Under the emperor request in AD 646, I completed the book, Journey to the West in the Tang Dynasty.
Statue of Hsuan-Tsang.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Success
During my travels, my effort to translate and bring back more Sacred Budihs Books to China was sucessful. When I rreturned, I brought a number of 657 Sanskrit texts. With the emperor's support, I set up a large translation bureau in Chang'an, drawing a number of students and collaborators from all over East Asia. I was then credited with the translatin of some 1,330 fascicles of scriptures into Chinese.
Hazards
When I traveled over land along the Silk Road west toward India, it became increasingly difficult to cross the desert and mountain ranges as I moved further west.
As I approached China's extreme outpost at the edge of the Desert of Lop, I was caught by the Chinese army. Not having a travel permit, they wanted to send me to Tun-huang to stay att the monastery there. However, I answered that if they insist on detaining me, I will allow them to take my life, but I will not take a single step backwards in the direction of China.
Since the officer himself was a Buddhist, he let me passed but in order to avoid the next outpost, he lft the main foot-track and made a detour, which brought me to a place so wild that no westige of life colud be found there. There was neither a bird, nor a four legged beasts, neither water nor pasture. At the point of my final exhaustion, my only companion, a horse, turned in another direction, following his animal instinct which led them to a place where there was water and pasture. My life was finally saved. That was the worse hazard ever in my whole journey.
As I approached China's extreme outpost at the edge of the Desert of Lop, I was caught by the Chinese army. Not having a travel permit, they wanted to send me to Tun-huang to stay att the monastery there. However, I answered that if they insist on detaining me, I will allow them to take my life, but I will not take a single step backwards in the direction of China.
Since the officer himself was a Buddhist, he let me passed but in order to avoid the next outpost, he lft the main foot-track and made a detour, which brought me to a place so wild that no westige of life colud be found there. There was neither a bird, nor a four legged beasts, neither water nor pasture. At the point of my final exhaustion, my only companion, a horse, turned in another direction, following his animal instinct which led them to a place where there was water and pasture. My life was finally saved. That was the worse hazard ever in my whole journey.
Golden Age of India
Chalukya Dynasty
When I was in India, there was a golden age happening there. It was the Chalukya dynasty. During that period of time, I went over to visit the court of Puleksi II. During my time of visit, Puleksi II had divided his empire into three Maharashtrakes or great provinces comprising of 99,000 villages each. I became impressed with the governance of the empire observed that the benefits of the king's efficient administration was felt far and wide.
When I was in India, there was a golden age happening there. It was the Chalukya dynasty. During that period of time, I went over to visit the court of Puleksi II. During my time of visit, Puleksi II had divided his empire into three Maharashtrakes or great provinces comprising of 99,000 villages each. I became impressed with the governance of the empire observed that the benefits of the king's efficient administration was felt far and wide.
South Asia
I left Jalalabad which had a few Buddhist monksbut many stupas and monasteries. Ipassed through Hunza and the Khyber Pass to the east, reaching the former capital of Gandhara, Peshawar ont he other side. Compared to its former glory, Peshawar was nothing. Buddhism was a declined iin that country. I visited a number of stupas around Peshawar but my personal favourite was the Kanishka Stupa. It was built just southeast of Peshawar by a former king of the city.
After leaving Peshawar, I travelled northeast to the Swat Valley. When I reached Udyana, I found 1,400 old monasteries that had previously supported 18,000 monks. I continued moving northward and into the Buner Valley before going back via Shabaz Gharni to cross the Indus River at Hund. Thereafter, I headed to Taxila, a Mahayana Buddhist Kingdom that was a vassal of Kashmir, which is precisely where I headed next. There I found over 5,000 Buddhist monks in 100 monasteries. There I met a brilliant Mahayana monk and I spent my next two years studying Mahayana alongside other schools of Buddhism with him. During that period of time, I wrote about the Fourth Buddhist council that took place nearby, which was under the other of King Kanishka of Kushana.
In AD 633, I left Kashmir and journeyed south to Chinabhukti. I studied there for a year with a monk-prince Vinitaprabha.
In AD 634, I went east to Jalandhar in eastern Punjab, before climbing up to visit predominantly Theravada monasteries in the Kulu valley and turning southward again to Bairat and then to Mathura which is on the Yamuna river. There was 2,000 monks in Mathura of both major Buddhist branches despite being a Hindu dominated country. I then travelled up the river to Srughna before crossing eastward to Matipura. I arrived there in AD 635 having crossed river Ganges. From there I headed south to Sankasya, said to be where Buddha descended from heaven. From there I moved onward to teh northern Indian emperor Harsha's grand capital of Kanyakubja. There in AD 636, I encountered 100 monasteries of 10,000 monks and I became impressed by the king's patronage of both scholarship and Buddhism. I spent the time in the city studyiing Theravada scriptures before setting out eastward again for Ayodhya, the homeland of Yogacara school. I then moved out south to Kausambi where I had a copy made from an important local image of the Buddha.
