◆ The Han Ming Emperor of the Night Dream Golden Man
There are various historical records about the introduction of Buddhism. Some people say that when Qin Shihuang came, eighteen people, including Shaman Shilifang, came to Xianyang City with Buddhist scriptures, but they were arrested and imprisoned. Some people say that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Huo Qubing to attack the Western Regions. He once captured a gold statue and brought it back to the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu enshrined it in Ganquan Palace, thinking that Jin people were Buddha statues. It has also been mentioned that in the first year of Yuan Shou of Emperor Ai of Han Dynasty (in the second year of BC), the doctoral disciple was dictated by Yicun, the envoy of King Yue. These statements are all rumors in the early spread of Buddhism.
But among all kinds of historical materials, the story of Emperor Dong Hanming dreaming of the Golden Man at night is the most talked about.
In the 10th year of Yongping (AD 67), Ming Di dreamed of a golden man, who was six feet long, solemn and beautiful, and golden all over, flying over the golden hall. After waking up, Ming Di repeatedly asked his ministers, what exactly is a dream man? Ambassador Yi Fu replied, "I heard that it was recorded in Zhou Shu that on April 8, King Zhao of Zhou ascended the throne, all rivers and springs rose sharply, well water flooded everywhere, and strong winds shook palaces, houses, mountains and rivers, and the earth. At night, there are five colors of light that penetrate too little and become the cyan of the whole west. At that time, Zhao Haoqi asked Ambassador Su You, "What is this auspicious sign? Su You replied, "A great saint was born in the West. Zhao Haoqi asked, "What is the impact on the world?" Su You replied, "Not this time. A thousand years later, acoustics spread to this land. So Zhao Haoqi sent someone to carve it on a stone and bury it in front of the Temple of Heaven in the southern suburbs. If it happens to be today by age, the golden man your majesty dreamed of must be the Great Sage of the West. " As a result of this karma, Ming Di sent messengers Cai Cheng, Deng Yu, et al. 18 to India to seek Buddha.
Cai Cheng, who was ordered to be an envoy to the Western Regions, passed through Yueshi country and met two eminent monks, Kashmotong and Zhu Falan. This is an unprecedented opportunity in history. It can be said that because of the dream of Emperor Han Ming, China's realistic need to seek Buddhism from the west and open up the western regions has been promoted, and Buddhism has thus turned the first page of China's history.
Meet the first Buddha statue
Monks Jia Shemo Teng, Zhu Falan and others from the Western Regions brought scrolls of Buddha statues and 42 chapters of White Horse into China from the Western Regions to promote Buddhism. It was December 30th, the 10th year of Yongping. Cai Cheng and others presented them with the Buddha statues brought back to Ming Di. When Ming Di saw it, it was the same as the golden man in his dream. Surprised, I copied a number of pictures and dedicated them to the Nangong Cool Terrace and the Laimen Fairy Festival. This is the beginning of the record of Buddha statues in the history of China.
The Buddha statue depicted on the scroll brought back by Cai Cheng and others is the portrait of Sakyamuni carved by Uber King with sandalwood.
◆ The first Indian monk from the East.
Jiashe Morton is a Chinese Indian who is proficient in the classic works of multiplication of large and small. Zhu Falan, who is also a Chinese Indian, can recite several classics of Zhang Wan. They followed the messenger of Emperor Han Ming to preach in Luoyang and were warmly welcomed by Ming Di. Jia, a monk from the western regions, photographed Mo Teng and Zhu Falan far away from the western regions, which aroused the fear of the Taoist priests at that time and tried every means to prevent the emperor from allowing Buddhism to be introduced, so there was a sensational dispute between Buddhism and Taoism. Finally, it was completed with the victory of Buddhism. Since then Buddhism has spread all over the world.
The emergence of Buddhism at that time made people feel refreshed at that time. At first, Emperor Hanming personally greeted two eminent monks with a grand ceremony and hosted them to live in the Cracked Temple in Luoyang. "Quick Khan" was originally responsible for the hotels where the Governor and foreign pilgrims stayed; "Temple" was originally the name of the government at that time. After a contest between Buddhism and Taoism, Ming Di renamed the crack hon temple as the White Horse Temple, so as to praise two eminent monks who came to Luoyang on white horses, hence the name "White Horse Temple".
