Xuanzang
The pines, wind, water and moon are not as good as those of Tsinghua; the dew of immortals and the pearls can only make them bright and moist.
——Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, "Preface to the Holy Teachings of the Tripitaka of the Tang Dynasty"
Introduction
Xuanzang (602-664 AD), surnamed Chen, given name Yi, His Buddhist name is Xuanzang, he is known as "Master Tripitaka" in the world, and he is commonly known as Tang Monk. A native of the Feng family in Luozhou (now Yanshi, Henan). Tang Dynasty Buddhist scholar, Buddhist scripture translator, and founder of the Consciousness-Wei Sect (also known as the Faxiang Sect).
Character Notes
Xuanzang’s grandfather and great-grandfather both served as officials in the Northern Dynasties. His father Chen Hui did not choose to enter the official career. Xuanzang's second brother became a monk in his early years and was proficient in Buddhist scriptures and also studied Confucian and Taoist classics. Under the educational influence of his father and brother, Xuanzang became a monk when he was a teenager.
After becoming a monk, Xuanzang visited famous Buddhist teachers. Feeling that there were differences in the theories of various schools and it was difficult to reach a conclusion, he decided to go to Tianzhu to study Buddhism. In the first year of Zhenguan (AD 627), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzang set out from Chang'an, the capital, and traveled westward through the Yumen Pass in Liangzhou, and finally arrived in Tianzhu after many difficulties. He first studied under Jie Xian at Nalanda Temple, and later traveled to various parts of India to study and debate with local scholars, making him famous throughout the Five Zhu Countries. After seventeen years and a journey of 50,000 miles, he traveled west to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures and brought back 52 baskets and a total of 657 Buddhist scriptures. In the 19th year of Zhenguan (AD 645), he returned to Chang'an and organized a translation of the scriptures. There are 75 classics and treatises, totaling 1,335 volumes.
Main idea
Xuanzang founded the first Buddhist sect in the Tang Dynasty, the Consciousness-Only Sect. Xuanzang scholars hold various schools of thought, but they still admire the consciousness-only theory taught by Jie Xian and systematically translate the theory of consciousness-only theory. This theory has a relatively strict logical system and is a very cumbersome subjective idealism theory. It advocates "the mind is the only one in the three realms" and "the consciousness is the only one in all things." It is believed that "Alaya Consciousness" is the origin of the world, and all phenomena in the universe are derived from "Alaya Consciousness". It also promotes the theory of "five castes", which believes that people of the Three Vehicles of Sound Hearers, Paccekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas have innate determined roots and will definitely be able to achieve enlightenment; there are also those with undetermined roots, that is, it is difficult to determine whether they can achieve enlightenment; and there is also a non-caste type. People cannot enter the Tao. Thus creating the unique Consciousness-only Sect. There are many talents under Xuanzang's sect, and his disciples Shenfang, Jiashang, Puguang and Guiji are known as the "Four Philosophers". Guiji played a great role in inheriting the legal system and establishing the sect. Silla (today's North Korea) Xuanzang had great attainments in Yinming studies and translated works such as "Yinming Zhenglimen Lun" and "Yinming Zhenglimen Lun". /p>