Original subtitles

Hello, rnzfarn. I study archaeology.

I'm looking for a book

by Alexander Cunningham.

Alright. Wait a moment.

Okay.

This is Cunningham's journal.

Have a look. Will this Work for you?

Let me see.

- Sure, madam. - Thank you.

There was a period in my life when

every night before I slept.

I read a very old Chinese book

from the Tang Dynasty.

The book was called A Journey To The West.

It was Written by a monk named Xuanzang.

And in his book, he described statues and temples all

surrounding a very, very important tree.

The tree, in fact, under which

enlightenment Was granted t0 Prince Siddhartha,the Buddha.

We found these ancient ruins.

The Mahabodhi Temple.

The Nalanda.

And in this digging,

We followed the path laid out by Xuanzang.

It was an exciting time.

And everywhere We went.

Xuanzangs descriptions and our discoveries

matched perfectly.

I've been in India five years already.

Mother said, in the year of the flood,

she put me in a Wooden basket that floated downstream.

She feared she'd never see me again.

Who'd have thought I floated into a temple

and an old monk saved me.

I've been a monk since childhood.

People say my brother took me there.

But I prefer to believe my mother.

K was fated to be a monk.

The night I left Chang'an

seems very long ago.

By Imperial Decree,

We, in sympathy with the people and their plight,

issue a special order

that they may leave

and go to Wherever, there is abundance

to survive the famine.

So be it.

The emperor

forbids travel to the wast.

Therefore the other acolytes

Won't travel with you to India.

Abbot. I've made up my mind.

You've mastered the Tripitaka.

I see no need for you to go ahead.

Although I am in Chang'an,

my heart is already on the road.

Natural disasters

left the land barren.

Years of drought led t0 mass famine.

Now, frost and locusts

forced people to flee their homes.

Buddhists could only pray.

But Buddhist texts came to China

in many different translations.

People argued points of faith.

Hearing the Sanskrit sutras,

I Wanted to go to India

t0 find the true original texts.

Walking by day, resting by night,

I lived on dew and Wind.

The further from Chang'an,

the more desolate the landscape.

This city is called Liangzhou.

It Wasn't just 'liang' - desolate,

but had an air of violence,

abandonment and desperation.

Catch the spies!

Where did he come from?

Take him in for questioning.

Name.

The humble monk Xuanzang.

A monk poking his nose into trouble.

That's how you see it.

I see it as practicing my faith.

Why are you in Liangzhou?

I'm passing through on my Way to Sidhu.

You Want t0 practice your faith, I Won't stop you.

But pass through Liangzhou on your Way to Sidhu'?

I have to ask

do you have permission?

No.

No?

How' d yeu have Chang' an'?

With the refugees.

An illegal border crossing.

You put yourself at risk

and dragged me into it too.

Your trip ends in Liangzhou.

Forget going further west.

Ten years of study and not one true text.

I need to collect the scriptures for the sake of the faith.

Don't you know the law?

His Majesty sent me, Li Daliang

to the Western regions

to strengthen the borders.

Try t0 cross and it's a year in jail.

Succeed and you get Worse.

I Want Buddhism to endure, that's all.

Your devotion moves me. I Won't punish you.

But today go back to Chang'an.

I'm ordering all officials

tom here to the West

to arrest you on sight.

Your luck runs out here.

What's up?

Mahayana-samgraha-sastra

Volume One

Translation by Paramartha.

I've been thwarted, but I Won't give up.

I'll teach here in Liangzhou

until they've forgotten my quest.

Then the Venerable Hui Wei will help me get away.

Master

Why do you wear a patchwork robe?

Buddha, meditating on the mountain,

saw the fields below

square, neat, clearly marked.

It gladdened his heart.

He had his disciples find scraps of cloth,

Wash them clean

and sew them together

t0 resemble the fields.

It's called a lucky-field robe.

A monk Wears the robe

as the hill Wears its fields,

sowing seeds of fortune with faith.

When a monk lectures

in a lucky-field robe

good fortune spreads outwards and protects the living.