However, according to Volume I of Biography of the Master Liang, the name of "White Horse Temple" originated from the legend that a king of Tianzhu had destroyed the temple, but the temple was not destroyed, and there were white horses wailing around the tower at night. The story reached the ears of the king, who ordered to stop destroying the temple, so he changed the Zhao Ti Temple into the White Horse Temple. According to legend, Emperor Hanming followed the story of Tianzhu Baima Temple and named it Baima Temple.
In addition to placing Buddha statues in temples in Ming Di, it is also clearly stated that the temples are the residences of Jia She Mo Teng and Zhu Fa Lan, so the residences of monks and nuns in the future are generally called temples. White Horse Temple thus became the first Buddhist temple in China.
◆ The origin of Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures
Jia She Morton and Zhu Falan are familiar with western dialects. After arriving in Luoyang, they began to learn Chinese and then translated 42 chapters. Emperor Han Ming once ordered the collection of Forty-two Chapters in the Collection of Lantai. Forty-two Chapters Sutra aims to publicize the basic teachings of Buddhism and is regarded as the first Chinese translation of Buddhist Sutra in China.
◆ Original translator of Zen Sutra
Since the opening of the western regions in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Silk Road has become a trade channel connecting China and the West, often accompanied by cultural and religious exchanges. Many monks from the Western Regions and Tianzhu came to China with the caravan and became the seeders and pioneers of Buddhism in China.
After Jia took Morten and Zhu Falan with him, monks from the western regions came to China in succession, including An Shigao from the rest country (ancient Persia, now Iran), Jia Gao and Zhi Qian from the Yue people's country, Kangsang Society from the comfortable country, and Tanko Karo from India. Because they are all westerners or Indians, they are unfamiliar with Chinese and lack the original scriptures, so they can only write them down as words according to the main idea of their own oral scriptures. China people began to accept Buddhist ideas and knowledge through the early translation of Buddhist scriptures.
With the translation of the classics in the first 42 chapters, more and more monks came to China and began to have a complete translation of the classics. It is reported that An Shigao gave up the throne of a peaceful country and became a monk. He has long been familiar with astronomy and medical skills, and is proficient in Tibetan scriptures, especially the study of dharma, and has held Zen scriptures all his life; After I came to China, I quickly learned Chinese. During the twenty years from Emperor Huan to Ling Jianning (148 ~ 172), I translated many Buddhist scriptures. Among them, the more important and influential ones are: An Sakamoto Shouyi, Yin Zhicheng Sutra, Twelve Sutra, Daodi Sutra, Humanism Wants to Live Sutra and so on. At that time, there were some mistakes in the classics translated by monks, while the classics translated by An Shigao were the best among the monks in the early period of Buddhism introduction, with clear meanings and correct words. Most of the classics he translated belong to Hinayana, mainly promoting dharma and Zen. For example, An Shouping Yijing is a guide book for meditation practice, which points out six stages of meditation, such as counting breath, following, stopping, observing, returning and clearing. Interest-bearing method has a great influence on Buddhism in China. Dharma number, that is, Ada Dharma, is the basic doctrine of Buddhism that classifies teaching methods in the form of numbers, such as four noble truths, five connotations, eight right paths and twelve causes. It can be said that in the history of Buddhism in China, An Shigao is famous for his original translation of classics, second only to Jia She, Mo Teng and Zhu Falan.
◆ Initial translation of Prajna sutra
Zhi Lou Jia Yi, which has the same pioneering significance as An Shigao's translation of Zen classics, is a classic of Mahayana Prajna translation system. Jiayi Zhilou, also known as Zhiyi, came to Luoyang in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the years of Guanghe and (178 ~ 189), she translated fourteen classics such as Dao Xing Prajna Sutra and Zhou Fan Samadha Sutra. Among them, Dao Xing Prajna Jing has a great influence on promoting Prajna thought.
