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o 10 Tt would have seemed “superfluous to give a long account after Hiuen Thsang; J-tsing LIFE AND TRAVELS OF I-TSING. : xxvii Il. His Journey to India. *I, I-tsing, was in the Western Capital (Ch‘ang-an) in the first year of the Hsien-héng period (670), studying and hearing lectures. _ At that time there were with me Ch'u-i, a teacher of the Law, of Ping-pu?; Hung-i, a teacher of the S&stra, of Lai-chou*, and also two or three other Bhadantas; we all made an agreement together to visit the Vulture Peak (Gr/dhrak(va), and set our hearts on (seeing) the Tree of Knowledge (Bodhidruma) in India. Ch'u-i, however, was drawn back by his affection towards (his home in) Ping-ch'uan‘, for his mother was of an advanced dge, whereas Hung-i turned his thought to Sukhavatt® on meeting Hiuen-Chan in Kiang-ning*, Hiuen-k‘uei (one of the party) came as far as Kwang-tung ; he, however, as others did, changed his mind which he had formerly made up. So I had to start for India, only with a young priest, Shan- hing, of Tsin-chou ’. : ‘The old friends of mine in the Divine Land (China) thus unfortunately parted with me and all went their ways, while not a single new acquaintance in India was yet found by me Had I hesitated then, my wish would never have been fulfilled. I composed two stanzas imitating, though not in earnest, the poem on the fourfold Sorrow *, During my travel I passed several myriads of stages, The fine threads of sorrow entangled my thought hundredfold. Why was it, pray, you let the shadow of my body alone Walk orr the boundaries of Five Regions of India? Again to console myself: A good general can obstruct a Aostile army, But the resolution of a man is difficult to move® If I be sorry for a short life and be ever Speaking of it, how can I fill up the long Asahkhya age 1°? The Ta-t'ang-si-yu-kw-fa-kao-séng-Ch‘uan, vol. ii, fol. 4°; Chavannes, § 46, p. 114. 2 Ping-chou or T‘ai-yuen in Shen-si. ® Lai-chou Fa, in the Shan-tung promontory, said to have keen named after the Lai aborigines. * A Japanese text has Ping-chou. 5 To be born in the Land of Bliss it is neccssary to repeat daily the name of Amit&bha according to the Old Pure Land School ; An-yang = Sukhavatt. * Io Kiang-su. 7 A place in P'ing-yang in Shen-si. This priest was a pupil of I-tsing; he came as far as Sumatra and returned to China owing to illness, Chavannes, § 47, p. 126. ® An ancient poem composed by Chang-heng (a.D. 78-139), loc. cit, p. IIs. * Cf. the Analects, IX, 25. . ™ A Bodhisattva passes through three Asaikhya (immeasurable) ages, practising charity, &c. ; Ising is here alluding to this. d2 xxviii : GENERAL INTRODUCTION. Previous to my departure from home I returned to my native place (Cho-chou) from the capital (Ch'ang-an). I sought advice from my teacher, Hui-hsi, saying: ‘Venerable Sir, Iam intending to take a long journey ; for, if I witness that with which I have hitherto not been acquainted, there must accrue to me great advantage. But you are already advanced in age, so that I cannot carry out my intention without consulting you.’ He answered: ‘ This is a great opportunity for you, which will not occur twice. (I assure you) I am much delighted to hear of your intention so wisely formed. If I live long enough (to see you return), it will ~be my joy to witness you transmitting the Light. Go without hesitation; do not look back upon things left behind. I certainly approve of your pilgrimage to the holy places. Moreover it is a most important duty to strive for the pros- perity of Religion. Rest clear from doubt!’ . *On the eve of my departure, I went to the tomb of my master (Shan-yti) to worship and to take leave. At that time, the trees around the tomb (though) injured by frost had already grown so much that each tree would take one hand to span it’, and wild grasses had filled the graveyard. Though the spirit-world is hidden from us, 1 nevertheless paid him all honour just as if he had been present‘, While turning round and glancing in every direction, I related my intention of travelling. I invoked his spiritual aid, and expressed my wish to requite the great benefits conferred on me by this benign personage. *In the second year of the Hsien-héng period (671) I kept the summer-retreat (varsha or vassa) in Yang-fu®. In the beginning of autumn (seventh moon) I met unexpectedly an imperial envoy, Féng Hsiao-ch'tian of Kong-chou’; by the help of him I came to the town of Kwang-tung, where I fixed the date of meeting with the owner of a Persian ship* to embark for the south. Again accepting. the 1 Page 210. * Page 204. 