WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms / Being an account by the Chinese monk Fa-hsien of travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in search of the Buddhist books of discipline cover

A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms / Being an account by the Chinese monk Fa-hsien of travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in search of the Buddhist books of discipline

Chapter 27: CHAPTER XXI. THE THREE PREDECESSORS OF SAKYAMUNI IN THE BUDDHASHIP.
By Faxian
Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

Archaeology & AnthropologyHistory - AncientReligion/SpiritualityTravel Writing

About This Book

The narrative records a fifth-century Chinese monk's pilgrimage to South Asia to seek canonical Buddhist texts, describing routes, cities, monasteries, relics, and religious practices encountered. It combines travel observations — geography, local customs, and logistical hardships — with precise notes on monastic discipline, sacred sites, and textual transmission. Interspersed are catalogues of scriptures, accounts of holy places and ceremonies, and reflections on doctrinal variants, all presented in a matter-of-fact, episodic travel log supplemented by scholarly annotations and textual appendices.

CHAPTER XXI.
THE THREE PREDECESSORS OF SAKYAMUNI IN THE BUDDHASHIP.

Fifty le to the west of the city bring (the traveller) to a town named Too-wei,(1) the birthplace of Kasyapa Buddha.(1) At the place where he and his father met,(2) and at that where he attained to pari-nirvâna, topes were erected. Over the entire relic of the whole body of him, the Kasyapa Tathagata,(3) a great tope was also erected.

Going on south-east from the city of Sravasti for twelve yojanas, (the travellers) came to a town named Na-pei-kea,(4) the birthplace of Krakuchanda Buddha. At the place where he and his father met, and at that where he attained to pari-nirvâna, topes were erected. Going north from here less than a yojana, they came to a town which had been the birthplace of Kanakamuni Buddha. At the place where he and his father met, and where he attained to pari-nirvâna, topes were erected.

NOTES

(1) Identified, as Beal says, by Cunningham with Tadwa, a village nine miles to the west of Sahara-mahat. The birthplace of Kasyapa Buddha is generally thought to have been Benares. According to a calculation of Rémusat, from his birth to A.D. 1832 there were 1,992,859 years!

(2) It seems to be necessary to have a meeting between every Buddha and his father. One at least is ascribed to Sâkyamuni and his father (real or supposed) Suddhodana.

(3) This is the highest epithet given to every supreme Buddha; in Chinese {.} {.}, meaning, as Eitel, p. 147 says, “Sic profectus sum.” It is equivalent to “Rightful Buddha, the true successor in the Supreme Buddha Line.” Hardy concludes his account of the Kasyapa Buddha (M. B., p. 97) with the following sentence:—“After his body was burnt, the bones still remained in their usual position, presenting the appearance of a perfect skeleton; and the whole of the inhabitants of Jambudvipa, assembling together, erected a dagoba over his relics one yojana in height!”

(4) Na-pei-kea or Nabhiga is not mentioned elsewhere. Eitel says this Buddha was born at the city of Gan-ho ({.} {.} {.}) and Hardy gives his birthplace as Mekhala. It may be possible, by means of Sanskrit, to reconcile these statements.