◆ preaching the pioneers of Jiangnan
Zhi Qian is a descendant of Yue people. His grandfather led hundreds of people to China as early as Emperor Han Ling, so he was named an excellent corps commander. Zhi Qian, whose real name is Yue, whose word is public and clear, is a layman. He was once supported by disciples who worked in Jiagao, Zhilou. Zhi Lou Gao Jia, Zhi Liang and Zhi Qian are called "three branches" by the world, and have the reputation of "there are no three branches in the world". He lived in the State of Wu for more than 30 years, and was treated by Sun Quan and Sun Liang, the Lord of Wu, and became a doctor. He translated thirty-six books, including The Great Bright and Boundless Sutra, The Embroidered Sutra of Great Mud, The Vimalakīrti Sutra, The First Lengyan Sutra and The Great Amitabha Sutra. The Prajnaparamita Sutra, which was introduced from Gao Jia, Zhilou, became the so-called Prajnaparamita School after being vigorously promoted by Zhiqian, and An Shigao Zen became the two main streams of early Buddhism.
It was Zhi Qian who first spread Buddhism to the south of the Yangtze River. After Zhi Qian, it was Kang Senhui who made Buddhism take root in Jiangnan. The ancestors of the Kangsanghui were Kangju people and later lived in India. His father moved to be burned for business. When I was a teenager, my parents died, so I became a monk. I widely read Buddhist books, Confucianism and Ji Fang, so I was eloquent. In the tenth year of Wu Chiwu (247), monk Kang came to Jianye from crossing his legs to learn Hinayana Zen taught by An Shigao and annotate Shouyi Jing together.
In Jianye, apart from translating scriptures, the Buddhist monk group is determined to spread Buddhism to the south of the Yangtze River, so it pays more attention to the education of ordinary people. He built huts and statues of Buddha, and often preached Buddhism in the street. But Sun Quan, the marquis of Wu, was amazed at the Buddhist monk society, so he took the initiative to build a pagoda to support the Buddhist relics. Support the spread of Buddhism in Jiangnan.
All these represent the gradual prosperity of Buddhism in the south of the Yangtze River. Because it is the first time to build a temple in Jiangnan, it is called Jianchu Temple, which is the first Buddhist temple in Jiangnan. Sun Quan named the area around Jianchu Temple as Buddhism and Taoism, so the contribution of Buddhism and Monks' Association should take the lead in the rise of Buddhism in Jiangnan.
◆ The beginning of the Han monk's entry into Taoism
Religious activities were banned in the early Wei dynasty, but the Buddhism introduced at the beginning was still quietly circulated among the people. After the middle period, the ban was relaxed, prompting monks from India and the western regions to actively engage in translation and missionary activities in Luoyang. Tan Kejia Luo, the first translator of commandments, came to Luoyang from China during the reign of Wei Jiaping (249 ~ 254). There used to be monks in Di Wei, but they didn't have enough precepts. They just shaved off their beards and looked different from ordinary people. They fast and offer sacrifices. After Tankogyaro came to Wei, he witnessed this situation and translated the precepts of Buddhist monks, which was the first law translated in Chinese. Therefore, Tan Kejia Luo was also honored as the father of China School of Law by later generations. He founded the discipline system, so that the shaved monk was formally ordained and became a real monk. Zhu Shixing is one of the most famous monks. According to historical records, Yan Buddhism was the first China monk in China, and Zhu Shixing was the first monk who was formally ordained in the history of Buddhism in China.
From the end of the Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms, Buddhist classics and thoughts were gradually sown in China mainly through the translation of Buddhist scriptures and teachings by these eminent monks and great virtues who came to China from India and the Western Regions. However, in the initial spreading process, Buddhism and China's inherent cultural thoughts, such as Confucianism and Taoism, have to adapt for a period of time before they can be integrated into the cultural society of China and become Buddhism in China. After Buddhism was gradually spread among the people, more and more people believed in it. Intellectuals indirectly received Buddhist thoughts in the next century, so that Buddhist thoughts were completely integrated with China's cultural thoughts. What really laid a solid foundation for Buddhism in China was the outstanding contributions of Indian monk Tucheng, Kumarajiva, a monk from the Western Regions, Daoan, Hui Yuan and Seng Zhao from China during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Buddhism was introduced to China by Emperor Yongping of the Eastern Han Dynasty (1st century BC) and developed rapidly in the period of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling. However, the early translated classics were all indirectly transmitted from the western regions. Translators are not familiar with Chinese, and screenwriters are not necessarily proficient in doctrine, so it is inevitable that they will make mistakes or fail to be perfect. Therefore, Zhu Shixing said: "The meaning of the text is obscure, and it is not perfect. Sanzanning in Biography of the Song Dynasty discussed the early translation of the scriptures: "In the early days, Brahma monks listened, Fiona Fang chiseled, and stones were difficult to reconcile. It was called Samadhi, and it was a thousand miles away, and it was hard to understand. "Therefore, the eminent monks of the past dynasties have gone through many difficulties and dangers. Unless they learn from the Buddhist scriptures, they will not be able to feel at ease.
