The silk Road Journey with Xuanzang

The silk Road Journey with Xuanzang

A book The Silk Road Journey With Xuanzang ' tells an epic story of a Chinese Buddhistic monk , who traveled to India in the seventh century AD . It took him 16 years to cover 10 000 miles and reach his aim - holy Buddhist places of India . A the course of his travels Xuanzang visited the most important cities of eastern and central Asia , meeting famous leaders , philosophers and common people . The book provides an outstanding view of Asian culture , economy and traditions of the early Medieval period

p Xuanzang traveled between AD 627-643 , moving westwards along the Silk Road . He was not the first to wall this way , but he was the first to provide detailed of that , what he has seen . As he moved westwards , his way became increasingly difficult , as he had to cross desert regions and mountain terrains . He spoke about the desert : As I approached China 's extreme outpost at the edge of the Desert of Lop , I was caught by the Chinese army . Not having a travel permit , they wanted to send me to Tun-huang to stay at the monastery there . However , I answered 'If you insist on detaining me I will allow you to take my life , but I will not take a single step backwards in the direction of China . Happily , the officer appeared to be a Buddhist himself and he let the monk pass

Willing to escape the risk of being caught , he moved away from the road to a place so wild that no vestige of life coult be found there . There is neither bird , nor four-legged beasts , neither water nor pasture . It was only his fortune , which helped Xuanzang survive in the desert and reach Turfan . The king of Turfan has been so impressed by Xuanzang 's knowledge , that he refused to let him leave . The monk managed to conquer royal will peacefully by threatening a hunger strike , so the king even gave him letters of introduction for the rulers of oases along the road to assist his travel

The next remarkable city , visited by Xuanzang , was Samarkand - one of the most ancient oriental centers . Being amazed by Samarkand , the traveler wrote .this great imperial city is surrounded by a wall about seven miles in circumference , which governs a powerful state . This is a rich land , where the treasures of distant countries accumulate where there are powerful horses and skilled artisans , and the climate is most pleasant

In Samarkand Xuanzang turned to the South and passed through the famous Iron Gates to reach Termez at Amu Darya river and meet a community of local Buddhist monks . From there he traveled to Kunduz and Balkh (present Afghanistan ) to see the Buddhist statues and relics , especially the Nava Vihara , or Nawbahar , which he described as the westernmost monastic institution in the world . Here he has acquired a text of Mah ?vibh ?a , which he translated in Chinese . In the land of Gandhara he took part in a...