A Record of the Buddhist Religion

Before the advent of Islam, South East Asia was under the influence of Buddhism in most aspects of life. The majority of the people were ad­herents of Buddhism, though there were few followers of Hinduism and certain indigenous religions before the establishment of Malaccan Sultanates. This book is the English translation of the Chinese account, Nanhai Jigui Neifa Zhuan. This book is the travel account by I-Tsing, who was a Chinese Buddhist monk who visited India, and South East Asia, especially Srivijaya during his stay from c.671-695 ce. This book comprises description of his early life, his departure from China, and his visit to India and South East Asia. His detailed description of the population living in the area, several kinds of literature written by Buddhist monks/teachers and laymen, and records of Buddhist practices are noteworthy to the students of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. It is interesting that I-Tsing also writes about the dietary customs followed by the people, salutations, moral conducts, medicinal science and medical practices, worship, ceremonies, rites and rituals, and funerary practices. This is one of the important foreign accounts for understanding the history and religion in the South East Asian region during the ancient period. About the Author Junjiro Takakusu (1866-1945) was a Japanese academic scholar specializing in Buddhism. He was appointed as a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University. He was a member of the Imperial Academy of Japan and a Fellow at the British Academy. He was honoured at Oxford, Leipzig, and Heidelberg Universities. He authored several works in Japanese and English including his The Essentials of Buddhist Philosophy and his translation of The Amitâyur Dhyâna-sûtra, etc.