Srivijaya's Buddhist Pilgrims: Yijing and the Road to Nalanda

This episode follows the footsteps of the Chinese monk Yijing, who spent over a decade in Srivijaya studying Sanskrit and collecting Buddhist scriptures before traveling to Nalanda University in India. We explore his detailed travelogue, the network of monasteries in Southeast Asia that supported pilgrims, and how Srivijaya became a crucial hub for Buddhist learning between the 7th and 11th centuries. Lucas and Luna discuss the practical challenges of pilgrimage, the role of Srivijayan kings as patrons, and what Yijing's records reveal about the empire's connections to India, China, and Tibet. The episode also touches on the later transmission of Buddhism to Tibet via figures like Atisha, who studied in Srivijaya before traveling to the Himalayas. A fresh look at how Srivijaya functioned as a center of religious exchange, not just trade. #Yijing #Srivijaya #Nalanda #BuddhistPilgrims #TangDynasty #Sanskrit #Mahayana #Atisha #Sumatra #Palembang #MaritimeSilkRoad #BuddhistNetwork #SoutheastAsia #Monastery #Pilgrimage #TibetanBuddhism #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo