BUDDHA SAMADHI CAVE, Rajgir

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 24/03/2016

FAXIAN (Fa Hian, Fa Hien, Fahian, Fa Hsien) circa 415 for 399-414 translated by LAIDLAY 1848 edited 2000: 298): »Entering the valley and going to the mountains above fifteen li to the south-east, you arrive at the peak of "Ki-tche" (footnote 1 by Klaproth: Gridhrakuta, or the peak of the Vulture). Three li before reaching the summit of the mountain you come to a cavern situated among the rocks and facing the south. Foe was seated there in meditation.« FAXIAN (Fa Hian, Fa Hien, Fahian, Fa Hsien) circa 415 for 399-414 translated by LAIDLAY 1848 in KITTOE 1847b: 960): »Entering the valley and going beyond the mountains fifteen li south-east you come to the peak of "Ki-tche" . At the distance of three li from the summit of this mountain there is a cave facing south. Foe sat there in meditation.« XUANZANG (in WATTERS 1905 edited 1988, 2: 152): »Close to a cliff on the west side [of Gridhrakuta] is a magnificent brick hall (ching-she) … to the east of this hall is a large stone, an exercise place of Buddha, and at its side a rock, about fourteen feet [4.3 m] high and above 30 paces in circumference, where Devadatta hurled a rock at the Buddha … to the south the temple, and at the side of the cliff, is a large cave in which the Buddha once sat in samadhi. … It was in this… [residence of the Yaksha –>Gambhira] or 'Yaksha' Palace' that the Buddha was sitting when Devadatta hurled the rock at him, and it may be our pilgrim's cave in which the Buddha sat in samadhi.«