In ancient times, most people who traveled westward took land, passed through Gansu Corridor and Tianshan South Road, entered the Pamirs, crossed Kashmir, and then went south to India. There are also a few people who go by sea, cross the South China Sea, cross the Straits of Malacca, and reach Sri Lanka and India. Mainly by land, although there were commercial routes at that time, it was very difficult. In addition to the dangers of deserts and mountains, it is very difficult for only a few people to go forward together because of the lack of resources and wealth of Han monks seeking dharma and their ignorance of the local language.
Those who seek the dharma work extremely hard and have suffered a narrow escape. Some people try hard and die. Some people turn back halfway; Some people only went to Khotan and Gao Changguo; Some people have lived in other places for a long time and can't come back. It records a very small number of people who are not afraid of death and travel-stained on the road; More people are determined to die or remain anonymous forever. Among countless eminent monks seeking dharma in the west, Fa Xian, Xuan Zang and I Ching are the most famous.
The West has been seeking dharma for 500 years, and the most fanatical period has lasted for two centuries, with as many as 180 monks seeking dharma. Zhu Shihang, the first monk in China, was the first to seek dharma in the west. After Zhu Shixing, among the eminent monks who sought dharma in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Western Jin Dynasty, those who devoted themselves to collecting scriptures had dharma leads, those who taught the eminent monks had predestined wisdom, and those who sought saints had Baoyun, Zhimeng and others. Most of the eminent monks in the west are talented and well-educated, and they can absorb foreign ideas and learn Buddhist scriptures. They not only brought back a large number of Buddhist scriptures, but also made great contributions to the translation of Buddhist scriptures. At the same time, they spread China culture abroad and introduced Indian astronomy, calendar, medicine, Buddhism and technology into China. As far as Sui and Tang Dynasties are concerned, Indian culture had a great influence on China culture. The records of westerners' travels to other countries, such as Fa Xian Buddha Country, Xuan Zang Datang Western Regions, The Book of Changes and the Biography of the Southern Sea, and The Biography of Great Monks in the Western Regions of Datang, record the information of nationalities, religions, cultures, languages, politics, economy, geography and other countries in the Western Regions and the South China Sea, which not only contributes to the current national defense and military research, but also becomes the research of later generations.
Zhu Shixing, the earliest westward seeker of dharma.
As early as the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Chen Zhi and Zhu Foshuo translated the Xing Tao Prajna Sutra. Before he became a monk in the fifth year of Ganlu (260), Zhu Shixing had already studied and lectured in Luoyang. However, he found the translated sentences simple and difficult to understand, and he couldn't understand them at all. Therefore, I am determined to donate my body and go to the western regions to obtain the Sanskrit original of Dapin Prajna Sutra.
Zhu Shixing set out from Yongzhou (Shaanxi, Gansu) in the fifth year of Ganlu, Cao Wei, passed through Hexi Corridor to Dunhuang, crossed quicksand through the southern line of the western regions, and arrived in Khotan. Khotan is the east-west traffic artery of South Tianshan Road, through which Indian Buddhism was introduced into the mainland of China. Although Mahayana is widely circulated here, it is still an orthodox Mahayana.
Zhu Shixing copied the Sanskrit in Khotan, with 90 chapters and 600,000 words in total. He wants to send Gultan and other ten disciples to send him back to Luoyang. Disciple Fu Rutan finally sent this sutra back to Luoyang in the third year of Jin Taikang (282), which lasted more than 20 years. In the first year of Yuankang (29 1 year), it was translated into Chinese by Wu Luocha, Zhu Shulan and others and named Shining Prajna Sutra. Zhu Shixing died at the age of 80.