"Your blue robe, ever in my mind..."

Smells nice.

Venerable

my name is Li Chang.

Bless you.

M'l0rd.

You're not him, aren't ou? Y

Tell me the truth.

That Way, I can help you out.

My name is Xuanzang and yes, I am that man.

Please help me out.

Since you admit h, X ought to arrest you

and return you to Liangzhou.

Yet seeing you

eating thin gruel out in the cold.

I saw how hard it is for a monk.

Hard, yes, but it's my destiny and I am happy with it.

Why's that?

I think only of Buddha

and of the texts I'll find in Sidhu.

I fear you Won't make it.

Say I let you pass by Guazhou.

You'll never get through Yumen Pass.

And the other road

Winds around five Watchtowers

Three hundred miles apart, no Water anywhere.

Generals guard all Water sources. It would defeat a god.

Say you make it past the five.

Behind lies the vast Gobi Desert,

just hot winds and desolation.

Most camel trains don't make it out alive.

On your own Without even a horse

all the Way to Sidhu - forget it.

My advice return east to Chang' an.

Sir,

I've come this far. I Won't turn back.

Should I die on the Way, it will be Without regret.

I got past Guazhou,

grateful to Li Chang, Who took risks to help me.

Although he tore up the Warrant

Liangzhou had sent them t0 every Western guard post.

From now on

at no pass could I let down my guard.

Otherwise, I'd fail in my quest.

From ancient times,

monks have traveled with merchant caravans.

I was grateful to them

for taking me time and again.

How' d yen get those out'?

At the frontier

they were still just eggs.

They didn't find them.

The mulberry leaves should last to Cuiye.

By then, they'll be making cocoons.

Cocoons - that means silk.

Weaving is an important art.

I've thought it through.

Next time I'm in the south, I'll marry a Weaving girl t0 take home.

I'll treat her really Well.

And We'll make silk.

With silk, I don't have t0 Work so hard

lugging stuff here and there.

May you be blessed.

You're a good man.

Venerable, I have a question.

What is the world, really?

My World

is taking things this place has

t0 a place Without them.

Coming in, I bring what China lacks

What you call

"barbarian" pepper, flax and carrot seeds.

Going out, I Want to take silkworms With me.

This is my World.

I am going to India for scriptures

to fill a lack as Well.

Monk,

We're going to pick up the pace.

Why don't you ride on a camel?

No need. I'll try t0 keep up.

Random encounters and farewells

gave joy followed by loneliness.

When I said goodbye

I was filled With worry for them.

Bandits often ambushed caravans

Who had no defense against their violence.

Please, good sir,

are any caravans heading West?

Please, good sir,

are any caravans heading West?

Monk,

there's fighting there, it's dangerous.

Forget it. No one's going.

Please, good sir,

are any caravans heading West?

Heading West?

Venerable

I'm heading West. I'll take you.

Is Sidhu far?

Very.

And you're going alone?

Yes.

Why?

Why?

It's my fate, I guess.

All right. Leave me here.

Liao Wu,

a monk may be coming to visit.

Abbot,

No one has come for six months.

Last night I dreamed a monk was sitting on a lotus

flying from east to West.

Don't disturb him.

Bodhisattva, help your disciple.

This journey 'item Chang' an

is harder than I ever imagined.

The road to India is long

and all I see is desolation.

It leaves me dazed and yet your disciple doesn't waver from his goal.

Please, help me.

I need Buddha's support

t0 reach India and the scriptures.

Good sir,

You've followed me a While. Why not Walk with me?

I'm not Worthy.

The abbot had a dream about you.

I'm Vandak. I've chased after you

to bring you food.

Please, instruct me.

Buddha gives loving protection

to those of pure heart

and trust in the 'three treasures'.

These are Buddha, dharma and monkhood.

Do you understand?

I do.

Five basic precepts govern the life of the monk.

Monks and other seekers

of inner peace follow them

no killing, no stealing, no lust,

no lying, no drinking.

I see.

It's not a big price for release.

