Travels of Fah-Hian and Sung-Yun, Buddhist pilgrims : from China to India (400 A.D. and 518 A.D.) / translated from Chinese by Samuel Beal.

  • Faxian
Date:
1869
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Travels of Fah-Hian and Sung-Yun, Buddhist pilgrims : from China to India (400 A.D. and 518 A.D.) / translated from Chinese by Samuel Beal. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    proportions of the tower and the temple attached to it， exclaimed in delight, “ these are incomparable for beauty/J Tradition says that this was the highest tower in Jambudwipa.1 When the King had finished his tower, tlie little one, built by the shepherd boy,2 imme- diately came out of it, and removed itself to the south of the great tower, its height was about 3ft. 6in. Buddlia’s alms bowl3 is also preserved in this 1 Jambudwipa, the continent to the south of Mount Snmeru, which ac- cording to Chinese Buddhists includes both India and China. The fol- lowing is an extract relating to this continent: “ The great Agama Sutra (Dirgh&gama) says, a To the south of mount Sumeru is a country called Chim-fau-tai (Jambudvipa). [The meaning of this word is ‘ excelling in. gold.’ The Vib^sha Shaster calls it Chim-po, i.e., Jambu. (Ch. Ed.).] This country in shape is narrow towards the south, and wide towards the north. It is 7,000 yojanas long. The people’s faces are the same shape as the country. This continent has a great tree called Chim-fau (Jambu). It is seven yojanas in girth, and 100 yojanas high. The spread of its branches 50 yojanas. The men live 100 years. Beneath this tree is found abundance of the gold called Cliim-fau-na-tan (Jambunada), and hence the name.” (Fah-kai-lih-to.) 2 This legend is somewhat differently narrated by Hiouen Thsang. (Jul. II” 107.) According to that account the shepherd boy related the prophecy found in the text to Kanishka, and this was the cause of his con- version. It also states that the small tower increased continually in size, remaining three feet higher than the one Kanishka built. The circum- ference of the tower was 1^ li (about 580 yards). 3 The alms bowl or Patra, is the distinctive mark of the Buddhist mendi- cant. Numerous directions are given how to carry it, how to eat from it, how to cleanse it, etc. [ Vide Pratimoksha (Sekkhiya Damma).} It must either be earthenware or iron, not gold, silver, copper, or pewter, of uni- form size, either black or red. The Shaman may have a bag for it, and in walking carry it over the shoulder. (Rules for the Shamans.) It must be held breast-higb, evenly, and not at arms’ length. It must not be filled higher than the rim. (Respecting the Patra spoken of in the text， •side cap. 39.)