Xuanzang's westward journey to the east: casting a monument to the history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries

In a speech at UNESCO Headquarters in March 2014, President Xi Jinping said of Gen Xuanzang, "China's Tang Dynasty Xuanzang traveled west to learn from the scriptures and endured hardships, embodying the tenacity of Chinese learning foreign cultures". Master Xuanzang traveled 800 miles of quicksand, passing through more than 70 countries, took 17 years to retrieve Buddhist scriptures from India, and spent 19 years translating classics. Based on his legendary experience, later generations interpreted a well-known "Journey to the West" for women and children. In fact, Xuanzang's real experience is far more exciting and moving than "Journey to the West".

Xuanzang traveled west

Anyone who has read "Journey to the West" knows that Xuanzang was named "Royal Brother" by Emperor Taizong of Tang and was ordered to go to the Western Heavens to learn the scriptures. However, the novel's interpretation is very different from real history. In fact, Xuanzang's path to scripture began with smuggling at the border pass. At that time, Li Shimin had just ascended the throne, the rule of Zhenguan had not yet arrived, and the entire Tang Dynasty was filled with an atmosphere of "the national government is still new, and the borders are not peaceful". The Northern Turkic Jieli Khan once had 100,000 troops and directly approached Chang'an, but fortunately Li Shimin rode alone to persuade him to retreat. The imperial court, which was bent on preparing for war, was worried about the outflow of strong labor and insufficient troops, so it issued a "border ban order". Under these circumstances, Xuanzang's application to leave the country for the westward journey was not officially approved.

Therefore, Xuanzang could only choose to smuggle. In the second year of the implementation of the "border ban order", a frost famine occurred around Chang'an, and the imperial court allowed the people of Chang'an to go out and flee the famine. Xuanzang blended into the crowd and left Chang'an to reach the border pass. Due to smuggling, Xuanzang was once repatriated to his hometown by the government and even wanted for arrest. In Guazhou, he became acquainted with a Hu man named Shi Panda. Shi Pantuo was willing to follow Xuanzang to the west, and asked the master to take the ordination for him, changing from a Hu to a Hu monk. "Hu Monk" is pronounced similarly to "猢狲", and this Shi Panda is the prototype of Sun Wukong. In the novel, Sun Wukong tries to protect Tang Monk, but the real Shi Pantuo gives up halfway, because he is worried that he will be implicated by Xuanzang and be convicted of smuggling.

Even though he was alone, Xuanzang headed west without hesitation, because he had always had the beliefs he had always had. Since childhood, Xuanzang has made a vow of "Far Shao Rulai, Near Light Legacy". But he found that due to the uneven translations, people's understanding of Buddhism was mixed. Fortunately, Chang'an, where Xuanzang was located, was the "international metropolis" at that time. Foreign merchant spokes, Hu Ji Dang, and Fan Monk Yunyou are all ordinary scenes on the streets of Chang'an. One of the Indian monks instructed Xuanzang to go to Nalanda Monastery in India to seek the true scriptures. Since then, Xuanzang has established the belief of "vowing to go to the West to follow the law of the past".

It is this belief that underpins Xuanzang's ambition to "never move one step east to bear the forerunner's heart." Along the way, through the long yellow sand and over the snowy mountains, Xuanzang relied on his thoughts. More sinister than physical geography is political speculation, and he can be drawn into power struggles and sectarian conflicts in various countries along the way, and Xuanzang relies on wisdom. More difficult than political entanglement is the torture of the soul, the journey of the unknown and the endless loneliness, which erode the inner world all the time, and Xuanzang relies on faith. "During the Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, and Tang dynasties, the senior monks sought the Fa and left Chang'an. Hundreds of people go to nowhere, and the latter knows that the former is difficult. The road is cold, and the sand river is tired. Later generations who do not understand the will will often read the scriptures easily. This is the true portrayal of Xuanzang's seeking method.

After going through hardships, Xuanzang finally got his wish. He entered Nalanda Monastery, the highest school of Buddhism in India, and sought the teachings of the ordained masters. At the end of his studies, king Jieri organized a five-year debate throughout India. The foreign monks from the eastern land shined in the birthplace of Buddhism, and for 18 days no one was able to refute Xuanzang. Since then, he has been praised by the Mahayana sect as the "Mahayana Heaven" and by the Hinayana sect as the "Liberation Heaven". The stowaways of that year eventually became the "most cattle international students".

