Great Tang Records of Eminent Monks' Pilgrimage to the Western Regions (大唐西域求法高僧傳)

About 大唐西域求法高僧傳

Tang · by 義淨撰

15,939 · about 53 min

The *Records of Eminent Monks Who Sought the Dharma in the Western Regions During the Tang Dynasty* was composed by the eminent monk Yijing during the Tang Dynasty. Completed during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, this work chronicles the journeys of Tang monks who traveled to India in search of Buddhist teachings. It provides detailed accounts of Yijing’s own experiences as well as those of dozens of other monks, including observations from their travels, the state of Buddhism in India, and the customs and cultures of various regions. As a crucial document for the study of Tang-era exchanges between China and the West, Buddhist history, and South Asian history, it is ranked alongside Faxian’s *A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms* and Xuanzang’s *Great Tang Records on the Western Regions* as one of the three great ancient Chinese travelogues of Dharma-seeking journeys. It remains an authoritative historical source for understanding the early spread of Buddhism and cultural exchanges.