Famous Buddhist scholars in later generations spoke highly of Zhu Shixing's feat of seeking Buddhism in the West. They agreed that Zhu Shixing was a pioneer in creating an atmosphere, judging from the history of Han monks seeking the Dharma in the West. At that time, the road to the western regions was very difficult, and no one guided it. Zhu Shihang actually achieved his goal with sincerity, and this enthusiasm is comparable to that of Fa Xian and Xuan Zang later. Although the classics he sought for Dharma were limited to the Dapin Prajna Sutra, and the translation was not complete enough, it had a great influence on the Confucian classics at that time, so the atmosphere of translating Buddhist scriptures became popular in Beijing, and everyone who was interested in giving lectures regarded it as a standard.
The contribution of Zhu Shixing's westward journey is to obtain the Prajnaparamita Sutra, which is the first of its kind in China. At the same time, Buddhism was introduced into China from the Western Regions, which also promoted the political and cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
◆ Dunhuang Bodhisattva Zhu Fahu
Before Master Kumarajiva came to China, Zhu Fahu was the greatest translator in the early Buddhism in China. The center of Mahayana Buddhism is also the most important classic "Hokkeyo", and it is also the first time that Zhu Fahu translated it with the title of "Positive Hokkeyo" and spread it around the world. Before Kumarajiva, although there were many monks who translated Buddhist scriptures in China, Zhu Fahu's achievements were the most remarkable in terms of the number of Buddhist scriptures translated.
Zhu Fahu, a Vietnamese, lives in Dunhuang County. He became a monk at the age of eight, taught Indian monks as teachers, followed by Zhu, and had a photographic memory. He reads classics and can recite thousands of words every day. In order to study hard, Wanli found a teacher who was not only proficient in the Six Classics, but also dabbled in hundreds of theories.
During the Taishi period of Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty (265 ~ 274), temples, images, Buddha statues, etc. Be universally respected. There are some classics such as Prajna Sutra in the Western Regions, but they have not been completely spread in China. Zhu Fahu is determined to spread Buddhism and travel around the western countries with his teacher. According to records, he is familiar with 36 languages in the Western Regions, fonts and pronunciations in India and other countries in the Western Regions. This ability laid the foundation for his translation of classics.
In order to obtain the Prajna Sutra, Zhu Fahu followed his teacher from Dunhuang via the southern line of the Western Regions, first to Khotan, then to Shule, then to the northern line of the Western Regions, and returned to Dunhuang via Qiuci, completing a week-long trip to the Western Regions. I have been to more than a dozen places, such as Rest, Yueshi, Daqin, Fu Jian, Qiuci, Khotan, Shule, Shanshan, Yanqi, Xiongnu and Xianbei. According to his biography, on his way back to the Central Plains with a large number of Hu Ben, he engaged in the translation of Confucian classics from Dunhuang to Chang 'an anytime and anywhere. In a word, it took him more than 20 years. In the fifth year of Taikang (284), he translated Xiuzhen Jing and Yi Yue Wei Jing. After that, it lasted for more than 20 years until the second year of Huai Yongjia (308), which was the peak of his active translation career in Chang 'an. From the initial translation of classics to his later years, Zhu Fahu got many effective assistants in the translation of classics, such as Nie Chengyuan, Nie Daozhen, Bo Yuanxin, Zhu Fashou, Chen, Sun Bohu and Yu Shiya. They all worked in Runyi School. The classic works translated by Zhu Fahu total 154, with 309 volumes (Sanzang Tales), among which the widely circulated ones are The Return of Fontaine, Praising Prajna Sutra, Preparing A Zhi Sutra, Confession Sutra of Sharifutsu and Puyao Sutra. In his later years, when the world was in chaos, Zhu Fahu died at the age of 78, and devoted his life to the great cause of translating classics. He is a great translator of classical literature.
Master Faxian who crossed the desert to India.
Fa Xian, whose common name is Gong, is from Wuyang, Pingyang County (Linfen, Shanxi Province). When he was young, his three brothers died one after another, and his parents were worried that something would happen to Faxian. When I was three years old, I was shaved as a novice monk, but I still lived at home. Later, because he was critically ill, he was sent to a temple. After his recovery, Faxian never went back. At the age of 20, he got enough precepts and lamented that the law was incomplete, so he made a vow to seek the original precepts in the western regions and India.
