Yoshiyoshi - Gijo

A Chinese-born Buddhist monk who translated Buddhist scriptures. Following in the footsteps of Faxian and Xuanzang, he traveled by sea to the countries of the South Seas and then to India at the age of 37. He was interested in Buddhist precepts and wanted to see for himself how they were practiced in these countries. He brought new precept documents of the Mahavatar school from India to China, translated them into Chinese, and introduced them to the Chinese Buddhist community, which was a great achievement. He also compiled what he had seen and heard in his search for the Dharma in the book "The Inner Dharma of the Great Tang Dynasty, Returned to the South Seas". It is said that he wrote this in Shitsuribushi (Sumatra) on his way back. It details the specific lives of Buddhists in the South Seas, and is a valuable historical document for understanding the society and customs of the time. He also compiled the biographies of monks who traveled to China in search of the Dharma, titled "Biographies of Eminent Monks in Search of the Dharma in the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty."

[Kazuo Okabe January 19, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国生まれの訳経僧。法顕(ほっけん)や玄奘(げんじょう)の入竺求法(にゅうじくぐほう)の偉業に倣い、37歳のとき海路によって南海諸国を巡りインドに向かった。彼の関心は仏教徒の戒律にあり、これらの諸国で戒律がどのように実践されているかを自分の目で確かめたいと願った。インドから新たに根本有部(うぶ)の戒律文献を中国にもたらし、それを漢訳して中国仏教界に紹介した功績は大きい。また自らの求法の見聞をまとめて『大唐南海寄帰内法伝(だいとうなんかいききないほうでん)』を著した。これは帰途に室利仏逝(しつりぶっせい)（スマトラ島）で書かれたものという。これには南海地方の仏教徒の具体的な生活が詳しく記され、当時の社会や風俗を知るうえで貴重な史料となっている。ほかに入竺求法僧の伝記をまとめて『大唐西域(さいいき)求法高僧伝』を著した。

［岡部和雄　2017年1月19日］

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