During the Tang Dynasty, in the city of Chang'an, the emperor at this time was leading the civil and military officials to send an important person away with a huge momentum. I saw this man in robes, and it turned out that he was a monk. The time to leave had arrived, and the monk was preparing to go away on horseback, but he saw Tang Taizong grab a handful of soil and put it in the wine, and he must make sure that the monk drank the cup of wine. It means not to forget the homeland. The emperor's order could not be disobeyed, so the monk drank wine and rode away on horseback. Tang Taizong looked at the distant back, and there was infinite sadness in his heart.
This story I believe many people know, this is a clip in the TV series "Journey to the West". This monk was the Tang monk. The purpose of his visit was the Great Lei Yin Temple. The scale of the farewell was grand, and it turned out that Tang Monk had saved Tang Taizong's life. As a result, when Tang Monk was about to go west, Tang Taizong also married him as a brother, and Tang Monk became a royal brother from then on.
In Journey to the West, Tang Monk is a real person. But his way to the west was not as the novel wrote, and the emperor came to see him off. In the novel, it is also written that when the Tang monks returned from the scriptures, they were also treated by the high level of the state. But in fact, the path of Tang Monk's westward journey can be described as a series of twists and turns, and it has gone through countless hardships.
Tang monk, the real legal name in history is Xuanzang. He was born in 602 in the northwestern region of the Shaolin Temple in Songshan. Perhaps it was this place of birth that made him a high-ranking monk in the future.
Master Xuanzang, originally surnamed Chen, was named Yi. His father, Chen Hui, was a confucian and elegant man. Influenced by his father, Xuanzang was talented and loved to learn when he was young. He studied Buddhism with his second brother from an early age, and at the age of 13, he became a monk. After becoming a monk, Xuanzang still tirelessly sought the Dharma, visited famous teachers all over the world, learned from the strengths of all the families, and was respected by the world around the age of 20.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism was introduced to China, and the translation of Buddhist scriptures became popular, but for various reasons, the translated Buddhist scriptures were obscure and difficult to understand, and there were many differences, which were not conducive to the development of Buddhism if they were not eliminated. Before him, there were countless monks who traveled west to learn the scriptures, such as the Fa Xian of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. This directly inspired Xuanzang's determination to go west. Sensing this, Xuanzang decided to go to Tianzhu himself to explore the Dharma.
However, the Tang Dynasty, which had not been founded for a long time, strictly forbade monks to leave the country. What to do? He saw an opportunity. In the third year of Zhenguan, Chang'an was hit by a fire, and the imperial court allowed the people to go around to earn a living. Xuanzang seized this opportunity, mixed with the crowd, and left Chang'an City. It can be seen from this that the courage and boldness of Master Xuanzang is not the image of the timid rat in the novel.
After a long journey, Master Xuanzang reached the liangzhou territory, where he lived for more than a month and was preparing to continue his westward journey, but was blocked by the defender Li Daliang. He insisted on escorting Xuanzang back to Chang'an. Fortunately, two monks helped him at this time, and in the middle of the night, he climbed out of the city wall with a rope and secretly left.
After many days of wind and food, he came to Guazhou after a day and night trip, and the local officials had doubts about Xuanzang's identity, and in desperation, he could only reveal his identity. When one of the officials learned of his true identity, he was so impressed with his behavior that he tore up the arrest documents on the spot and helped him leave.
After leaving Guazhou, an even more dangerous situation awaited Xuanzang. After bidding farewell to the local officials, he walked into the vast expanse of the desert, by which time his horse was dead and the two monks who followed him had long since left him. Lonely and alone, he looked stubborn.
At this time, there was a Hu person who was willing to go with him, but when he walked into the desert, the scene in front of him made this Hu people retreat and leave Xuanzang, and Xuanzang at this time truly became a lonely man.
There is no threat from officers and soldiers, but there is a greater danger in the harsh natural environment. The mirage is like a devil, and the yellow sand of the sky occasionally passes by. The water on Xuanzang's body was sprinkled with no drops left. He finally felt frightened and thought of retreating. So he walked back, but folded back. Hungry and thirsty, he eventually fell. At some point, Xuanzang woke up, and with the firm belief that if he did not reach Tianzhu, he would never return to the east", and finally stepped out of the vast desert step by step and came to Gaochangguo.
In Gaochangguo, the king was greatly appreciated by Xuanzang for his erudition, and he wanted Xuanzang to stay in his country and promote Buddhism, but Xuanzang refused. The king had to let him go, but only if he returned from India that he would live in Gaochang for three years and preach for a month. Xuanzang agreed one by one.
After all kinds of dangers and obstacles, Xuanzang finally came to the fascinated India in 631 and entered the Nalanda Monastery to study.
In 641, Xuanzang began to return to China, and after living in Gaochangguo for a year, he finally returned to Chang'an and received warm hospitality.
After returning to China, Xuanzang began to preside over various translation work, during which time he also wrote the "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty", which broadened people's horizons and enhanced people's understanding of the world.
In 644, a generation of masters passed away. Where the bones are buried has become a mystery for eternity.