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Xuanzang is born in 602 CE in Lo-yang region of China
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Xuanzang's father dies in 611. He then lived with his brother Chen Su at the Jingtu Monastery in Luoyang which was supported by the Sui Dynasty state.
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Xuanzang becomes an official Buddhist monk in 622 at age 20. He heard about the monk Faxian and his journey to India, and he was concerned about misinterpreted and incomplete Buddhist scriptures in China.
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Also became interested in the Yogacara Buddhism.
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Xuanzang arrives in India in 630 in Turpan after passing through the Gobi Desert.Turpan is an oasis city in the Xinjiang Uygur Region in China. On his journey, Xuanzang passed westward through Turfan, Karashar, and Tashkent, then arrived in Samarkand.
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Xuanzang arrives in Kashmir, which is in the northwestern region of India. In Xuanzang's time, Kashmir signified the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range. Xuanzang studied in Kashmir a few years 631-633.
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Mathura is a city in the North India. After Kashmir, Xuanzang went east along the Himalayas then followed the Ganges River to the central Ganges Plain.
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After Mathura, Xuanzang settles at the Matipura Monastery and studied under Mitrasena.
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Govishan is present day Kashipur, India. In his journey after Matipura, Xuanzang went down India's eastern coastline to South India to visit Sri Lanka, but he couldn't reach it. So, he went back north along the west coast where Emperor Harsha in North India was impressed with him as a scholar and gave him great honors.
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Xuanzang settles at Nalanda Monastery and studies the scriptures of Vijnanavada or "Conciousness Only" under Silabhadra. Xuanzang became Silabhadra's disciple during this time. This is the Yogacara School of Buddhism.
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Kusinagara is a town and is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site. Xuanzang went here to continue his Buddhist studies, because that is where Buddha died.
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In India, Xuanzang went to sacred sites, studied with Indian teachers, and collected over 1000 rolls of Buddhist texts.
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Emperor Taizong of Tang had him write the "Record of Travels to the Western Regions." Emperor Taizong offered to give Xuanzang a career in foreign policy, but he declined and instead spent life translating Indian texts into Chinese.
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Xuanzang returns to China along southern trade route through Central Asia and reached Chang-an, China, in 645. There was a great procession to celebrate Xuanzang's return. Xuanzang returned to China with 657 Buddhist works. For the last 19 years of his life, Xuanzang returned translated 75 of the 657 works he brought home. He collaborated with more than 60 people. Xuanzang wanted to answer if all beings could attain Buddhahood and how the path to awakening was to be discovered.
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Xuanzang dies on February 5, 664 at the age of 62.
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The Sui Dynasty collapses in 618 and Xuanzang and his brother flee to Chang'an. He studied in the Kong Hui monastery for a few years.
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Xuanzang goes to India through Hindu Kush mountains. He was inspired in a dream that he needed to go to India. He wanted to discover the origin of Buddhism and find correct translations of Buddhist scriptures. Xuanzang had to leave China illegally, since it was not legal to leave China at that time. After he headed out of the gates he entered the Gobi Desert.
