Hiuen Tsang

HIUEN TSANG

A Buddhist Pilgrim from China


Hiuen Tsang, a Chinese pilgrim who came to India in A.D. 629, was the most distinguished Buddhist scholar of his times. He stayed in India for 16 long years, travelling extensively and holding discussions with Buddhist scholars all over the country. A keen intellect, an enquiring mind, profound scholarship and, above all, a deep attachment to India, were the hallmarks of his impressive personality. Hiuen Tsang's services to the spread of Buddhist knowledge in China are inestimable. His story illustrates the greatness of the human spirit in the face of heavy odds. His wisdom and scholarship were like the sun, bringing light to the world. When Hiuen Tsang, the learned pilgrim from China, made the perilous journey to the land of Buddha, his

prayers were said to work miracles. From Turfan to Bamiyan, and from Gandhara to Prayag, hostile rulers and merciless thieves were rendered powerless by his calm courage. His accounts bring 7th-century India to life even today.