c. 334-c. 422

Chinese Pilgrim

At the beginning of the fifth century A.D., the Buddhist monk Fa-hsien undertook a heroic journey around China's western periphery to India, where he gathered texts sacred to his religion. These writings would later play an important role in the development of Chinese Buddhism, and helped spur acceptance of the faith in a land far from the place of its birth.

Born in about 334, Fa-hsien came from the village of Wu-yang in Shansi province. After all three of his older brothers died, Fa-hsien's father dedicated him to a religious society in hopes that the Buddha would protect his son's life. Thus at the age of three, Fa-hsien became a monk. His father died when he was 10, and he resisted an invitation from his uncle to return to the family home. Except for a short visit after his mother died a few years later...