Xuanzang returned to the east

No matter how far he went, Xuanzang never forgot why he set out. No matter how the powerful monks in India were retained, Xuanzang resolutely embarked on the journey back to his hometown. Although the road to the Western Heavens is not easy, the journey back to the Tang Dynasty is not smooth. After all, Xuanzang was saddled with the crime of "smuggling out of the country". When Xuanzang walked to Khotan, he wrote to the imperial court and threw stones to ask for directions. He confessed that he had "risked the charter and secretly gone to Tianzhu", and also expressed his desire to return to his hometown. In a state of uneasiness, Xuanzang waited for Tang Taizong's edict, "Master Wen has visited the Dao Special Domain, and now he must return it, and he is overjoyed." But come quickly and meet with you."

Datang tolerated Xuanzang, and Xuanzang also gave back to Datang. After Xuanzang returned to China, he completed four important tasks: first, it took 19 years to organize special forces to translate a large number of Buddhist scriptures; second, to introduce Indian Buddhism and establish the Fa Xiang Wei Zhi Sect; third, to translate Chinese classics such as the Tao Te Ching into Sanskrit and spread Chinese culture to the western region; fourth, at the request of Tang Taizong, he dictated what he saw and heard in the west, forming the "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty".

For the Tang Dynasty, the Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty was a strategic guide to open up the Silk Road in the Western Regions. Since the demise of the Han Dynasty, the vast Tang Dynasty has once again set its sights on the Western Regions. The brilliant Tang Taizong was eager to restore the historical glory of the Silk Road. Tang Taizong urgently needed to understand the situation in the Western Regions. Xuanzang was familiar with the geographical conditions, political systems, and customs of the countries in the Western Regions. As a result, the "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" dictated by him also became the first-hand information of Tang Taizong's "opening his eyes to see the Western Regions", which directly laid the intellectual foundation for the Tang Dynasty to restore the land Silk Road.

For India, the Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty is an archaeological manual for reconstructing the history of India. Because india does not have a complete historical record, the British excavated the ancient ruins in India in 1837 and did not know what they were. It was by relying on the translation of the "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" translated into French and English that people realized that this site was the famous Luyeyuan in Indian history. There was found the "Ashoka Pillar", from which the lion pillar on the coat of arms of India today originated. According to Xuanzang's records, people also excavated important ruins such as Nalanda Temple to reproduce the historical memory of the Peacock Dynasty. An Indian put it this way, "Xuanzang still lives in the depths of every Indian's soul, and without his pearly writings, our history of India would not be complete."

For Central Asia, the Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty are valuable historical materials for understanding Central Asia. In the history of Cultural Exchanges between China and foreign countries, Central Asia is the intersection of Greek, Islamic, Indian and Chinese civilizations. On this stage, the fusion of civilizations is certainly endless, but the fights between each other are also frequent. Due to frequent wars, ethnic migration, and harsh environment, the historical materials left in Central Asia are extremely rare, so the "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" is extremely precious. With a "Record of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty", Xuanzang's influence was no longer limited to the Buddhist community, but radiated to the entire history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.

Xuanzang phenomenon

Master Xuanzang's journey from the west to the east has created a monument in the history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, which has aroused countless comments from later generations. The disciples said he was "the Dharma General of the Buddha", Lu Xun called him "the backbone of the Chinese nation", and Liang Qichao respected him as "a person throughout the ages". People praise the spirit of Xuanzang, but rarely talk about the "Xuanzang phenomenon". The so-called "Xuanzang phenomenon" means that there is no shortage of Western Heavenly Scriptures in Chinese history, but few have passed on the scriptures and sent treasures. In history, even in the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty, which had great national strength, China would only welcome Japan to send Tang envoys to China to study, but would not force Japan to accept Chinese culture.

The "Xuanzang phenomenon" contains the civilization gene of the Chinese nation that "has heard to learn, but has not heard of teaching". The Chinese nation does not engage in ideological export, which is determined by the geographical dependence of Chinese civilization. The concept of family is the core concept of Chinese civilization, so Chinese civilization has always been based on the locality, relying on the hometown, forming a family-centered "concentric circle structure", which is the unique geographical dependence of Chinese civilization. This geographical dependence has also created a civilized character of "peach and plum do not speak, and the next is self-made".

The "Xuanzang phenomenon" is not a historical accident, but an inevitability of civilization. It is precisely because of the civilization gene of "learning from the smell and not hearing the teaching", the Chinese nation has both the calm confidence of cultural self-confidence, the more inclusive and open mind, and the willingness to accept foreign cultures. This is the Chinese mind.