Born c. 374, Wu-yang, Shansi, China
Died c. 462, Hupei, China

Fa-Hsien was born in the village of Wu-yang in China’s Shansi province. Because his three older brothers had all died in childhood, his father dedicated him to a Buddhist society in hopes of safeguarding his life. Thus he went to live in a Buddhist monastery at the age of three.

When Fa-Hsien was ten his father died, and his uncle urged him to return home. But the boy decided to continue the religious life his father had chosen for him. Fa-Hsien became a full monk at the age of twenty.

Plans trip to recover Buddhist texts

Also a scholar, Fa-Hsien felt that the Chinese translations of the Buddhist texts he used were of poor quality. He wished to make his own translations from the original texts, which were written in Sanskrit, the ancient holy language of India...