Xuanzang's Journey to the West

Xuanzang (602–664), born Chen Yi in Goushi, Luozhou (present-day Yanshi, Henan), was a Tang Buddhist monk, translator and traveler, honored as “Master of the Tripitaka”. He became a monk at thirteen, sought out leading teachers, and resolved to go to India, the birthplace of Buddhism, to obtain true scriptures. In 627 (some say 629) he set out from Chang'an in defiance of a court ban. He passed Liangzhou, left through Yumen Pass and crossed the vast desert, nearly dying of thirst, then climbed snow mountains and went through Gaochang, Kucha and the states of Central Asia. After four years of hard travel he reached India. He visited famous monasteries and studied for five years under Master Silabhadra at Nalanda, then the highest seat of Buddhist learning, before touring the subcontinent and becoming a renowned Buddhist scholar. In 645 Xuanzang returned to Chang'an with 657 Buddhist texts and was received warmly by Emperor Taizong. He then directed translation at Hongfu Temple, Daci'en Temple and elsewhere; in nineteen years he and his disciples translated 75 works in 1,335 fascicles, making him one of the most prolific translators of scriptures in Chinese history, and he founded the Faxiang (Yogacara) school. To store the scriptures and images brought from India, he oversaw construction of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. His dictated account, written down by his disciple Bianji as the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions (Da Tang Xiyu Ji), describes the landscapes, products, customs, religions and history of 138 states and regions, and is a precious source for the history and geography of ancient Central and South Asia and for exchanges between China and other lands. The Ming novel Journey to the West is based on the story of Xuanzang’s pilgrimage.