Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness
Buddhist monk · translator · Writer
Tang Chinese monk and translator. He traveled to India in search of Buddhist scriptures and translated a large body of texts after returning. He represents exchange between East Asian Buddhism and the Indian world.
View in catalogChang'an
Work
Nalanda
Education
Great Tang Records on the Western Regions
646
Book
Xuanzang's journey to India
629–645
Expedition · Participant
Map: Natural Earth (PD)
Born in China, he studied Buddhism from a young age. Questioning existing interpretations of scripture, he went west beyond state restrictions in search of more accurate teachings.
Traveling through Central Asia, he studied at Nalanda and other Indian centers and brought many scriptures home. In Chang'an he led translation work and, through the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, also conveyed information about India and Central Asia.
Xuanzang's journey became material for the later tale Journey to the West. The historical Xuanzang, however, was not a monster-slaying hero but a monk who devoted his life to study and translation.
Xuanzang shows that Buddhism was not merely transmitted to China but reinterpreted through the movement and translation work of learned monks. His activity helps explain networks of knowledge linking East Asia and South Asia. He is also a guide to thinking about the relationship between institutions and individuals.
