On March 7, 664, Xuanzang, the founder of the Wisdom Sect of Han Buddhism, died.
Everyone is familiar with the story in "Journey to the West", the four Tang monks and apprentices went through nine hundred and eighty-one difficulties, and finally went to the west to obtain the true scriptures.
But in history, only Tang Seng really has a historical prototype, and there are no three capable apprentices at all.
He relied on his own feet for 17 years, traveled west to seek the Dharma, and brought back Mahayana Buddhism.
Xuanzang, commonly known as Chen, a native of the Henan Gou clan, showed a deep interest in Buddhism and extraordinary understanding in his youth.
Although he has read widely translated Buddhist scriptures and interviewed many famous teachers, many of his doubts about Buddhism remain unanswered.
So in the three years of Tang Taizong's Zhenguan, with the thirst for Buddhism and the exploration of the truth, Xuanzang made up his mind and embarked on the arduous journey to India to learn scriptures alone.
At that time, the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks was still relatively tense, and the Tang Dynasty forbade people to leave the northwest region, and Xuanzang repeatedly applied to India, but none of them were approved.
He was resolute in his ambition, so he went west alone.
When passing through the Great Desert after passing through the Yumen Pass, he almost died of lack of water.
When he arrived in Gaochang, the king of Gaochang, Lu Wentai, left him to lecture and wanted him to live.
He refused and continued westward.
He overcame difficulties, obstacles and dangers along the way, such as high mountains and mountains, flying sand and rocks, barren slopes and wild forests, poisonous insects and beasts, mob detectives, checkpoints and national borders, and passed through Xinjiang, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and arrived in India.
Finally, Xuanzang arrived at Nalanda Monastery in India, the main center of Buddhist scholarship at the time.
There, he studied Buddhism in depth under the highly regarded and learned Venerable Venerable Jiexian.
Not only that, but he also traveled throughout India and Pakistan, visiting every famous Buddhist institution, interacting with countless scholars**, and gaining more and more knowledge.
Once, he read ** at the Qunucheng Academic Debate Conference, which was attended by the kings of the Eighteen Kingdoms and countless scholars of various factions, and everyone admired the profundity of Xuanzang's knowledge.
After that, he continued to travel and study.
During his time in India, Xuanzang not only enriched Buddhist philosophy, but also spread Chinese friendship and culture.
When he returned to China, he brought back a large number of Buddhist scriptures and statues.
In the nineteenth year of Zhenguan, Xuanzang returned to Chang'an and began a translation work that lasted for nearly 20 years, translating 75 Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures into Chinese, making great contributions to the spread of Buddhist culture.
Xuanzang's Wisdom Sect was the first Buddhist sect in the Tang Dynasty, and his teachings had a profound impact on later generations.
At the same time, the 12 volumes of his "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" recorded in detail the history, customs and customs of Chinese and Western countries at that time, and became a valuable material for the study of ancient history and Sino-Western exchanges.
Xuanzang's story is not only a journey of seeking the Dharma across thousands of mountains and rivers, but also a legend of faith, wisdom and perseverance.
He measured the Silk Road with his own footsteps, explored the true meaning of Buddhism with his persistent heart, and connected Eastern and Western civilizations with a broad mind.
In him, we see the bridge of cultural exchange, and also feel the unremitting desire of human beings for spiritual pursuit.
Now, when we look back at Xuanzang's journey of seeking the Dharma, we are all impressed by the extraordinary courage and perseverance he showed.
Venerable Xuanzang not only brought Mahayana Buddhism to future generations, but also left an eternal story of perseverance and dedication to the world.
Xuanzang's life is a legendary journey in the history of Chinese Buddhism.
With firm faith, he crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to obtain the true scriptures, and made great contributions to the development of China's Buddhist culture.
His deeds have become an example for later generations of monks to learn from, and have also become an eternal legend in the history of Chinese culture.
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