A Record of the Buddhist Religion As Practised in India and the Malay Archipelago (A.D. 671-695)

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A Record of the Buddhist Religion as Practised in India and the Malay Archipelago (A.D. 671-695) is a seminal work by the Chinese Buddhist monk I-Tsing, translated into English by J. Takakusu. This text chronicles I-Tsing's extensive travels and observations during his 25-year journey through India and Southeast Asia, providing a meticulous account of Buddhist practices, monastic life, and the Vinaya rules of the time. I-Tsing's pilgrimage, motivated by a desire to study and collect Buddhist texts, led him to significant centers of learning such as Nalanda. His work is invaluable for its detailed descriptions of the religious, cultural, and educational landscape of 7th-century India and the surrounding regions. It offers unique insights into the development and variations of Buddhist practices across different schools, particularly the Mulasarvastivada tradition. The translation by J. Takakusu enriches our understanding of I-Tsing's contributions, highlighting the historical significance of his accounts in the context of Indian literature and the evolution of Buddhism. This book is an essential resource for scholars studying the history of Buddhism, monastic regulations, and intercultural exchanges in ancient Asia.