One, no killing, two, no stealing,

three, no lust, four, no lying,

five...

no drinking.

It was hard going for a While.

Vandak showed me many shortcuts.

He'd been in a gang robbing caravans.

But they fought over the spoils.

He chose vows over impossible revenge.

This released him from vexation.

When I told him I had no travel permit

Vandak was startled, it was a shock.

He knew illegal crossings could get you killed.

He was fearful and wavering.

Master, do you know Where India is?

In my heart.

So you don't know.

Except for the road ahead

you know nothing and see nothing.

Can you really find Buddha?

You've put aside older cares

and taken on new ones

Vandak.

Yes, master?

Last night you Wanted t0 kill me.

It's true, I had thoughts of murder.

Why didn't you do it?

I was torn, confused.

Master, I've been full of regret.

Please, return to Chang'an.

You can go home.

If you Won't turn back,

it'll be the end of me.

Master, The Five Peaks lay ahead.

I can't get you past the guard post.

You'll be arrested.

That's not your problem.

But if they learn I helped you,

they Won't just kill me

but my Whole family will be in danger.

That's Why, last night,

I thought to kill you.

Vandak.

Our connection is unbroken.

Go.

Even if I am arrested,

even if I am tortured,

I will never tell them about you.

Hurry, go.

- Master. - Go.

Master. The toad to Yiwu is hug.

Find an old horse that knows the Way.

Ahead lies the vast desert.

If you insist on going,

then take my horse as an offering.

It's sturdy and knows the Way.

Still. The River of Flowing Sand,

takes nine lives out of ten.

Venerable, please reconsider.

The Tang monk

you only just got this far?

It's you!

You're still by yourself?

Yes.

Look after this horse

she's a pretty old horse.

I understand.

Will you return?

Yes.

Who are you?

A monk

from the capital.

Please spare me.

You can't be Xuanzang.

News from the east says

Xnanzang is returning to Chang' an.

All of you, leave us.

I don't Want to know your name.

So don't tell me.

It's the middle of the night.

If you were in a temple now

What would you be doing?

Early prayers.

Is that dhanna, Buddhist law?

I know nothing about it.

Have a seat.

Taking monastic vows

seems t0 make a man happy -

but not at ease.

More at ease in fact.

Why?

We know what t0 do and what not to do.

It requires no thought.

In his enlightenment, Buddha realized

the 'four noble truths'.

What's that about?

Suffering. Release.

Suffering.

Release.

I've guarded this place for seven years

and all I know is suffering. How can I find release?

Why do you suffer?

You have t0 ask?

The Watchtower is my prison.

To you, the Watchtower is like a prison.

To me, starved for 300 miles,

and finding here food and water,

it is a place of deliverance.

Nothing in life is constant.

Venerable, I spend all day Waiting for night

so I can sleep and dream.

Dream as in fantasies?

No.

Just dream. Like everyone does

no matter how hard their day.

So long as I am dreaming

I am happy-

I often dream I'm Wearing fancy Tang robes,

strolling through Changan.

Then I Wake into a different World.

Dreams are Wine.

Life is dregs.

Your insight moves me deeply.

The first Noble Truth - impermanence

There are three others.

Desire is suffering.

There is no self in dharma. Nirvana is stillness.

These are the Four Noble Truths.

I give them to you.

Venerable. To avoid the Watchtowers

is impossible.

You must go southwest instead.

And cross the Taklamakan.

If you can find Wild Horse Spring

you'll make it.

If you can't,

then you must turn back.

I'll wait here for you.

So I've heard

Arnitabha

Idealism

Nalanda

All is emptiness

Walking alone in the desert,

it seems like it will never end.

No one speaks with you,

no bird or animal t0 make a sound,

and you have only the Wind and your own shadow to talk to.

C'm0n.

C'm0n.

What is it?

If we waver for a moment,

We“ be back on the toad to Chang' an.

We'll get out of here.

C'm0n.

Come.

C'm0n.

C'm0n.

All right.

Maybe you're right.

There's Water back at the Watchtower.

But no, We have to keep going.

You'll make it.

