Journey to the West
A Photographic Chronicle Retracing the Journey of Xuanzang
Saturday, January 14, 2006
1:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Evergreen Bookstore
760 W. Garvey Ave.
An exhibit of photographs of places the seventh century Buddhist pilgram Xuanzang reputedly visited in his journey to India. Presented, at the Evergreen Bookstore (Monterey Park), January 14 through January 22, by the Tzu Chi Foundation.
The International Encyclopedia of Religion describes Xuanzang as "one of the most illustrious figures in the history of scholastic Chinese Buddhism" and "world-famous for his sixteen-year pilgrimage to India and career as a translator of Buddhist scriptures. . . . Born into a scholarly family at the outset of the Tang (T'ang) Dynasty, he enjoyed a classical Confucian education. Under the influence of his elder brother, a Buddhist monk, however, he developed a keen interest in Buddhist subjects and soon became a monk himself at the age of thirteen. Upon his return to Chang'an in 645, Xuanzang brought back with him a great number of Sanskrit texts, of which he was able to translate only a small portion during the remainder of his lifetime. In addition to his translations of the most essential Mahayana scriptures, Xuanzang authored the Da tang xi yu ji (Ta-T'ang Hsi-yu-chi or Records of the Western Regions of the Great T'ang Dynasty) with the aid of Bianji (Bian-chi). It is through Xuanzang and his chief disciple Kuiji (K'uei-chi) (632-682) that the Faxiang (Fa-hsiang or Yogacara/Consciousness-only) School was initiated in China. In order to honor the famous Buddhist scholar, the Tang emperor Gaozong cancelled all audiences for three days after Xuanzang's death."
For more information please contact
Tzu Chi Foundation Tel: (909) 447-7799
www.tzuchi.org/global/silkroad
Sponsor(s): Tzu Chi Foundation
