The Term “Jibin 罽賓” in the History of Buddhism

Where exactly was Jibin? Over more than two centuries of scholarly inquiry, research has gradually focused on three primary candidates: Gandhāra, Kashmir, and Kapisa. Some scholars have regarded these three as mutually exclusive possibilities, while others have suggested that the designation shifted linearly over time and across dynasties. Based on a close and critical reading of Chinese historical sources, Prof. Liu hope to argue that Jibin referred, for the most part, to Gandhāra or Greater Gandhāra. Only during a relatively brief period—from the early 6th to the early 7th century—did the name designate the Kashmir Valley. This conclusion is significant for understanding the similarities and differences in the development of Buddhism between Gandhāra and Kashmir as reflected in Chinese sources.

For example, Chinese historical sources indicate that Buddhism in the Gandhāra region embraced both Mahāyāna and multiple schools of early Buddhism, while Buddhism in the Kashmir Valley was primarily associated with the Sarvāstivāda school. Owing to its mountainous surroundings, the Kashmir Valley developed a more closed and conservative form of Buddhism. If Jibin is vaguely understood—as it has often been in past scholarship—as referring interchangeably to both Kashmir and Gandhāra, we risk overlooking the important distinctions and connections between these two neighboring regions, which, despite their proximity, often belonged to different political entities and followed divergent paths in the history of Buddhism.