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There was a monk in Shandong Province’s Changqing County who was well-versed in Buddhist teachings and conscientiously maintained his purity of spirit. At the ripe old age of over eighty, hewas still in very good health.
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Time flew like an arrow. Over five centuries passed, and the mortal realm entered the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong decreed the selection of a eminent monk to expound Buddhist teachings. After careful deliberation, the court chose Master Xuanzang—a monk of profound virtue and unmatched mastery of scripture since childhood.