3 This is an alternative translation, cf. 1. c. * Cf the Analects, IIT, 12. . * The Si-yu-ku-fa-kao-séng-ch‘uan, vol. ii, fol. 5°; Chavannes, p. 116, ® Yang-chou (= Yangju of Marco Polo) in Kiang-su. 7 Old name for the S. E. part of Kwang-si. * In I-tsing’s time there was regular navigation between Persia, India, the Malay islands, and China. I think this explains the route of the frst Nestorian missionary, Olopucn or Alopen, who went to China A.D. 635. Dr. Legge supposed that he would have come to China overland through Central Asia (Christianity in China in the Seventh Century, p. 45). Dr. Edkins says that Siladitya received the Syrian Christians, Alopen and his companions, A.D. 639 (Athenaeum, July 3, 1880, p. 8). If so, it would seem that he went back to India. If, on the other hand, these were two different men, the fact would rather favour Yule’s conjecture that Alopuen, which is supposed to be Syriac ‘ Alopano,’ might be merely a Chinese form of the Syriac ‘ Rabban,’” LIFE AND TRAVELS OF I-TSING. xxix invitation of the envoy I went to Kang-chou’, when he became my Dé&napati (Benefactor) for a second time. His younger brothers, Hsiao-tan and Hsiao-chén, both imperial envoys, Ladies? Ning and P*én, all the members of his family, favoured me with presents. Things of superior quality and excellent eatables were given me by them; each striving to do the best. In doing so, they hoped that I might not be in any want during the sea voyage, yet they feared that there might be some troubles for me in the dangerous land. Their affection was as deep as that of my parents, readily granting whatever the orphan wished to have. They all became my refuge or resource, and together supplied the means of (visiting) the excellent region, All I could have done regarding my pilgrimage (to the Holy Land) is due only to the power of the family of Féng. Moreover the priests and laymen of the Lin-nan* experienceg a bitter feeling at our parting; the brilliant scholars of the northern provinees were all distressed by our bidding farewell, as they thought never to see us again. In the eleventh month of this year (a.p. 671)* we s/arted looking towards the constellations Yi and Chén§, and having P‘an-yii (Kwang-tung) right behind us, I would sometimes direct my thoughts far away to the Deer Park (Mrigadava at Benares); af ofher times I would repose in the hope of (reaching) the Cock Mountain (Kukku/apadagiri near Gaya). . At this time the first monsoon began to blow, when our ship proceeded towards the Red South®, with ¢he ropes a hundred cubits long suspended from above, two by two”. In the beginning of the season in which we separate from the constellation Chi*, the pair of sad/s, each in five lengths ®, flew away, leaving 2 A place in Kwang-chon in the province of Kwang-tung. ? Chiin-chiin is a danghter of an imperial prince of the third degree, but often used’as a title of honour of a noble lady, as here. * South of the Plum Range, i. e. Kwang-tung and Kwang-si. * Page arr, * Yi=serpent, twenty-two stars in Crater and Hydra; Chén=worm, 8, +, 8, ¢ Corvus, Long. 170° 56° 9”—187° 56’ 52”, i. e. about the sonth. ® The colour assigned to the south is red, and that to the north is sombre, see below. ™ Le. ‘the preparation of the spars having been duly made.’ Prof. Chavannes’ correction of Kuei' to ‘Kua’ is confirmed by Kasyapa’s copy of the Record; Memoirs, p. 118, note 4. * Chi stands for the constellation y, 5,¢,8 Sagittarii= Leopard. Long. 268° 2815". This constellation consists of the stars which are visible in heaven only when the sun is 16° or more below the horizon. Accordingly, the first heliacal rising (ortus heliacus) at dawn for Lat. 20° (Canton) is on about Feb. 8, and the last heliacal setting (occasus heliacus) in the evening dusk, for Lat. 20° is on about Dec. 11. The corresponding day in the lunar month to our Dec. 11 will be about the ist of the eleventh month, being about the timt when the Chi constellation disappears. XXX GENERAL INTRODUCTION. the sombre north behind. Cutting through the immense abyss, the great swells of water lie, like a mountain, on the sea. Joining sideways with a vast gulf-stream, the massive waves, like clouds, dash against the sky. Before sailing twenty days the ship reached Bhoga', where I landed and stayed six months, gradually learning the Sabdavidya (Sanskrit grammar). The King gave me some support and sent me to the country of Malayu, which is now called Srtbhoga ®, where I again stayed two months, and thence I went to Ka-cha?, Here I embarked in the twelfth month, and again on board the king’s ship I sailed to Eastern India. Going towards the north from Ka-cha, after more than ten days’ sail, we came to the country of the Naked People (Insulae Nudorum). Looking towards the east we saw the shore, for an extent of one or two Chinese miles, with nothing but cocoa-nut trees and betel-nut forest 4, luxuriant and pleasant (to be seen). When the natives saw our vessel coming, they eagerly embarked in little boats, their number being fully a hundred. They all brought cocoa-nuts, bananas, and things made of rattan-cane and bamboos, and wished to exchange them.