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Hsuan-Tsang (Xuanzang 4. Hsuan-Tsang which took place before the waves of Islamic (Note: His name has a number of alternative hordes invaded that part of the world and spellings, such as Xuanzang) destroyed Buddhist institutions and murdered monks. At the time of Hsuan Tsang’s travels: Introduction 1 there was a great deal of religious activity, A large part of these notes reads as a travelogue. but less so than in previous centuries Much of his journey out of central China, before 2 practitioners of the different forms of he reached India, covered the ancient Silk route Buddhism sometimes lived alongside one that linked Europe with the Persian and Chinese another empires. I recommend that you refer to the 3 the worship of relics, and the practice of sketch map of Hsuan Tsang’s travels (sent in a philosophical debate, were well established. separate document). His travels Hsuan Tsang left China expressly against the Hsüan Tsang wrote an account of his epic wishes of the emperor and would have been journey from China to central Asia and India, severely punished, maybe executed, if he had which took place between 629-645 ce. This been caught before he reached the limit of the account, known as “The Western World”, is in Chinese controlled territory. His journey took twelve volumes. [It is not be confused with the about 18 years. He crossed scorching deserts, popular Chinese fiction Monkey King featuring icy mountains, and vast plains. In India he the adventures of the mythical monkey god.] sometimes travelled through tick forest. In the course of his travels he faced illness and poverty. When the Emperor refused Hsüan Tsang’s He got lost in deserts, set upon by bandits (on application to leave China Hsuan Tsang decided five separate occasions), locked-up by local to go anyway, making the first part of the rulers and once nearly executed. Many of his journey in secret. He was twenty-seven years travelling companions were killed by an old when he left. He worked his way to the end avalanche in the “heavenly mountains” between of the Great Wall near Dunhuang. There he took north-west China and Kyrgystan. It was the northern branch of the Silk Route passing something of a miracle that he survived his through Yumen Guan (Jade Gate Pass). After travels and made it back to China. crossing the Gobi desert he arrived at Hami. There he was offered the position of chief priest Although other explorers over the course of for the country, but Hsüan Tsang declined. history have shown bravery and determination When it was clear that Hsuan Tsang would not (eg. Shakleton), Hsuan Tsang’s story is stay, the ruler did what he could to help him especially impressive because he undertook the reach India. He gave him many rolls of silk, journey in order to serve the Dharma - to money, letters of introduction to neighbouring introduce more of the riches of Indian Buddhism rulers and an escort. (Unfortunately this to China. He wanted to learn from Indian sages generous ruler, who so helped Hsuan Tsang, was and bring back copies of the sacred texts. killed soon after in a coup.) Paintings of Hsuan Tsang on his way back to Hsuan Tsang travelled on to Kucha, an oasis city China s sometimes depict him in the guise of a on the edge of the desert, famous for its excellent pilgrim, with a staff in his hand, and his body horses. The ground was rich in minerals and its bent forward. soil was suitable for agriculture. It had one hundred monasteries with over five thousand Hsuan Tsang was also a great scholar. This monks of the Sarvastivadin form of Hinayana helped him to discuss the Dharma and teach it, Buddhism. All the monasteries had highly both in China and during his travels. His adorned images of the Buddha, which were scholarship enabled him to participate paraded on special occasions in a procession of wholeheartedly in life at Nalanda University in carriages. After staying for two months he India, and subsequently back in China to continued his journey. Crossing the snowy Tian undertake his great work of translating sacred Shan mountains he reached the shores of lake texts from Sanskrit into Chinese. Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan. This mountain lake, 5,200 feet above sea level, is the second largest Many points of interest emerge from his travels, in the world. He then proceeded north-west along the fertile with about a thousand Hindu ascetics of various valley of the Chu river passing the Kyrgyz lake- sects, such as naked ascetics, those who covered land area known as the “Thousand springs”. their bodies with ashes, and those who wore Moving westward, he passed the Tartar town of chaplets of bones on their heads. Every year, the Taras and arrived at Tashkent in Eastern king would make a silver image of the Buddha Uzbekistan, which was then under the control of and offer alms to the poor. the Huns (ie. eastern Turks). The next stop was Samarkand, a very populous country located at After spending the summer of 630ce in the area, the junction of the trade routes between China Hsüan Tsang went on to Gandhara area by the and India. Khyber Pass. [This area (in the region around the border of modern day Pakistan and Moving south form Samarkand, Hsuan Tsang Afghanistan) was once a great centre for entered the mountains. After climbing the steep Buddhist culture and practice. The Yogacara and precipitous road, he arrived at a mountain form of Buddhism - that Hsuan Tsang pass bordered on both sides by very high rocky particularly admired - was founded there by walls with an iron colour. Here double wooden Vasubhandu and Asanga. The earliest surviving doors had been erected and many bells were Buddhist manuscripts also come from this area.] fixed on them. The doors were strengthened with iron and were impregnable. The pass was To his great disappointment Hsuan Tsang found called Iron Gate. Ghandharan the towns and villages almost deserted. There were many monasteries in ruins, He crossed the Oxus river near Termez, and overgrown with wild shrubs and empty. The arrived at Kunduz in Afghanistan. After some stupas were mostly broken down. At the capital, spending some time there, he proceeded with a Purushapura (Peshawar) there was only one few monks to Balkh, formerly the capital of the monastery with fifty (Mahayana) monks. The Bactrian kingdom of Milinda. Balkh had about a decline was largely attributed to devastation by hundred monasteries and three thousand monks. the “white Huns” a nomadic Turk-Mongol people of the Eurasian steppes when they passed After paying reverence to the sacred relics at through two centuries before. Most of the local Balkh, he made the difficult and dangerous inhabitants were no longer Buddhist. journey across the Hindu Kush mountains to Bamiyan. Here the people worshipped the Three Travelling north, he arrived at Udyana. This had Jewels (ie. the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) but been a flourishing centre of Buddhism during the still maintained about a hundred tutelary deities, time of Fa Hsien’s visit (a Chinese monk which the merchants sought to propitiate when traveller who had gone to India some three business was bad. There were ten monasteries, centuries earlier in search of monastic training). with about a thousand monks of the But now all of its monasteries lay waste and Lokuttaravadin school of Hinayana Buddhism. desolate. Formerly, there were some eighteen thousand monks, but now there were very few. Hsüan Tsang saw the two colossal Buddha He continued his journey, travelling through images, about 55 and 35 metres tall, carved out Kashmir, and eventually reaching ed the river of a mountain-side in the 4th and 5th centuries Ganges. AD, and mistook the smaller one to be bronze due to its gilded surface. He also saw a large He went to Kosambi to visit a building that the reclining Buddha image and paid reverence to Buddha used to stay in. He also visited many some tooth relics. [Note: In 2001 the Taliban, other places associated with the life of the an Islamic fundamentalist group controlling Buddha. Afiganistan at the time, destroyed the ancient Buddha images, despite worldwide protest.] He was in Nalanda around 635 AD and enrolled at the famous Nalanda University; India’s Moving eastward, Hsüan Tsang entered the premier Buddhist seat of learning. Admission passes of the Hindu Kush and arrived at the was based on learning. Only twenty to thirty country of Kapisa. It had one about hundred percent of candidates passed. Hsüan Tsang monasteries with six thousand Mahayana monks, already had a solid grounding of scholarship, and and a monastery with three hundred Hinayana gained admission to the university. There he monks. There were also some ten Deva temples studied Yogacara philosophy under the famous teacher Silabhadra. Studying under Silabhadre Hsuan Tsang’s mastery of the various forms of was an important aspect of Hsuan Tsang’s time Buddhism, as well as Brahmanism, and his very in India. He was deeply grateful for this presence had deeply impressed everybody. King opportunity. At Nalanda Hsuan Tsang also Harsha declared him the winner and invited studied Hindu philosophy and mastered the Hsuan Tsang to ride around the city on a large Sanskrit language. highly decorated elephant announcing his victory. Hsuan Tsang declined to do this - not In 638ce he tried to visit Sri Lanka to study the being one to get infatuated by praise and Theravada form of Hinayana Buddhism. adulation. Continuing south through a wild forest district, he arrived at Kanchipuram (near Madras), where On the last day of the “great debate”, the there were about a hundred monasteries with ten Brahmins tried to sabotage the assembly by thousand Mahayanist monks.
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