In the third year of Long 'an in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (399), Faxian made an appointment with Hui Jing, Daozheng, Huiying, Wei Hui and others, starting from Chang 'an and taking the Hexi Corridor to Zhangye. It coincided with the chaos in Zhangye and the road was blocked. King Zhang Ye tried his best to keep him and supported him wholeheartedly, so Faxian settled here in the summer.
During his stay in Zhangye, the group joined forces with Hui Jian, Shao Monk, Bao Yun, Jing Monk and others to travel westward to Dunhuang. Dunhuang is located at the westernmost end of Hexi Corridor. Out of Dunhuang, it is a vast desert. Fortunately, the satrap Li Hao provided food for crossing the desert, and Faxian and others followed with Zhiyan and Baoyun respectively. In the desert, the climate is hot and windy, there are no birds and animals along the way, and everything can be seen, and I am at a loss, relying only on the occasional bones. Later, I met Baoyun and his party through Shanshan (now Shanshan, Xinjiang) and Wuyi (now Yanqi, Xinjiang). At that time, Wuyi pursued Hinayana Buddhism, and the general residents did not understand etiquette and refused to subsidize the cost of seeking dharma. Yan Zhi, Bye-bye, and Wei Hui turned to Gaochang (now Turpan, Xinjiang) for help, while Faxian and others were met by Fu Gongsun Sheng and continued to head southwest. It's really difficult to cross in an uninhabited desert. The group walked for more than a month and finally arrived in Khotan (now Khotan, Xinjiang). This place is rich in products, and the people believe in Mahayana Buddhism, so Faxian and others are treated generously. Soon, Hui Jing and Daozheng followed Huida to Jicha, while Faxian and others stayed in Khotan for three months, mainly to watch the military parade from April/KLOC-0 to 1 4. After the end, monk Shao and monk Hu went to Kebin alone, and others went south to Qingji through the county and arrived at home for the summer. Later, Faxian and others climbed mountains and mountains again, and 25 days later, they arrived in the tired Fokker country bordering India, and joined Hui Jing and others to attend the five-year charity held by the king.
In the first year of Yuan Xing in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (402), Fa Xian and others marched northward and crossed the Green Ridge. The terrain is steep, and dragons often spit venom. After years of snow, the locals call it Snow Mountain. After arriving in Ruan Guoli, northern India, the group marched southwest along the green ridge. The mountain road was rugged, with thousands of stone walls and steep cliffs. Faxian and others climbed more than 700 simple and dangerous ladders with trepidation, set foot on the cable bridge, crossed the Indus River, arrived in Ukiyou, and settled down in summer. Then he went south, stopped in many countries such as Tuowei and Zhusha, and went to Frosa. At the same time, monk Jing and Baoyun returned home with Huida, and Huiying died here. Fa Xian went to the hinterland alone to make peace with Hui Jing and Daozheng, and spent the cold winter here.
In the second year of Yuanxing, Faxian and others went south to Xiaoxue Mountain. Suddenly, a cold storm broke out, and Hui Jing suddenly felt cold and died. Faxian caressed his body, and his grief was hard to suppress.
Faxian and his party climbed over the snow-capped mountains and visited more than 30 countries. India is just around the corner. When they arrived at King Snake City, they planned to go to the Lingjiu Mountain in the northeast of the city to worship, but they were advised by a monk: "The road conditions are bad, and black lions that eat people often haunt, so don't go. Fa Xian said, "I went to Wan Li Road and experienced difficulties and obstacles. I only have one wish, that is, to pay homage to what the Buddha said in those days. Even if there are dangers and difficulties, I will never back down. Later, Faxian went up the mountain alone, which influenced the black lion.
