He further got a transcript of the rules in six or seven thousand gathas, [3] being the sarvastivadah [4] rules—­those which are observed by the communities of monks in the land of Ts’in; which also have all been handed down orally from master to master without being committed to writing.  In the community here, moreover, he got the Samyuktabhi-dharma-hridaya-sastra, containing about six or seven thousand gathas; he also got a Sutra of two thousand five hundred gathas; one chapter of the Pari-nirvana-vaipulya Sutra, of about five thousand gathas; and the Mahasanghika Abhidharma.

In consequence of this success in his quest Fa-hien stayed here for three years, learning Sanscrit books and the Sanscrit speech, and writing out, the Vinaya rules.  When Tao-ching arrived in the Central Kingdom, and saw the rules observed by the Sramanas, and the dignified demeanor in their societies which he remarked under all occurring circumstances, he sadly called to mind in what a mutilated and imperfect condition the rules were among the monkish communities in the land of Ts’in, and made the following aspiration:  “From this time forth till I come to the state of Buddha, let me not be born in a frontier-land.”  He remained accordingly in India, and did not return to the land of Han.  Fa-hien, however, whose original purpose had been to secure the introduction of the complete Vinaya rules into the land of Han, returned there alone.

[Footnote 1:  Mahasanghika simply means “the Great Assembly,” that is, of monks.]

[Footnote 2:  It was afterwards translated by Fa-hien into Chinese.]

[Footnote 3:  A gatha is a stanza, generally consisting of a few, commonly of two, lines somewhat metrically arranged.]

[Footnote 4:  “A branch,” says Eitel, “of the great vaibhashika school, asserting the reality of all visible phenomena, and claiming the authority of Rahula.”]

CHAPTER XXXVII

Fa-hien’s Stay in Champa and Tamalipti

Following the course of the Ganges, and descending eastward for eighteen yojanas, he found on the southern bank the great kingdom of Champa, with topes reared at the places where Buddha walked in meditation by his vihara, and where he and the three Buddhas, his predecessors, sat.  There were monks residing at them all.  Continuing his journey east for nearly fifty yojanas, he came to the country of Tamalipti, the capital of which is a seaport.  In the country there are twenty-two monasteries, at all of which there are monks residing.  The Law of Buddha is also flourishing in it.  Here Fa-hien stayed two years, writing out his Sutras, and drawing pictures of images.

After this he embarked in a large merchant-vessel, and went floating over the sea to the southwest.  It was the beginning of winter, and the wind was favorable; and, after fourteen days, sailing day and night, they came to the country of Singhala.  The people said that it was distant from Tamalipti about seven hundred yojanas.