You Will. Let's go.

Maybe it's like Wang Xiang said -

this is a dream that feels real,

but I am only traveling in my sleep.

Or perhaps I'm really on my Way

but have entered a World of illusion.

Not only Will you see rivers of sand

but there are invisible demons

that follow people there, shadowing them.

It's said, they can conjure up mirages

t0 confuse the traveller.

There's no Way out.

I, the humble monk Xuanzang,

in the 20th year of W en Di' s reign was born in Gou County , Luozhou.

My surname is Chen. My mother died when I Was five.

When I was seven, my father schooled me in the classics.

He died when I Was ten. With my older brother

I Went to the Pure Land Temple to study dharma,

and became a monk at thirteen.

I read the Nirvana Sutra and the Mahéyfina Compendium.

Later, in the southwest

I both studied and taught.

And now I will die here in the Gashun Gobi.

There is no Way out.

There is no Way out.

Son -

Yesterday I dreamed you'd grown up

and rode a White horse to a very faraway place.

Mother. What are you saying?

What are you saying?

When I stopped at Yiwu

I heard the sound of hooves.

Gaochangs king Wanted to see me.

But I Wasn't headed t0 Gaochang.

It Was hard for the King of YiWu.

Gaochang, it's a big country.

We are all afraid of it.

Venerable, if you don't go,

I fear he'll invade Yiwu.

So, please, go to Gaochang.

You must go.

Venerable, As a boy, with my father the king,

I traveled to your great cities

Wealthy places like Yan, Dai, Fen, J in.

They deeply impressed on me

I saw there was an art t0 ruling.

Please, Venerable, What can Buddhism teach a king?

What I know is this:

t0 safeguard the country, be charitable and upright,

and you protect all living things.

If you help spread the faith

you don't only enrich one kingdom

but bring peace to a“.

May I ask, Venerable, What scripture says this?

The Prajnaparamita Sutras.

Please, Venerable Take me as your student.

I was moved by the king's sincerity

and rested here for a While.

I taught scripture, months passed.

Gaochang is prosperous and has many faithful.

They'll look after you. You stay here,

and have a good life. I've kept my Word.

Now I must be on my Way.

Venerable, I've pledged t0 support you your Whole life.

And commanded my people to become your disciples.

All these offerings express my sincere desire

that you, Venerable can help your disciple

by staying in Gaochang. Forget the journey t0 the West.

Your offer is generous, but I can't accept.

My sense of purpose

grows stronger every day. I cannot give up my quest.

Please, let me go.

I'll put it bluntly

because Gaoehang has no other Buddhist teacher,

We have to impose on you. Guide us

out of darkness.

If you still Won't agree, I'll be very clear with you.

You have two choices.

One, stay in Gaochang

and accept our support.

Two, be forcibly returned to the Tang.

Sir, you can imprison my body

but not my spirit.

Venerable, our king invites you to eat.

I've done a terrible thing, causing you such grief.

I Won't detain you any longer. Please take some food,

Venerable.

I reconciled with the king.

People accompanied me on my way.

Buddhism was growing in influence.

People treated us as guests of honour.

After the beautiful music of Kucina

What awaited us

were the dangerous peaks of Lingshan

After a few dangerous, hard years,

We reached Suyab

in Turkestan,

crossed the central Asian steppes,

and finally reached Sidhu.

Finally, I was in Nilandé.

Finally, I was in the temple of my dreams.

I'm here.

I'm here.

Young man,

Where have you come from?

Master,

My name is Xuanzang.

I've come from the Tang.

How long did it take you?

Four years.

Why have you come to Nfilandfi?

Master,

I came t0 study Yogécéra with you.

Wonderful. Good.

Three years ago,

the Bodhisattvas

Maitreya

and Manjusri

came to me in a dream

and said:

"a monk from the Tang

will study dharrna with you."

Amitabha, Amitabha, Amitabha

Rise, young man.

I have lived this long awaiting your arrival.

When the good person faces death

They are freed from torment and desire.

When the bad face death

they are haunted by What awaits them.