In the first year of Emperor Yi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (405), he returned to Balian Mansion and searched extensively for Buddhist scriptures. At that time, all countries in northern India used oral communication, and there were no scriptures to copy, so Dharma was removed to central India and Maha Monk Dharma was obtained in Maha Sinhala. It is said that this is a dharma book handed down from the refined house, from which the eighteen laws were derived, and it was a law that the public followed when the Buddha was alive. In addition, he also got 7,000 copies of Sabo's Multi-banknote Law, 6,000 copies of Za 'ayi Dharma's Mind Studies, 2,500 copies of Wanjing, 5,000 copies of Deng Fang's Mud Book and On Maha Monk and Ayadharma. During his stay in India, Faxian also studied Sanskrit, Sanskrit and copied scriptures. , realized his purpose and desire to seek dharma in India. Although I came to India to practice, I was deeply moved by the laws of the monks and the solemn dignity of the monks, so I decided to stay here. Fa Xian insisted on spreading the precepts to the Han nationality in order to return to China alone. Faxian traveled along the east bank of the Ganges River, passed through Zhanbo, and arrived in the Indo-Morley Empire in East India in the fourth year of Yixi. After two years, I crossed the sea to the lion country (now Sri Lanka). After two years in the Lion Country, I got a copy of Dragon Agama, Za Agama, Miscellany and other Sanskrit.
In the seventh year of Yixi, Fa Xian returned to China on a merchant ship with more than 200 people on the Pan-East Sea, drifted in the wind for 90 days, and arrived in Yepoti (Java), where he lived for 5 months.
In the eighth year of Yixi, Faxian went to Guangzhou by merchant ship and was caught in a storm again. It took more than 80 days to reach Laoshan (Qingdao, Shandong Province) on the border of Changguang County. It is said that after landing, Qingzhou satrap sent people to access the city and lived for one winter and one summer.
Fa Xian was about 60 years old when he set out from Chang 'an. He traveled all the way west, arrived in central India for six years, stayed for six years, and returned to Qingzhou three years later. Before and after 15 years passed, and he traveled to 30 countries.
In the ninth year of Yixi, Fa Xian went to Kyoto to build health, and worked as an interpreter in Dojo Temple with Buddhabhadra. Translated 40 volumes of Maha Monk Dharma back and forth, 1 Volume Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk Monk.
After living in Jiankang for several years, Fa Xian moved to Xin Temple in Jingzhou (now Jiangling, Hubei Province), where he died and enjoyed his life at the age of 86.
Fa Xian wrote a book "Tales of Buddhist Countries" (also known as "Biography of Fa Xian"), which recorded the experience of seeking dharma, what he saw and heard, the customs of various countries and the situation of Buddhism, and provided a guide for future generations to seek dharma in the West. This book is the oldest extant biography of China monks traveling to India. The contents of the book preserve the ancient historical and geographical information about the countries in the Western Regions and are important historical documents for studying the ancient history and culture of the Western Regions and South Asia. Up to now, the story of the Buddha is still recognized by the world as an immortal work. In modern times, it has been translated into English, French and German, which has attracted the attention of historians and archaeologists from all over the world.
Faxian is not only a monk in the history of Buddhism, but also the first person in the history of studying in China. His contribution and influence on national culture can be said to be eternal glory.
At the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, influenced by Fa Xian, there was an endless stream of westward travelers seeking Fa, such as Kang Franc, Zuo Hui, Zhi Meng and others. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, people who sought the Dharma in the west were popular, including Tan Wuji, a group of 25 people, Fa Li and other three people, Bao Siam and his party of eight people, and Daopu, Daotai, Fa Sheng, Huilan, Daoyao, Fa Xian, Sheng Hui and Yun Qi, all of whom went west alone. Among them, those who have made great achievements are represented by endless haze.
After Fa Xian, Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty once again embarked on the road to the west. They are all representatives of seeking dharma in western China. They not only made outstanding achievements in the history of Buddhism, but also were messengers of cultural exchange. Their works on Indian history and geography have become important historical materials for the study of Central Asia and Indian culture. After the Tang Dynasty, there were fewer and fewer Western Expeditionaries. It was not until the 12 century that Muslims invaded northwest India and the feat of seeking dharma came to an end.
Seeking the Dharma in the West is a concrete action of seeking new ideas and knowledge by our country's eminent monks and great virtues. In order to seek the perfection of Buddhist teachings, they crossed mountains and mountains, crossed the Asian continent and traveled all over the Buddhist world, leaving behind a great spirit of seeking truth and adding fuel to future generations, which is really an eternal model; The works they left behind are the cultural treasures of future generations.
