Buddhism was introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty and gradually flourished during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties. Many people became monks, Buddhist temples and pagodas spread across the land, and the translation of Buddhist scriptures was carried out with great vigor.
During the process of translating Buddhist scriptures, many people could only rely on their knowledge of Sanskrit and their own understanding to produce translations. Sanskrit, being an elegant language, posed considerable difficulties for translators, causing the work of translating Buddhist scriptures to lag far behind the spread of Buddhism. As a result, some people conceived the idea of traveling to India, the birthplace of Buddhism. They wanted to go there to see the authentic Buddhist texts and understand the true essence of Buddhism.
Faxian, a monk during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was the first Chinese monk to travel to India in search of Buddhist scriptures. He was proficient in Sanskrit and possessed deep Buddhist knowledge. In 399 AD, Faxian set out from Chang'an to journey to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. After a arduous trek, he arrived in India, where he stayed for three years, reading a vast number of Buddhist texts. He then returned to his homeland with the scriptures. He traveled to India by land and returned by sea, drifting on the ocean for three years and enduring countless dangers before finally reaching his motherland.
Faxian's spirit deeply moved many Buddhists. From then on, many monks embarked on the journey to India to seek Buddhist scriptures. In the early Tang Dynasty, Xuanzang also followed this path.
Xuanzang, originally named Chen Yi, was born into a scholarly family. Influenced by his father from a young age, he began reading Confucian classics and gained a solid foundation in Confucian knowledge. At thirteen, due to his family's decline, he and his second brother Chen Su became monks at Jingtu Temple in Luoyang. During the late Sui Dynasty, chaos erupted across the land as rival powers rose, and Li Yuan raised an army in Taiyuan to overthrow the Sui, establishing the Tang Dynasty. Xuanzang then went to the capital Chang'an to study Buddhism. Hearing that most renowned monks were in Sichuan, he traveled to Chengdu to continue his studies. Under the guidance of several eminent monks, he quickly mastered the essence of many Buddhist scriptures, earning great renown.
To resolve his doubts about Buddhist scriptures and to read more of them, he decided to go to India to seek the sutras. At that time, the Western Turks were causing unrest and the border was unstable, so the court did not permit him to go to India. Later, when a famine struck the north, the court issued an order allowing people to seek their own livelihoods, and it was only then that Xuanzang got the opportunity to travel westward.
In 629 AD, Xuanzang set out from Chang'an, officially beginning his journey westward to India in search of Buddhist scriptures. However, just as he reached Liangzhou (present-day Wuwei, Gansu), an unexpected obstacle arose. At that time, the Tang Dynasty was at war with the Turks, and the imperial court had issued an order forbidding civilians from crossing the border. After learning of Xuanzang's intentions, Li Daliang, the governor of Liangzhou, commanded him to return to Chang'an. A local monk named Huiyuan, who greatly admired Xuanzang's mission, sent two disciples to escort him under the cover of night to the Jade Gate Pass.
Xuanzang arrived at the first outpost outside the Jade Gate Pass, planning to slip through quietly after dark. However, a guard spotted him and shot arrows, nearly killing him. A sympathetic guard named Wang Xiang advised him not to go west but instead to practice at a temple in Dunhuang. Xuanzang told him that his determination to journey westward was so strong that he would endure any hardship to proceed. Moved by his resolve, Wang Xiang let him pass the checkpoint. Afterward, he crossed several more outposts, and ahead lay the Gobi Desert, stretching eight hundred li. Reciting the Heart Sutra, Xuanzang trudged forward. After traveling about a hundred li, he lost his way, then knocked over his water bag and lost his supplies. In despair, he considered turning back. But then he thought, since he had vowed to reach India, how could he retreat? So, he steeled his resolve and continued westward.
After traveling for dozens of days, he arrived in Gaochang. The King of Gaochang, upon learning that Xuanzang had come to his kingdom, hosted a banquet in his honor and sincerely requested that Xuanzang stay in Gaochang to spread Buddhism. Xuanzang told the king that he was going to India to obtain scriptures and could not remain in Gaochang. Unwilling to let Xuanzang leave, the king detained him, preventing his westward journey, believing this would force him to stay. However, he clearly underestimated Xuanzang's determination. After being held captive, Xuanzang began a hunger strike in protest, going without even a single drop of water for three full days. Deeply moved, the king not only released him to continue westward but also gave him thirty horses, four disciples, and twenty-five servants. Additionally, the king wrote letters to the rulers of the countries Xuanzang would pass through, requesting them to look after him.
After that, accompanied by his servants and disciples, Xuanzang continued westward. Upon arriving in Samarkand, because the local residents did not believe in Buddhism, some people planned to burn two of Xuanzang's disciples to death. Had the king not intervened in time, Xuanzang and his companions would have been in grave danger.
After enduring countless hardships and obstacles, Xuanzang and his companions finally arrived in India. To collect and study various Buddhist scriptures, Xuanzang spared no effort in traveling throughout India. He spent five years at Nalanda Monastery, reading a vast number of Buddhist texts and mastering the Tripitaka—the collections of discourses, monastic rules, and scriptures—earning him the title "Master of the Tripitaka."
Xuanzang's growing fame stirred jealousy among some Indian monks. One day, a monk who considered himself highly learned arrived at the gates of Nalanda Monastery, posting fifty difficult doctrinal questions on the door. He declared that if anyone could solve even one of these questions, he would immediately commit suicide. He arrogantly shouted insults outside the monastery gate, and none of the monks dared to come out and challenge him. After a few days, Xuanzang approached the gate, tore down the posted questions without even glancing at them, and began to explain them. The Indian monk was terrified, never expecting Xuanzang to unravel such difficult doctrines. Having sworn an oath, how could he go back on his word? He drew his sword to kill himself, but Xuanzang stopped him and took him on as a servant.
Upon hearing of Xuanzang's deeds, the king of Magadha was deeply moved and convened a grand Buddhist debate assembly for him, attended by the kings of eighteen kingdoms across India and thousands of eminent monks. As the chief debater, Xuanzang fielded questions from the audience, and in his responses, he demonstrated such profound Buddhist scholarship that he left his questioners speechless. From then on, Xuanzang's fame spread throughout all of India.
In 643 AD, Xuanzang left India with Buddhist scriptures and, after another two years of travel, finally returned to Chang'an.
Xuanzang's journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures lasted a total of seventeen years, covering a distance of over fifty thousand li. Although he was not the first monk to travel to India for scriptures, his achievements and influence were the greatest.