174 ann heirman
that, an apocryphal tradition of ve hundred precepts for bhikus
compiled by the monk Mili , had existed, but was lost.
Finally, a complete set of rules for nuns became available when in
the beginning of the fth century, four vinayas were translated into
Chinese.
2.3. Faxian Goes to IndiaAs seen above, in the fourth century, there was not yet a Chinese transla-
tion of an entire vinaya text. This de ciency prompted the monk Faxian
to undertake a trip from Chang’an to India in 399. His travel
account tells us that his main purpose was to obtain an original version
of the vinaya.^41 This was not an easy task, since, according to Faxian,
in the countries of “Northern Indian”,^42 vinaya texts were transmitted
only orally.^43 Consequently, Faxian had to go further south to what
he calls “Central India”,^44 where, in Paliputra^45 (modern Patna), he
succeeded in copying the vinaya of the Mahsghika school. He was
also able to obtain extracts^46 of the Sarvstivdavinaya. Faxian remarks
that the latter vinaya was the vinaya used by the Chinese at that time,
but that it was, in China, transmitted only orally.^47 On his journey
further to the south, he received a copy of the Mah
sakavinaya in Sri
Lanka.^48 After a long and perilous journey at sea, he nally sailed back
to China in 414. Although his ship totally lost its directions, it eventu-
ally managed to reach the present-day province of Shandong. From
there, Faxian travelled south to Jiankang, where the Buddhist master
Buddhabhadra translated several of the texts that he had obtained,
including the Mahsghikavinaya.^49
(^41) Gaoseng Faxian zhuan, T.2085.51.857a6–8, 864b17, 864c1–3.
(^42) Bei Tianzhu zhu guo (Faxian, T.2085.51.864b17).
(^43) Faxian, T.2085.51.864b17–18.
(^44) Zhong Tianzhu (Huijiao, T.2059.50.338a17; Faxian, T.2085.51.864b18–
19).
(^45) In a Mahyna monastery, called the Devarja monastery (Roth 1970, pp.
ii–iii).
(^46) Extracts (chao lü , cf. Nakamura 1985, p. 711), consisting of ca. seven thou-
sand stanzas (Faxian, T.2085.51.864b23–24). According to Sengyou, T.2145.55.12a7
and 13–14, these extracts have not been translated. 47
Faxian, T.2085.51.864b23–25.
(^48) Huijiao, T.2059.50.338a24; Faxian, T.2085.51.865c24. For details on this copy,
see de Jong 1981, pp. 109–113.
(^49) Huijiao, T.2059.50.338b15–18.