Journey to the West: Tang Sanzang's Experience

2026-03-07 10:47

In the novel Journey to the West, Tang Sanzang and his disciples defeated demons and devils all the way to the Western Paradise after 81 difficulties. Finally, they sought the true scriptures for the Tang Dynasty. In real history, Tang Sanzang's common name was Chen Yi. He was born in the Sui Dynasty and was born into a prestigious family. However, his childhood was tragic. His family was in decline and his parents died early. When he was 11 years old, he became a monk at Jingtu Temple in Luoyang with his elder brother. His Buddhist name was Xuanzang. Xuanzang had been intelligent and studious since he was a child. He was very perceptive and his reputation quickly spread throughout Luoyang. He traveled around the world, visited famous teachers, and learned many scriptures. However, he found that each master explained different scriptures and was confused, so he decided to go west to India to explore the real Dharma. At that time, he had petitioned the imperial court to travel west to seek the law but was rejected. In the third year of Zhenguan (629 AD), due to the famine among the people, the imperial court allowed the people to make a living on their own. Xuanzang set out from Chang 'an. He had sneaked out of the country. In reality, he did not have the customs clearance document given by the Tang Emperor, nor did he have an entourage. Instead, he walked alone for more than 50,000 kilometers. The entire journey to the west lasted for 17 years. He passed through 138 countries and learned more than 20 languages, including Sanskrit, ancient Indian, and Tocharian. When he passed by Gaochang Country, he was forced by the king to stay as the national teacher. However, he traveled west only to seek the law. He showed his determination through hunger strike and finally moved the king. The king and he became sworn brothers and used the strength of the whole country to help him travel west. He also wrote letters to the countries in front of him to provide convenience along the way. The desert he passed through was extremely dangerous. There were no birds or beasts in the 800-mile desert. There were no plants or humans. He once knocked over a kettle and did not drink a drop of water for five days and four nights. He eventually fainted and was woken up by the cold wind at night. He insisted on walking a few miles and found Wild Horse Spring before he was rescued. He had also encountered robbers many times and had a narrow escape. He had once encountered robbers who wanted to kill him after robbing him of his property, but because of the uneven distribution of the stolen goods, they scattered in a hubbub. He had also crossed the Great Snow Mountain, and only half of the 30 people who had traveled with him survived in a few days. However, he had always been firm in his belief and told himself that he would rather die in the Western Heaven than live in the Eastern Land. Eventually, he arrived at the Nalanda Temple of the Magadha Kingdom, the highest academy in ancient India. He studied under a famous teacher and became famous. The abbot of the Nalanda Temple wanted to pass the throne to him, but he refused. He said that he wanted to return to his motherland to enlighten the people of the Tang Empire. In the 19th year of Zhenguan (645 AD), Xuanzang returned to Chang 'an at the age of 43. He brought back 520 sets of 657 Buddhist scriptures, relics of eminent monks, and remains. He was treated with courtesy by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, and the people were shocked. He refused the invitation to be an official and stayed in the Great Mercy Temple. He spent 20 years in charge of the translation of Buddhist scriptures. In his life, he translated more than 1300 volumes of Buddhist scriptures and became the most successful Buddhist master in the history of translation. Watching Journey to the West: Sun Wukong Beats the White Bone Demon Three Times is not enough. Everyone is welcome to click to read the novel!