The translation of Buddhist classics into Chinese has a long history, a vast volume and a huge project, which is the most brilliant page in China's translation history. Judging from the age and masterpieces of translation, it can be said that it is a great pioneering work in the history of world culture. Forty-two Chapters Classic is the first classic translated by China and the beginning of the first introduction of Buddhism into China. Due to the translation of Buddhist scriptures, Indian Buddhism was introduced into China, which promoted the cultural exchange between China and India.
◆ Translation of ancient books
The translation of Buddhist scriptures has a long history in China, which lasted about 800 years from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Middle Tang Dynasty. After the Middle Tang Dynasty, a large number of Buddhist classics were still translated from Sanskrit into Chinese and Tibetan, and some of them were translated from Chinese and Tibetan. These translation undertakings and their achievements in the mid-Tang Dynasty became a great treasure in China's Buddhist classics. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, although there were also Chinese-translated classics, the number was obviously reduced, and most of the translated classics belonged to the late Indian Buddhist classics, or were retranslated and gleaned from the old ones, which had little influence on the development of Buddhism in China. The development of classic translation can be divided into three stages:
First, the Han, Wei and Western Jin Dynasties-the initial era of translation of classics
The first batch of Buddhist scriptures were introduced not directly from India, but indirectly from western countries, such as Da Yue, Rest in Peace and Kangju (from northern Afghanistan to southern Soviet Russia and from the west to Persia), and many Buddhist monks came to China. At that time, the Buddhist scriptures on which translation was based were mostly written in the local languages or characters of the western regions, commonly known as "Hu Ben" or "Hu Yujing".
There are two systems in the translation of Buddhist scriptures in Han Dynasty: one is Hinayana Zen, which comes from the country of rest and is represented by An Shigao; The first is Mahayana Prajna, represented by Jia Yi, the intellectual building of Dayue family. It can be said that the introduction of Buddhism into China was accompanied by prosperity, which was reflected in the translation of ancient books.
Among the monks who translated scriptures in the Three Kingdoms period at the end of Han Dynasty, the most famous one was Kang Senhui, who came from Jiaodi (his ancestral home was Kangju) and had a far-reaching influence on the spread of Buddhism in the south of the Yangtze River. Zhu Shihang, the first monk in China to seek dharma in the western regions, copied 90 chapters of Hu Ben's classic Prajna Sutra from Khotan, and told his disciples to take it back to Luoyang, where it was translated by Zhu Shulan and Wu Ricardo Roberto Barreto da Rocha and called the Prajna Sutra of Light. This classic was widely studied in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The Mahayana Classic 154 Volume 309 was translated by Zhu Fahu, a translator in the Jin Dynasty and the first translator in the Western Jin Dynasty. The translation time was from 265 to 274. Zhu Fahu translated Zhenghuo Jing in 286, which was inspired by Guanyin belief.
Second, the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty-the progressive era of translating classics.
In the second period, the monks who translated the scriptures came from India, not the western regions. They are proficient not only in Sanskrit but also in Chinese. Due to the systematic introduction of Buddhist scriptures, translators have evaluated different works on religious studies, gradually determined Chinese translation terms with various meanings, and established a unique translation style. Their style is not gorgeous, but it is in line with the original intention, and it is a period of great progress in the translation of China's classics.
The representative figures in this period are Kumarajiva, Buddhabhadra, Zhen Zhen and others.
Third, the Tang Dynasty-the heyday of translation of classics
The biggest difference between the translation of Buddhist scriptures in the third period and the first two periods is that during this period, China's eminent monks made great achievements in translating Buddhist scriptures into Chinese and establishing sects. Typical representatives are Xuanzang and Yijing, two eminent monks. They have lived in India for more than ten or twenty years. They are not only proficient in Sanskrit, but also profound in Buddhism. In addition, Sumitomo Buddha and Bukong translated a large number of tantric classics, which is also the characteristic of this period. The third period is not only the peak of China's translation of classics, but also the peak of Buddhism. Since then, the translation of classics until the Song and Yuan Dynasties can be regarded as the further development of the system, organization and scale of translation of classics in the Tang Dynasty.