A Biography of the Tripitaka Master of the Great Ci'en Monastery of the Great Tang Dynasty (BDK English Tripitaka) Hardcover – May 31, 2006

Very nice item.

Don't be fooled by the hefty title and scholarly cover of this book, inside is a grand adventure waiting to unfold! This book is an account of the amazing life and journey of the Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang who, drawing on his own initiative and inner resources, travelled overland via the silk route from China to India with the noble intention of acquiring the true teachings of the Buddha in original Buddhist texts, so as to clear up prevailing scriptural confusion in his homeland.Most people know Xuanzang as the effeminate, somewhat hapless monk who has to be shepherded by his clever monkey-disciple in the fictionalized story "Journey To The West". Few know that the real Xuanzang was one of the most courageous and heroic men the world has ever known. This biography, transcribed by his disciple, records Xuanzang's arduous 19-year journey to and sojourn in India and the awe-inspiring feats and ordeals he underwent in fulfilling his mission. The account gives the most imaginative romances and boldest adventures a run for their money. In fact, this epic adventure beats them all, because this is not fiction, it was real. This man actually existed. He went. He saw. He learnt. He thrived and survived. He came back. He recorded and translated. He left a legacy with deep roots. Today, Buddhism thrives in the East because of his efforts. Today, the Indian subcontinent's Buddhist history is uncovered because of him and his records.One can learn a lot from reading this book. One learns not just about the cultures of the day that Xuanzang encountered, or about the geography of the areas he passed through and the Buddhist communities and the monastic orders of the time, but also about the immensity of the human spirit in its quest for truth. One marvels at the towering character of this man who sets out with no more than a scrawny red horse to travel - at the risk of imprisonment, starvation and death - across uncharted deserts and snowy mountains to a land he had only heard of, and returns 19 years later bearing caravans of precious scriptures and Buddhist relics having conquered not only nature but also the entire philosophical world of ancient India. You have to admire the character of this man who had kings all along the silk route and in India trying to retain him and ready to war each another to secure his audience, but who chose to return to his own country, where he had to beg pardon from the Tang emperor for daring to undertake a journey that defied imperial prohibitions on travel. This was a man who dedicated 19 years to studying and acquiring scriptures in difficult foreign climes, a good millennium before modern transport, globalization and cross-culturalism made foreign travel easy and popular. He then faithfully translated the scriptures be brought back until his life-force was completely used up, for the sole edification and benefit of his clueless fellow countrymen. His descriptions of the folklore, culture, society, economy, geography and architecture of the countries he passed through on his epic journey were so exact they serve as an infallible guide for archaeologists 1300 years later. Yet, his faith, virtue, learning and spiritual attainments were so high dacoits and deities alike were moved to follow his advice, instructions and example.To me, Xuanzang's life is one of the greatest stories ever lived and told. Here was a man who pledged his life to noble ideals and lofty aims in the service of which he never once tired. This man could not be swayed by fame, riches, acclaim, allure, or threat of death and injury from his original goals, all of which he unerringly achieved against daunting odds of distance and time. If there was ever a story about the triumph of the human spirit, this is it. I bow down to this great Master whose life I find truly inspiring.