B10-Master Xuanzang/Hsuan Tsang (596-664)

Master Xuanzang/Hsuan Tsang (596-664) is the legendary pilgrim, translator and Chinese Patriarch and Founder of the Fa-hsian School. This seventh century Chinese monk left China against his emperor’s orders and traveled to India in search of Buddhist texts that were not then available in China. After traversing the famous Silk Road, he reached his destinations, met the rulers of the land at that time, and studied his favorite text, the Yogacarabhumi-shastra under the famous teacher Shilabhadra of Nalanda University. Nearly fourteen years of his life (from 630 to 644 CE) were spent visiting Buddhist temples and monasteries, cities and places of interest in the Indian subcontinent including what is now known as Afghanistan. His study of the Bamiyan monasteries and colossal Buddhas have inspired art historians to make a thorough study of the cultural history of Afghanistan. He recorded his pilgrimage in great detail, capturing the state of Buddhism in the world at that time and documenting many sites and events. He returned to China a hero and spent his remaining years translating the many sutras and commentaries that he brought back to China.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III mentions this holy being in several discourses and devotes several pages to him in Imparting the Absolute through the Heart Sutra. It is Master Xuanzang’s translation of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra that the Buddha Master used and that we chant every day at the temple. This course will study The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions, an account completed by Master Xuanzang in 646 CE for the Emperor of China that documented his journey to India as well as several books about this amazing monk including The Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang by Sally Wriggins; the classic Journey to the West:; and others.

This course is included even though it has not yet been developed as a course for LFBCS as it includes an important Patriarch of the Chinese Fa-Hsian School, who is worthy of our study and will be added in the future.

This course requires that G02, G03(A), and “D35(A)-The 128 Evil and Erroneous Views” be completed as a prerequisite to taking this course.