Latest / The Srivijaya Empire: Southeast Asia's Forgotten Maritime Superpower — Fexingo History / Srivijaya's Buddhist King Yijing and the Pilgrim Records
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about Srivijaya's trade networks and military might, but I want to zoom in on something else today — its role as a center of Buddhist learning. And we have a remarkable eyewitness to that: the Chinese monk Yijing. Luna: Yijing? I know the name — he's the one who wrote about his travels, right? Lucas: Exactly. Yijing — sometimes spelled I-Tsing — was a Buddhist monk from Tang China who set out for India in 671 AD. But he didn't just go straight there. He spent several years in Srivijaya, mostly in Palembang, studying Sanskrit and translating Buddhist texts. Luna: So he was like a medieval foreign exchange student? Lucas: Pretty much. And what makes him invaluable is that he left detailed records — both a travelogue called 'A Record of the Buddhist Religion as Practiced in India and the Malay Archipelago' and a biography of other monks. These give us a rare insider's view of Srivijaya at its peak. Luna: What did he see there? Lucas: He describes a thriving Buddhist center with over a thousand monks. They followed the Mulasarvastivada school of monastic discipline, which was the same one practiced at Nalanda in India. Yijing actually praised their scholarship — he said the monks in Srivijaya were more diligent than those in some parts of India. Luna: That's a huge compliment coming from someone who went all the way to India. Lucas: Exactly. Yijing stayed in Srivijaya for about six years in total, across two visits. He studied Sanskrit grammar, and he even wrote some of his own works there. He also collected and translated dozens of Buddhist sutras into Chinese — many of which survive today. Luna: So Srivijaya was not just a trade hub — it was a major intellectual center. Lucas: Absolutely. And this is backed up by other evidence. The Kedukan Bukit inscription, which we discussed in episode 26, mentions a 'siddhayatra' — a sacred journey — and Yijing's accounts align with that idea of Srivijaya as a place of spiritual and scholarly pilgrimage. Luna: Did Yijing mention any specific kings or rulers? Lucas: He doesn't name the king of Srivijaya directly, but he does mention the king of the 'Malayu' region — which is likely Jambi — and he notes that the king of Srivijaya was a devout patron of Buddhism. He also describes the king as providing food, robes, and other necessities for the monks. Luna: So the state was actively supporting Buddhism. Lucas: Right. And Yijing's writings also give us a sense of the scale. He says there were more than a thousand monks in Srivijaya, and the city itself was a bustling port with ships from all over. He even mentions that the monks followed the same rules as those at Nalanda, which suggests a direct connection. Luna: That Nalanda connection keeps coming up. Lucas: It does. And Yijing himself went to Nalanda later — he spent ten years there. So he was in a perfect position to compare. And he noted that the Srivijayan monks were well-versed in the same texts and practices. That suggests a kind of Buddhist commonwealth across the Bay of Bengal. Luna: Did Yijing mention any other travelers or monks like him? Lucas: Yes, he wrote biographies of about sixty Chinese monks who traveled to India and Southeast Asia. Some of them also passed through Srivijaya. One named Huining is interesting — he traveled to Sumatra and translated a sutra into Chinese with the help of a local monk named Jnanabhadra. Luna: So there was a whole network of Chinese monks going back and forth. Lucas: Exactly. And Yijing's records are crucial because they're one of the few contemporary written sources from Srivijaya's golden age — most of what we know comes from inscriptions and foreign accounts. Without him, we'd have a much poorer picture of life there. Luna: What about the monks' daily life? Did he describe that? Lucas: He does. He talks about their robes, their meals, their study routines. They followed a strict timetable: dawn prayers, then study, then midday meal — no eating after noon. They also had a library and a translation bureau. Yijing himself translated several texts while there. Luna: It sounds almost like a university campus. Lucas: It does. And the scale is impressive — a thousand monks means a significant institution. And this is all happening in the 7th century, when much of Europe was in the early Middle Ages. Srivijaya was a beacon of learning. Luna: What happened to all those monasteries? Do any ruins survive? Lucas: Unfortunately, not much. Palembang's soil is acidic and the buildings were largely wood. But there are some brick structures at Muaro Jambi that might be related. However, Yijing's writings help us imagine what was there. He mentions a 'tall tower' and a 'great hall' for assemblies. Luna: So his descriptions are like a blueprint for a lost city. Lucas: Exactly. And there's another layer: Yijing's works also tell us about the languages used. He notes that Sanskrit was the language of the scriptures, but monks also spoke local Malay. In fact, he says that the Srivijayan monks had a reputation for being good Sanskritists. Luna: That makes sense for a trading empire—lots of languages. Lucas: Right. And Yijing himself learned Sanskrit there before going to India. So Srivijaya was a stepping stone for many Chinese monks. It was safer than the overland route through Central Asia, and the monsoon winds made the sea journey predictable. Luna: So it's no wonder Srivijaya became a hub — it was strategically located both for trade and for pilgrimage. Lucas: Exactly. And Yijing's records show that this wasn't accidental. The Srivijayan kings actively promoted Buddhism and sponsored scholarship. They wanted to be seen as a center of civilization, not just a marketplace. Luna: It's a side of Srivijaya we haven't explored much. Lucas: And it's an important one. Because when we think of empires, we often think of armies and taxes. But Srivijaya's soft power — its religious and intellectual prestige — was just as vital to its influence. And Yijing's accounts are our best window into that world. Luna: Does Yijing mention anything about the relationship with China? Lucas: He does. He notes that Srivijaya had diplomatic ties with Tang China. In fact, he himself carried letters from the Srivijayan king to the Tang emperor. And we know from Chinese sources that Srivijayan envoys visited the Tang court several times. Luna: So it was a two-way exchange. Lucas: Absolutely. And Yijing's translations of Buddhist texts into Chinese were part of that exchange. He brought back hundreds of sutras, many of which are still part of the Chinese Buddhist canon. So Srivijaya played a role in shaping Chinese Buddhism. Luna: That's a lasting legacy. Lucas: It is. And it's one we don't talk about enough. We focus on the trade and the wars, but the intellectual and religious connections are just as fascinating. Yijing gives us a glimpse of a world where monks, merchants, and kings all interacted across vast distances. Luna: So if you had to sum up Yijing's importance to understanding Srivijaya, what would you say? Lucas: I'd say he's our most direct eyewitness. Without him, we'd have inscriptions and Chinese court records, but we wouldn't have the human dimension. He shows us that Srivijaya was not just a place of trade but a place of learning, devotion, and cultural exchange. And that's a powerful reminder that history isn't just about dates and battles — it's about people.