After leaving Peshawar, I travelled northeast to the Swat Valley. When I reached Udyana, I found 1,400 old monasteries that had previously supported 18,000 monks. I continued moving northward and into the Buner Valley before going back via Shabaz Gharni to cross the Indus River at Hund. Thereafter, I headed to Taxila, a Mahayana Buddhist Kingdom that was a vassal of Kashmir, which is precisely where I headed next. There I found over 5,000 Buddhist monks in 100 monasteries. There I met a brilliant Mahayana monk and I spent my next two years studying Mahayana alongside other schools of Buddhism with him. During that period of time, I wrote about the Fourth Buddhist council that took place nearby, which was under the other of King Kanishka of Kushana.
In AD 633, I left Kashmir and journeyed south to Chinabhukti. I studied there for a year with a monk-prince Vinitaprabha.
In AD 634, I went east to Jalandhar in eastern Punjab, before climbing up to visit predominantly Theravada monasteries in the Kulu valley and turning southward again to Bairat and then to Mathura which is on the Yamuna river. There was 2,000 monks in Mathura of both major Buddhist branches despite being a Hindu dominated country. I then travelled up the river to Srughna before crossing eastward to Matipura. I arrived there in AD 635 having crossed river Ganges. From there I headed south to Sankasya, said to be where Buddha descended from heaven. From there I moved onward to teh northern Indian emperor Harsha's grand capital of Kanyakubja. There in AD 636, I encountered 100 monasteries of 10,000 monks and I became impressed by the king's patronage of both scholarship and Buddhism. I spent the time in the city studyiing Theravada scriptures before setting out eastward again for Ayodhya, the homeland of Yogacara school. I then moved out south to Kausambi where I had a copy made from an important local image of the Buddha.
Kulu Valley.
River Ganges.
Buddha.
I then returned northward to Sravasti, then travelled through Terai and thence to Kapilavastu, my last stop before Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. Reaching Lumbini, I had seen a pillar near the old Ashoka and records that he worshipped at that paticular spot.
In AD 637, I set out of Lumbini to Kusinagara, the site of Buddha's unfortunate death. I then headed southwest again to the deer park at Sarnath where Buddha gave his first sermon, where I managed to found 1,500 resident monks. Travelling eastward via Varanasi, I reached Vaisali, Paliputra and Bodh Gaya. I was then accompanied by local monks to Nalanda, the great ancient university of India where I spent at least two years. I was accompanied by several thousand scholar monks. I studied logic, grammar, Sanskrit at the Yogacara school of Buddhism during my time at Nalanda.
The Journey
I travelled over land, along the Silk Road west toward India. I crossed the Gobi Desert to Kumul in great pain, thence following the Tian-Shan westward, arriving in Turfan in AD 630. There I met the king of Turfan, a Buddhist who equipped me to go further for my travels with letters of introduction and valuables to serve as funds.
The Main Routes of the Old Silk Road.
The Gobi Desert.
Tian Shan.
I passed Aksu as I moved further west before turning northwest to cross the Tian Shan's Bedal Pass. I skirted Issyk Kul before visiting Tokmak on its northwest and met the great Khan of the Western Turk. After having a feast, I continued my journey west then southwest to Tashkent. From there, I crossed the desert further west to Samarkand. Setting out again to the south, I crossed a spur of the Pamirs and passed through the famous Iron Gates. Continuing the journey southward, I reached the Amu Darya and Termez, where I met more than a thousand Buddhist monks.
I then moved further east and passed through Kunduz, where I stayed for some time to witness the funeral rites of Prince Tardu, who had been poisoned. There I also met the monk Dharmasimha. He recommended, from the advice of the late Tardu, I should continue my trip westward to Balkh to see the Buddhist sites and relics, especially the Nava Vihara which I thought was the wasternmost monastic institution in the world. There I met over 3,000 Theravada monks, including Prajnakara, a monk that I studied Theravada scriptures with. I was accompanied by Prajnakara to Bamyan, where I met the king and saw tens of Theravada monasteries. In addition, I saw the two large Bamyan Buddhas carved out of the rockface. I then resumed my travels eastward, crossing the Shibar pass and descending to the regional capital of Kapisi. I took part in a religious debate in a fabled old land of Gandhara to demonstrate my knowledge of many Buddhist seets. After meeting my first Jains and Hindus, and pushed on to Jalalabad and Laghman, I considered myself to have reached India. That year was AD 630.
The Ancient Walls of Balkh.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Escape
Eversince I had a dream that convinced me to journey to India to bring back Budhihs Books to China, I tried persuading Emperor Tang Taizong to allow me to journey to India. However his descision was firm as the Tang dynasty and the Eastern Turk Gokturks were waging war during that time so foreign travel were prohibited. I still managed to slip out of the empire by persuading some Buddhist guards at the gates of Yumen via Liangzhou and Qinghai province.
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