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Xuanzang was born in Chen Hui in Chenhe Village in the L0-yang region.His family was noted for its erudition for generations. Xuanzang was the youngest child and showed signs of superior intelligence and eagerness in observing Confucian rituals.
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When Xuanzang was thirteen he requested to take Buddhist orders and the abbot made an exception for him becuase of his "precious knowledge". Seven years later he was fully ordained at the age of twenty
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Xuanzang traveled to India and other regions of China to master the art of sanskrit. He was compelled to learn sanskrit because of the poor translations of Buddhist texts at the time. WIth his new mastery of sanskrit Xuanzang was able to accurately translate these incongruent Buddhist texts.
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While here, Xuan Zang was introduced to the king of Turpan. The king of Turpan was a devout Buddhist who gave him many letters of introduction to other Silk Road states. Xuan Zang stayed here for a month visiting monasteries before continuing on his journey.
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Xuan Zang found more than 5,000 Buddhist monks in 100 monasteries. He studied with all of these monks to gain more insight of Buddhist culture. During his time here, Xuan Zang wrote about the Fourth Buddhist Council that took place nearby.
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The "Buddhist's Holy Land" is the place of his birth, death, where the Buddha worked and recieved enlightenment. Xuan Zang visited all of these sites in Sravasti and was able to gain more information of the Buddha's life.
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Xuanzang arrived in the Chinese capital of Chang-an. With him were over 650 Buddhist texts. This collection included a copy of the "Stages of Yoga Practice" which is a major text. When he approached the emperor Taizong, he was so impressed with his findings that he asked Xuanzang to give up his life as a monk, and begin a career in foreign policy.
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This book became the most important source of Buddhism of the time. This is divided into twelve volumes which tell of the geography, land and maritime transportation, climate, local products, people, language, history, politics, economic life, religion, culture, and customs of 110 countries, regions and city-states.
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After her returned, Xuanzang dedicated his life to translating the Indian texts he found into Chinese and the Tao Te Ching into Sanskrit. His work and the work of his disciple Kuji was partly responsible for Yogacara Buddhism to become the favored practice of the Tang dynasty for a time.
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Xuanzang died at the age of 62. He was revered in China for centuries after his death, and later on was also revered in Japan by the adherents of the Yogacara school because of their access to the important texts he found. Later on, his travels became the topic for Chinese dramas and the budding art of the Chinese novel.
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Xuan Zang escaped China illegally to embark on his mission to gain a greater spiritual understanding of Buddhism. He had a dream that convinced him to journey to India.
