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| biography |
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biography
| name: |
Faxian
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also spelled Fa-hsien
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pronunciation:
[fahshyan]
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (AD c.360–c.430)
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| biography:
| Buddhist pilgrim, explorer, and diarist. Inspired by the visit of Kumarajiva to China (386) he made a momentous journey through Turkestan, India, and SE Asia (399–414) looking for Buddhist Scriptures. In India he visited every region except the Deccan, learned Sanskrit, and translated the earliest Life of Buddha into Chinese. He later wrote his memoirs (AD 416) in Nanjing: Account of Buddhist Countries is the oldest known travel book in Chinese literature, and an important source on contemporary C Asia and India. His trip inspired many later visits to India, including that of Xuanzang in the 7th-c. |
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