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On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c22.s20: A-Fan-T'U

On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c22.s20

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A-Fan-T'U

v2.c22.s20.1

The narrative in the Records goes on to state that from Pitaśilā Yuan-chuang went north-east for more than 300 *li* to the *A-fan-t'u* (or *A-pan-ch'a*) country. This country was about 2400 *li* and its capital above 20 *li* in circuit. It had no sovereign and was under Sindh. There were above twenty Monasteries with 2000 Brethren of whom the majority belonged to the Sammatiya school; there were also five Deva-Temples of the Pāśupatas. In a bamboo-wood not far to the north-east of the capital were the remains of an old monastery; here the Buddha had given permission to bhikshus to wear shoes. Beside the monastery was an Asoka tope still 100 feet high although the foundations had sunk out of sight. At its side was a Buddhist temple in which was a dark-blue stone standing image of the Buddha which on fast-days emitted supernatural light. Above 800 paces to the south of this was an Asoka tope in a wood; the Buddha once was spending the night here and feeling cold he put on a second suit of the three robes; the next morning relaxed the rule against bhikshus wearing double (or padded) garments. In this wood was a walking place of the Buddha; there were also numerous topes in a series where the Four Past Buddhas had sat. In the topes were hair and nail relics of the Buddha which emitted bright light on fast-days.

v2.c22.s20.2

There is some doubt as to what was the pilgrim's transcription of the name of the country here described. The B and D texts give *A-fan-t'u* (阿 笩 荼), and C instead of *fan* has *pên* (奔), and in some texts we have *ch'a* instead of *t'u*. The Life has *Ho*(河)-*fan-t'u*, and the Fang-chih has *Fan-ch'a*, that is, *Fan-t'a*. Julien restores the name as Avaṇḍa, and we may provisionally accept this, or Avaṇṭa. Cunningham regards the pilgrim's country as corresponding to the region of Middle Sindh or Vichala, and its capital as the old city Brāhmaṇabad.¹ General Haig is inclined to think Avanda was "somewhere in the Khairpur territory".¹

v2.c22.s20.3

¹ A. G. I. p. 270.

v2.c22.s20.4

¹ op. c. p. 38.

v2.c22.s20.5

In the statement that it was in a monastery here that the Buddha gave bhikshus permission to wear shoes the expression rendered by "shoes" is *Ki-foh-si* (屐 縛 屨). This term was taken by the native annotator to be a foreign one, and he interpreted it as meaning "boots" or "shoes", an interpretation which Julien naturally adopted. But the third character *si* is the common Chinese name for "sandal" or "shoe", and *Ki-foh* is a qualifying adjective. What this word means, however, is not clear, and we are not certain that the first character is correct. Instead of it one text of the Life, and the C text of the Records, have *chêng* (丞), which is apparently only a printer's mistake for *chi*, and the Fang-chih has *hu* (互)-*foh*. Considered as a foreign word *Ki-foh* has been regarded as another way of writing *Ki-p'a* (綺 吧), a foreign term denoting felt or coarse woollen cloth, and supposed to be the Turkish Kebe with that meaning. But this does not suit the circumstances and cannot be accepted. If the *hu-foh* of the Fang-chih be the correct reading this may represent a word like the Tibetan *Kō-ba* which means "leather". But it is possible that *Ki-foh* is merely a native term not written in the usual form, and meaning "secured by strings on straps". The proper form of expression and one frequently used is *Ki* (繼 or 繫 or 係)-*foh* which means "bound" or "attached" literally and figuratively. The *Ki-foh-si* would thus be "sandals with securing garters." This agrees with the Indian name for sandal which is *upāhanā* from *upa* and *ānah*, "to tie" or bind. The sandals originally permitted to the Buddhist Brethren were probably not of leather, but of a vegetable material, although some Vinaya texts expressly state that they were of leather. Those allowed to the Brethren of Northern cold countries were of leather, and were "continued" up the legs by stripes of cloth or leather. An illustration and some very interesting observations will be found in Mr. W. Simpson's "Identification of the Sculptured Tope at Sanchi".¹ Now there is apparently no justification in the Buddhist canon for Yuan-chuang's statement that it was in Avanda that the Master granted to his disciples the indulgence of wearing foot-coverings of any kind. According to most of the Vinaya texts it was at Rājagaha that Buddha on the request of Śroṇaviṃśatikoṭi of Champā gave the bhikshus permission to wear single shoes, sandals with a single leather sole according to the Chinese texts. Afterwards also at Rājagaha Buddha, yielding to the petition brought by Koṭikarṇa from Avanti, a country hard, rough (and very thorny), allowed the Brethren of that land to wear several-fold sandals of leather.²

v2.c22.s20.6

¹ J. R. A. S. Vol. XIV, p. 332.

v2.c22.s20.7

² Vin. Mah. V, 1 and 13; Pi-ni-mu-ching, ch. 5 (No. 1138); Sar. Vin. P'i-ko-shih, ch. 1.

v2.c22.s20.8

As to the other statement in the passage before us, that it was in Avanda the Buddha gave permission to the bhikshus to wear double or padded garments, this also is not in the Buddhist scriptures. In the Vinaya we read of the Buddha experiencing great cold one night near Vaiśālī, and instituting in the morning the threefold dress of the professed disciple.³

v2.c22.s20.9

³ Vin. Mah. VIII, 13; Seng-ki-lü, ch. 23; Ssu-fên-lü, ch. 38, 39.

v2.c22.s20.10

The A-fan-t'u of our author cannot be identified with the Avanti of the canon which is in some books a country in the south, in some in the east, and in some it is a vague border-land. But our Avanda may be the Avantaka which gave its name to the Sammatīya school, or a branch of the school.⁴ This sub-school had ceased to exist before Vasubandhu's time, but we note that the pilgrim represents the majority of the Brethren in the country as being Sammatīyas.

v2.c22.s20.11

⁴ Rockhill, 'Life' pp. 182, 184; Wass. Bud. S. 85; Shih-pa-pu-lun (No. 1284).

Cites (5)