Faxian

“ We need only add that Fa Hsien's Record contains many much more obscure passages than the trifling proverb given above. The difficulty of correctly interpreting the written language of China has long been a household word; and where even the strongest fall, the weak need not be ashamed to slip. ”

“ The allusion is to quarrelling brothers who seem disposed to make friends among outsiders rather than of each other, and the proverb signifies in plain English that "A bad brother is better than a good stranger." ”

“ At the sound of the gong, [41] three thousand priests assemble to eat. When they enter the refectory their demeanour is grave and orderly: they sit down in a regular order; they all keep silence; they make no noise with their bowls etc.; and when the attendants [42] serve more food they do not call out to each other but only make signs with their hands. [43] Hui Ching, Tao Chêng, and Hui Ta, started in advance towards the country of Chieh-ch'a, but Fa Hsien and the others wishing to see the procession of the images remained three months and some days. ”

“ In this country there are fourteen large monasteries without counting the smaller ones. Beginning on the 1st of the 4th moon, they sweep and water the streets inside the city and decorate the principal thoroughfares. ”

“ After travelling seventeen days, about 1,500 li, they arrived at the country of Shan-shan. [18]
CHAPTER II.
This land is rugged and barren. The clothes of the people are coarse, like those of the Chinese, the only difference being that they use felt and serge. [19] The King of the country is a convert [20] to Buddhism. There may be some 4,000 priests, all belonging to the Lesser Development. [21] The religion of India is universal among the people and Shamans [22] of these [23] kingdoms: but there are distinctions of refinement and coarseness (in their practice of it) . ”

“ Fa Hsien returned during the I Hsi period [4] of the Chin dynasty, having started from Ch'ang-ngan and travelled Page:Record of the Buddhistic Kingdoms (Faxian, Giles) .djvu/20 In this book we find India made the Middle Kingdom and China treated as a foreign country. This is because the ecclesiastics give precedence to their religion, which anomaly is not worth arguing about. ”