Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim On The Silk Road

by Sally Wriggins

Overview

The saga of the seventh-century Chinese monk Xuanzang, who completed an epic sixteen-year journey to discover the heart of Buddhism at its source in India, is a splendid story of human struggle and triumph. One of China's great heroes, Xuanzang is introduced here for the first time to Western readers in this richly illustrated book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367216672
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/31/2022
Pages:	292
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sally Hovey Wrigginsis a writer and lecturer who has lived in Sri Lanka twice,most recently as the wife of the American ambassador. While there, she studied Buddhism with the Venerable Kheminda Thero. Her interest in Xuanzang dates back to 1977 when White Monkey King was published. Since then she has written of Xuanzang's extensive Asian travels in Archeology and Orientations.

Table of Contents

Foreword — Preface — Notes on Spelling and Pronunciation — The Pilgrim & The Emperor — The OASES of the Northern Silk Road — The Crossroads of Asia — The Land of India — Philosophers & Pirates in Northern India — The Buddhist Holy Land — Nalanda Monastery & Environs — Philosophers, Rock-Cut Caves & A Fortune-Teller — The Journey Home to China — Back in China — Afterword: The Legacy of Xuanzang — Notes on Illustrations

Editorial Reviews

A remarkable and unprecedented pilgrimage to India in A.D. 639-645 by the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang is one of the great milestones in the history of China's long love affair with Buddhism. Xuanzang returned from that trip laden with Buddhist scriptures, artifacts and a treasure trove of spiritual learning for his homeland, thus transforming Buddhism's position in China and energizing its reception by the ruling classes. Wriggins has, in this small book, provided a practical introduction to Xuanzang and a useful text accompanied by maps and photographs. Despite the fact that Wriggins's prose is often dull (the stuff of guidebooks rather than of holy travel), Xuanzang's travels prove interesting enough to make even these flaws seem minor; and Wriggins's book will provide a significant introduction to an extraordinary traveler's extraordinary contribution to Buddhist history. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly