Nanhai jigui neifa zhuan 南海寄歸內法傳

Nanhai jigui neifa zhuan 南海寄歸內法傳 "Record of the Inner Dharma sent home across the South Sea" is a historical account of Buddhism written by Yijing 義凈 (635-713) during the Tang period 唐 (618-907). The work comprises 4 juan. Yijing composed this book while returning from India and staying in Srivijaya (Chinese transcription Shilifushi 室利佛逝) in the South Seas (present-day Sumatera, Indonesia). It was written based on the traditions of the Sarvāstivāda School (Ch. Shuo yiqie you bu 說一切有部).

The book provides a detailed account of 40 Buddhist ritual practices (xianxing yaofa 現行要法) observed in India and various South Asian countries through which he traveled. Yijing sent this work back to China along with two volumes of another book he authored, Da-Tang xiyu qiufa gaoseng zhuan 大唐西域求法高僧傳, as well as ten fascicles of newly translated Buddhist scriptures and treatises, entrusting them to others for delivery to the monks in China. Among the forty ritual practices, the text also documents many other related matters, making it an important source for the study of the history, geography, and Buddhist development of South and South East Asia. Yijing also introduces Indian works on phonology and Sanskrit linguistics, including those by the famous grammarian Pāṇini . He further explains methods for learning Sanskrit grammar, discussions that still hold their value today.

Furthermore, the preface of the book briefly introduces the main schools of ancient Indian philosophy and outlines the historical development of Buddhism. It pays particular attention to the different Buddhist traditions and their geographical distribution at that time. For these reasons, the work remains a valuable source for the study of the history of Indian Buddhism and religion.