left home> went to Shao-lin 今 m<ma5lery, xand lived mainly on roots and fruits. He derived great pleasure from classics (Chinese)* He himselT was a good writer. He did not
1. M» Tuan*
丨
iri, a scholar of unrivalled erudition，belonging to the 4<cJia- ing period of the Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960*1279 A.D.) and the rising of the YiiaD Dynasty (A.D. 1280-1341 A.D.) recorded an important event, wh«n the T*ang Emperor T*ai-T#ung sent Wang H*6an-t’$€ » a head of a n«w mission to tbc court of Harsha, the king of K anatj, India^ in A.D. $4). He again 5€«t as tnvoy m A.I>. 643. In the next missioa m A.D. 646, W*ng HsOan*tfse arrived in India, when. King HarshavardhaAa kad already died. The envoy received a ch^ck at the hands of Arjuitft or w h o usurped the throne in A.D. 648. Waag Hsuan*t*se went back to Tib^t and wicK丨
he he^> of che famous King Srong-btsan-Gampch defeated Am秘
v& and took ham to China as a priaoocr-of-war. This story oT the Chinese cavoy has little hUtorical v%lue.A very cordiat and iacinmtc relitioa was established between (ftdift and China just after Hsuan*chuang*5 return to China from India.
2. ShaO'Iin monastery is situated on the Sung tnounuift in Hu-nan Province
，
Thi# trvonastc.ty is ^ccially famous for its nine yeart association with Bocihidharm&(Lo-yang-cKia-Iaa.chi) who first starred the Intuitional school (Dhyaoa or Ch^an) in China.like the noise and hubbub of the woild. He liked the quiet and peaceful life of the monks and sages.
He left t % Pa-sKoi1 for S&n-Wu丨上要 where he relinquished cvtrything，put on mcmk*s robe and became a mendicant under the guidance o f the preceptor
Ts’0"cli’an, DhyinarasmL He wanted to imbibe the wisdom of his venerable ceacber, but could not succeed. After trying for many years, he learned the Doctrine o f the Lord. Hereafter, lie went to ^ ^ Chl-chou5 where the Dhyinamaster 艺. Jen was living. Under his guidance, Dbyanara^mi practised purifying his body and mind but could not awslcen his soul.
Next, he crossed the ;|p Hsia呢4 river, passed over the 衆 Hcng-ling4 mountain, entered the Kuei-lin monastery and hid himself in a solitary place for many years studying the religion. There he became the disciple of the Dhyanamascer Chi. He stayed there enjoying the beauty of the mountain and river. The solitude and natural beauty of the vase forest enaiooii- rcd him. So he wrote (directed his pen) poems describing his inner feelings aroused by the surrounding gloomy fountains and hills. These poems expressed, his extreme soft feelings for b u for-ofF home.
Then he acquired excellent knowledge from the teacher of San-wu and learned many things from the talented $cho]ars of Chin<hiang. He was o f very pleasant character and was never affected by anyone’s flattery.
88 Chintst Monks
1. A part of Ho*nan and Sh«n-si. Eight riven— S ^ C h’cn ，S, Gbinff, •:
胥
Wei, Feng, 钱
K ao,■ :务
Liao
, ， 矣
ChQ also called Farch'Oftn. T ie Vuan V ol. I , p . S€2» folio 2.2. Tan-yang. Vttrmg the time of tbe T a n g , it comprised parts of Cbiang*
•u (Kiai^-su) and Anbul.
3. Ch’i*chou ia H u ^ - d a o u Fu. Hu-pci (JU t 30° 03*N, Long. 115*, 25’£ ) .
4. A ]ar^6 tributary of the Yang-tie. It flows through Mu»Aan, On« oT the five sacred moontftios la central Hu>qxa.
IS Monks 89 He left China with a fervent desire to visit and pay homage to tbe Western lands. Fortune favoured him ; he happened to meet the D hyinam aster 束付 Wu*h$mg and came to an agreement w ith him (to sail for Western countries).
He reached 含'消 He*p'ul and sailed for the boundless sea.
Due to unfavourable wind he could not proceed farther and remained a t 上景Shcng-ching.*
He resumed his journey again and reached Chiao-chou where he passed the summer retreat. Next, at the end o f winter, he embarked a ship from the port, reached Srl-bhoga in South Sea.
The experience they gathered in their travel was recorded in the narrative o f the Dhyana-master Wu-hsing. They passed two years in the monastery o f G reat Enlightenm ent. W ith pious mind and sincere devotion, he worshipped the Lord. T here he practi
sed and recited the Sanskrit ^ascras. Thus he improved his language gradually. After teaming the Sabda $&stra (a Treatise on words and their meaniags)> he acquired (he ability to under- siand Sanskrit scripture). He also studied the rules and cere*
monies o f the V inaya texts and Abhidharma. He already could expound KoSa and achieved great proficiency in HetuoidyS (Logic).
In the Naland& monastery he specially learned the M ahayana and sitting on the B o d h im a ^ a of the monastery o f Faith, he learned the H inayina. As a &mous monk, he was very strict and rigorous in foilowing the rules o f the Orders. Being a very diligent and mindful student, he never wasted a single minute.
He also studied the Vinaya Sutras composed by the monk 德 Tc*kuang» PuQyaprabha. H e was talented enough to translate (into Chinese) itmnediately whatever h t heard. As a traveller, he possessed nothing but notc-books. Very seldom he reposed; always he kept sitting. H e haH no desire. Pure, simple and honest, he was not only respectful to his superiors and elders b u t also polite to subordinates and yoi
t. A district {ormiag the prcfectural city of uan^^tunf； Lac.
21* 39*N; Long. 108' 5&*E.
2. Sec ARBRPJMA. p. 12, fa. 4.
90 Chinete Monks