Study Group Details

Monk, traveler, diplomat, scholar, translator. Xuanzang was a 7th century Chinese Buddhist monk who undertook a 17-year journey from China to India and back. His purpose was to study Buddhism firsthand in India and gather sutras for translation; however, he has left a lasting legacy beyond his contributions to Buddhist study in China. Art historians and historians have relied on his astute observations and descriptions of the various kingdoms he passed through on his 10,000-mile journey. Others have romanticized his travels in movies and books such as Journey to the West. We will trace his footsteps from Tang Dynasty China to India and back, along the famed Silk Roads, examining the cultures he encountered. This study group has a high class size capacity.