In the late summer of 630 CE, Xuanzang(Tripitaka) entered India from the north. On foot, he mapped the uncharted lands between China and India—a feat akin to a miracle.
In Journey to the West, the pilgrimage’s destination is a mythical realm called the Western Heaven, a celestial city above the clouds inhabited by divine beings like Bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara), the journey’s guardian, and Tathāgata (Buddha), its supreme ruler. The novel’s depiction of the Thunder Temple and Buddha’s Abode likely drew inspiration from Xuanzang’s memories of Nalanda.
India’s largest monastery
Nalanda was India’s largest monastery, home to a vast academic institution predating Christ—historians regard it as the world’s first university. At its peak, over 10,000 monks studied there, delving into Buddhist teachings, Sanskrit, medicine, mathematics, logic, and more.
Xuanzang had long yearned to meet its most revered scholar: Master Shīlabhadra(Jiexian), then over 100 years old and Nalanda’s abbot. When Xuanzang arrived, he immediately paid homage to the master. Known for his stoicism, Shīlabhadra suddenly wept, astonishing all present. He greeted Xuanzang, saying:
“I am deeply grateful. You have come to liberate me from suffering.”
Confused, Xuanzang listened as Shīlabhadra explained:
“Three years ago, I fell gravely ill and wished to die. But in a dream, a golden man told me my suffering was karmic retribution. He said a monk from China would come, and I must teach him Buddha’s scriptures to atone. Now you are here.”
Moved by the prophecy, Shīlabhadra formally accepted Xuanzang as his disciple. Xuanzang’s writings in Great Tang Records on the Western Regions describe Nalanda as an earthly paradise: pavilions like constellations, towers like mountains, and pagodas piercing the clouds—a vision mirrored in Journey to the West’s celestial imagery.
Studied Buddhism in India for 13 years
For 13 years, Xuanzang immersed himself in study at Nalanda. Śīlabhadra personally tutored him in Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra(or Yogācāra-bhūmi-śāstra), a cornerstone of Yogacara philosophy. Xuanzang also traveled across the Indian subcontinent, visiting over 20 kingdoms by 640 CE before returning to Nalanda.
In 643 CE, after declining all pleas to stay, Xuanzang began his journey home. But would Emperor Taizong pardon this monk—once a stowaway?
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