Editing Faxian (section)

{{Short description|Bhikkhu, historian, travelogue author, and Buddhist pilgrim of the Silk Road}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| background         = #FFA500
| name               = Faxian
| image              = Faxian statue in Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium Singapore.jpg
| caption            = Faxian sculpture at the Singapore Maritime Museum
| religion           = [[Buddhism]]
| alias              = Gong Sehi
| monastic name      = Fǎxiǎn
| parents            = Tsang Hi (father)
| birth_date         = 337 CE
| birth_place        = Pingyang Wuyang ({{lang|zh|平陽武陽}}), in modern [[Linfen City]], [[Shanxi]]
| death_date         = {{Circa|422 CE}} (aged 85)
| works              = ''Foguoji'' (''A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms'')
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| t = {{linktext|法|顯}}
| s = {{linktext|法|显}}
| p = Fǎxiǎn
| w = Fa-hsien
| l = Splendor of the [[Dharma]]
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|f|a|3|.|x|ian|3}}
| y = Fat<sup>3</sup>-hin<sup>2</sup>
| h = Fap<sup>5</sup>-hien<sup>3</sup>
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|f|at|3|.|h|in|2}}
| poj = Huat-hién
| mc = Pjop-xén
| kanji = 法顕
| kana = ほっけん
| romaji = Hokken
| san = फा हियान
|altname=Gong Sehi
|t2={{linktext|龔}}
|s2={{linktext|龚}}
|p2=Gōng 
|w2=Kung 
}}

'''Faxian'''<!--Chinese in infobox; see [[WP:MOS-ZH]]--> (337–{{c.|422 CE}}), formerly [[romanization of Chinese|romanized]] as '''Fa-hien''' and '''Fa-hsien''', was a [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] [[Chinese Buddhism|Buddhist]] [[bhikkhu|monk]] and translator who traveled on foot from [[Eastern Jin dynasty|Jin China]] to [[medieval India]] to acquire [[Buddhist scripture]]s. His birth name was '''Gong Sehi'''.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}{{dubious|1=Sehi isn't pinyin or a set of noises from Middle Chinese; not in any biography; seems to have been made up/garbled by Britannica|date=May 2024}} Starting his journey about age 60, he traveled west along the overland [[Silk Road]], visiting Buddhist sites in [[Central Asia|Central]], [[South Asia|South]], and [[Southeast Asia]]. The journey and return took from 399 to 412, with 10 years spent in India.{{sfnp|''Enc. Brit.''|2019}}{{sfnp|Deeg|2019}}{{sfnp|Sen|2006}}

Faxian's account of his [[Buddhist pilgrimage|pilgrimage]], the ''Foguoji'' or ''[[Record of the Buddhist Kingdoms]]'', is a notable independent record of early Buddhism in India. He returned to China with a large number of Sanskrit texts, whose translations greatly influenced East Asian Buddhism and provide a {{lang|la|[[terminus ante quem]]}} for many historical names, events, texts, and ideas therein.{{sfnp|''Enc. Brit.''|2019}}{{sfnp|Deeg|2019}}