Xuanzang (629-645)

by Robert Harding

Born in 602, Xuanzang (Hsüan-tsang) was ordained as a monk at the age of 13, and spent the next 15 years studying Buddhist philosophy. He was particularly attracted to the Yogacara (Consciousness-Only) school, although there was not a single copy of its most important text, Yogasastra, in China at the time. It was Xuanzang’s desire to obtain a copy of this text, as well as other Buddhist scriptures, and to study with Indian masters, that prompted him to set out for India in 629. Refused permission by the Tang (T’ang) emperor Taizong (T'ai-tsung) to travel beyond China’s north-western borders – probably because the Tang frontier was not yet secure –- he left the capital Chang’an (Ch’ang-an) in secret, and joined a merchant caravan.

Xuanzang followed the route that had brought Buddhism into China, through Central Asia and into what are now Afghanistan and Pakistan. His account provides important descriptions not only of key religious centres along the route but also of Central Asian cities, crucial for long-distance trade, such as Turfan, Karashahr, Tashkent and Samarkand. After arriving in India, he settled in Kashmir for two years to study.

Setting out again in 633, he journeyed along the Ganges and right across northern India, visiting sites associated with the life of the Buddha. His detailed descriptions of Sravasti, Kapilavastu, Kusinagara, Benares, Vaisali, Pataliputra and Bodhgaya are invaluable records of these cities. He finally reached his destination, the great Buddhist university of Nalanda, in what is now Bihar, and spent a total of five years there mastering Buddhist philosophy. He also used it as a base from which to make further travels.

After leaving Nalanda for the last time in 642, Xuanzang visited the court of Harsha, India’s most powerful king. Harsha had established personal rule over a vast area, centred on his capital of Kanauj. The two seem to have impressed each other, and when the emperor invited Xuanzang to take part in philosophical debates he outshone all others.

Xuanzang left India in 643, escorted by guards sent by Harsha to ensure his safety. In Kashmir, an accident occurred while crossing a river that nearly cost him his life, and he lost about 50 texts. But most of his materials survived, and he was able to retrace his steps through Central Asia. When he finally returned to Chang’an in 645, it was with 657 birch-bark books, numerous images and pictures of Buddha and Buddhist saints, and 150 relics. These were borne on 20 horses and paraded through the streets of the Chinese capital. Emperor Taizong provided him with a team of assistants and he spent the rest of his life translating Buddhist scriptures into Chinese. The 75 texts he translated constitute about one-fifth of the entire Chinese Buddhist canon.

Xuanzang’s contribution was not to the Buddhist religion alone. His travel notes, written up at the request of the emperor, became an important historical, cultural and geographical record of the regions through which he travelled. The Da Tang Xiyu ji (Records of the Western Regions during the Great Tang) describes the cities and other features of the landscape, even giving distances (expressed in Chinese li, approximately one-fifth of a mile) between the various stopping points. A great number of topographical details concerning forests, rivers and regional boundaries (not to mention the Great Wall of China) are included, as well as much information about India at the time. For example, his description of the landscape, dotted with ruined monasteries, shows that Buddhism was in steep decline in many parts of India. His work also testifies to the urban decline of the time, when many great cities, such as Pataliputra in eastern India, were largely depopulated.

The detailed nature of Xuanzang’s work has helped archaeologists, scholars, travellers and explorers, such as Alexander Cunningham and Sir Aurel Stein, to locate lost cities and other sites in Central Asia and northern India. In addition to its immense geographical importance, Xuanzang’s journey has also become the subject of numerous Chinese folk stories, dramas and even a novel – one of the masterpieces of Chinese fiction – over the centuries. In some of these stories and dramatic episodes, Xuanzang, also called Tripitaka, is accompanied to India and back by such fantastic creatures as a Monkey King and a pig spirit and is miraculously saved from life-threatening situations countless times. The journey has fascinated people of all ages and has a continued appeal even today (http://www.china-on-site.com/literatu/classic/west/index.html).