Four Chinese Buddhists will follow the trail of Monk Xuan Zang
of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and present the Indian Nalanda
Buddhist temple with a Chinese Buddhist master piece.
Shi Xuecheng, vice-chairman of the Buddhism Association of
China, told reporters in Beijing Monday that the four Buddhists
will be selected from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and
Macao. They will undergo six months of bitter walking across west
China, Pakistan and Nepal, and eventually arrive in Nalanda, where
Monk Xuan Zang once lived and studied.
"Buddhism originated in India and was highlighted in China," Shi
said. Monk Xuan Zang went to India some 1,300 years ago and now, in
return, the Chinese will present India with Chinese Buddhism
thinking. The move is of great significance in cultural and
religious communication between China and India.
According to Shi, the Chinese Buddhist book will be sewed onto a
piece of 32-meter-long silk cloth, in the form of Chinese
calligraphy. Along with the book, the Chinese Buddhists will also
bring with them a sculpture of Sakyamuni, and a book
written by Xuan Zang's follower Monk Bian Ji.
Monk Xuan Zang devoted his entire life to learning Indian
approaches to Buddhism and spreading Chinese culture, Shi said. "To
follow his trail is to explore the cultural heritage of both China
and India, and the great thoughts of our ancestors who cherished
peace and love."
In the late autumn of 628, Monk Xuan Zang started his brave
journey to South Asia. He walked 25,000 kilometers and spent 19
years of his life learning Indian Buddhism. Nowadays, he is seen as
a front-rank scholar by Indian Buddhists and his story is even
written into Indian primary school textbooks, Shi said. Thanks to
his efforts, China and India have a long history of diplomatic ties
that can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty.
(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2006)
