Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c29.5

c29.5

**The precise Object of their Mission.** Fa-Hien himself was only one of a company of pilgrims who embarked upon a common holy mission. We read in his *Travels* [Legge's ed., p. 9]: "Deploring the mutilated and imperfect state of the collection of the Books of Discipline . . . he entered into an engagement with Hwuy-king, Tao-ching, Hwuy-ying, and Hwuy-wei, that they should go to India and seek for the Disciplinary Rules."¹ This passage also defines the objects of the mission. They were to collect in India the Vinaya texts for the purposes of the Buddhist Saṅghas of China. We are also to understand from this the limitations of the evidence of Fa-Hien who confines his observations only to that aspect of Indian thought and life which are associated with Buddhism. But within this limited range of inquiry, the information given by Fa-Hien is refreshingly realistic, positive, and concrete, being drawn from his first-hand observation and personal experience of actually existing conditions. What is thus lost in the scope of his evidence is amply compensated by its greater objectivity and trustworthiness.