Origins & Early Life

Faxian (337–c. 422 CE), formerly romanized as Fa-hien or Fa-hsien, was a Chinese Buddhist monk and translator who traveled on foot from the Later Qin state to classical India to acquire Buddhist scriptures. His birth surname was Gong. Starting his journey about age 60, he traveled west along the overland Silk Road, visiting Buddhist sites in Central, South, and Southeast Asia.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The journey and return took from 399 to 412, with 10 years spent in India. Faxian's account of his pilgrimage, the Foguoji or Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms, is a notable independent record of early Buddhism in India. He returned to China with a large number of Sanskrit texts, whose translations greatly influenced East Asian Buddhism and provide a terminus ante quem for many historical names, events, texts, and ideas therein. Faxian was born in Shanxi in the 4th-century under the Later Zhao dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He later adopted the name Faxian, which literally means "Splendor of Dharma".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Three of his elder brothers died young. His father, fearing that the same fate would befall him, had him ordained as a novice monk at the age of three. In 399 CE, about age 60, Faxian was among...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Constantine the Great — Contemporary figure (Died in 337) (337): Roman Emperor who legalized Christianity and founded Constantinople.
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