the kingdom of K'een…kwei；＇6＇ where they stopped for the
summer retreat。＇7＇ When that was over； they went forward to the kingdom
of Now…t'an；＇8＇ crossed the mountain of Yang…low； and reached the
emporium of Chang…yih。＇9＇ There they found the country so much
disturbed that travelling on the roads was impossible for them。 Its king；
however； was very attentive to them； kept them （in his capital）； and acted
the part of their danapati。＇10＇
Here they met with Che…yen； Hwuy…keen； Sang…shao； Pao…yun； and
Sang… king；＇11＇ and in pleasant association with them； as bound on the
same journey with themselves； they passed the summer retreat （of that
year）＇12＇ together； resuming after it their travelling； and going on to T'un…
hwang；＇13＇ （the chief town） in the frontier territory of defence extending
for about 80 le from east to west； and about 40 from north to south。 Their
company； increased as it had been； halted there for some days more than a
month； after which Fa…hien and his four friends started first in the suite of
an envoy；＇14＇ having separated （for a time） from Pao…yun and his
associates。
Le Hao；＇15＇ the prefect of T'un…hwang； had supplied them with the
means of crossing the desert （before them）； in which there are many evil
demons and hot winds。 （Travellers） who encounter them perish all to a
man。 There is not a bird to be seen in the air above； nor an animal on the
ground below。 Though you look all round most earnestly to find where
you can cross； you know not where to make your choice； the only mark
and indication being the dry bones of the dead （left upon the sand）。＇16＇
15
… Page 16…
A RECORD OF BUDDHISTIC KINGDOMS
NOTES
＇1＇ Ch'ang…gan is still the name of the principal district （and its city） in
the department of Se…gan； Shen…se。 It had been the capital of the first
empire of Han （B。C。 202…A。D。 24）； as it subsequently was that of Suy
（A。D。 589…618）。 The empire of the eastern Tsin； towards the close of
which Fa…hien lived； had its capital at or near Nan…king； and Ch'ang…gan
was the capital of the principal of the three Ts'in kingdoms； which； with
many other minor ones； maintained a semi… independence of Tsin； their
rulers sometimes even assuming the title of emperor。
＇2＇ The period Hwang…che embraced from A。D。 399 to 414； being the
greater portion of the reign of Yao Hing of the After Ts'in； a powerful
prince。 He adopted Hwang…che for the style of his reign in 399； and the
cyclical name of that year was Kang…tsze。 It is not possible at this distance
of time to explain； if it could be explained； how Fa…hien came to say that
Ke…hae was the second year of the period。 It seems most reasonable to
suppose that he set out on his pilgrimage in A。D。 399； the cycle name of
which was Ke…hae； as ｛。｝； the second year； instead of ｛。｝； the first； might
easily creep into the text。 In the 〃Memoirs of Eminent Monks〃 it is said
that our author started in the third year of the period Lung…gan of the
eastern Tsin； which was A。D。 399。
＇3＇ These； like Fa…hien itself； are all what we might call 〃clerical〃
names； appellations given to the parties as monks or sramanas。
＇4＇ The Buddhist tripitaka or canon consists of three collections；
containing； according to Eitel （p。 150）； 〃doctrinal aphorisms （or statements；
purporting to be from Buddha himself）； works on discipline； and works on
metaphysics：〃called sutra； vinaya； and abhidharma； in Chinese； king ｛。｝；
leuh ｛。｝； and lun ｛。｝； or texts； laws or rules； and discussions。 Dr。 Rhys
Davids objects to the designation of 〃metaphysics〃 as used of the
abhidharma works； saying that 〃they bear much more the relation to
'dharma' which 'by…law' bears to 'law' than that which 'metaphysics' bears
to 'physics'〃 （Hibbert Lectures； p。 49）。 However this be； it was about the
vinaya works that Fa…hien was chiefly concerned。 He wanted a good code
of the rules for the government of 〃the Order〃 in all its internal and
16
… Page 17…
A RECORD OF BUDDHISTIC KINGDOMS
external relations。
＇5＇ Lung embraced the western part of Shen…se and the eastern part of
Kan…suh。 The name remains in Lung Chow； in the extreme west of Shen…
se。
＇6＇ K'een…kwei was the second king of 〃the Western Ts'in。〃 His family
was of northern or barbarous origin； from the tribe of the Seen…pe； with the
surname of K'eih…fuh。 The first king was Kwo…kin； and received his
appointment from the sovereign of the chief Ts'in kingdom in 385。 He was
succeeded in 388 by his brother； the K'een…kwei of the text； who was very
prosperous in 398； and took the title of king of Ts'in。 Fa…hien would find
him at his capital； somewhere in the present department of Lan…chow；
Kan…suh。
＇7＇ Under varshas or vashavasana （Pali； vassa； Spence Hardy； vass）；
Eitel （p。 163） says：〃One of the most ancient institutions of Buddhist
discipline； requiring all ecclesiastics to spend the rainy season in a
monastery in devotional exercises。 Chinese Buddhists naturally substituted
the hot season for the rainy （from the 16th day of the 5th to the 15th of the
9th Chinese month）。〃
＇8＇ During the troubled period of the Tsin dynasty； there were five
（usurping） Leang sovereignties in the western part of the empire （｛。｝ ｛。｝）。
The name Leang remains in the department of Leang…chow in the northe