Five years passed.

Y d return to Chang' an soon.

I Wanted to see Sidhu first.

Without thinking, another five years. passed like that.

Finally, I came to Mahabodhi,

Where Buddha achieved enlightenment.

It is a sacred place of pilgrimage.

Approaching, I felt I saw the Buddha,

like I was speaking with him.

That moment thrilled me to the core.

I've heard that in the Tang,

people eat leeks and garlic.

They're not banned for lay people.

Here, if you eat such things you're chased out of town.

But ginger and mustard are fine.

Different places, different customs.

At home, We use chopsticks

but here, hands, so We must Wash them before meals.

Swami, I have a question. I blink and that star disappears.

Is this What is called a "ksana"?

The eye is not quick enough to perceive a ksana.

How long is a ksana?

Take this movement.

Divide it into 75 parts

each of these is a ksana.

So that's how you measure it.

Impossible to grasp.

"Ksana" - a Sanskrit Word. In Chinese, "nianqin"

the time it takes for a thought to form.

People often say: "hold in one's heart"

This "hold" - niannian also comes from Buddhism.

It's meaning is beyond Words.

I followed the footsteps of Buddha,

seeking his path t0 enlightenment.

Buddha was the rich and spoiled prince

Siddhartha Gautama.

In his youth,

he knew nothing of the World's suffering.

Then, one day,

he saw an old man, a sick man and a poor man.

To release the World from suffering,

He left town in the dark of night.

He thought deeply on the path that led to Nirvana.

The world today is full of War,

inequality and violence.

Yet, though I am of this troubled earth,

my heart is planted in Sukhfivati, Land of Bliss.

Hello, sir.

Why not Walk in the middle?

I'll tell you the answer.

Butchers, prostitutes, beggars and so on

are not allowed in town.

If they have business here,

they must avoid the main roads and walk on the sides.

But this is the land of the Buddha.

Who said all are equal. It shouldn't be like this.

Venerable, it's not so strange.

Although it is the Buddha's country,

but his people are not all Buddhas.

Hello

Amitabha.

This fruit is sweeter.

The other ones will get a good price at market.

Don't give them t0 me, sell them.

I'm meeting a man in the next village.

Can you please take me there?

Careful.

Why Wear a mask on such a hot day?

Me... I'm a slave. I was cursed by my master.

It's a symbol of my wrongdoing.

How did this come about?

When I Was very little, I was orphaned

and sold to a faraway village

as a slave t0 the village chief's family.

Six months ago, their house caught fire in the night.

How dare you touch my daughter?

You have brought us this bad luck.

Get out, you Worthless slave!

No one must see your filthy face again.

I've had to Wear this ever since

so no one seas my face.

We live in a hut by the river.

And the curse cannot be lifted?

Only a Brahmin

can release me from the mask.

But Who'd take pity on a poor slave?

Kumari is the girl I saved.

J ayaram saved my life

but my father said the slave's touch had dirtied me.

Only by dying a Brahmin's funeral pyre

could I be purified.

So I ran away with J ayararn,

far from my family, to live an itinerant life.

Although I'm alive,

it's as though I'm dead.

Good sir, Please have pity on J ayaram,

who risked his life t0 save another.

Please, have compassion and release him from his curse.

As you've come all the Way from China

I will do this and release him.

And so the old Brahmin undid the curse,

giving Say at am back his face.

He said: "Bathe in the Ganges. After 10 days,

take off the mask."

A storm.

The Wind's up.

The scriptures! My scriptures!

S ay ax an“!

- Careful, J ayaram! Careful, J ayaram! - J ayaram!

S ay ax an“!

S ay ax an“!

The gods removed J ayaranfs mask

And let his beautiful, kind face be seen once more.

This made me happy.

Master. Ten years studying, traveling,

collecting scriptures and relics. What's it all for?

To take back to the Tang.

Master, you are so popular here.

Why g0 back to the Tang?

What's popularity?

To be loved.

I left in order to return, not to be loved.

The trip might take another four years.

So long as I get there, four years is nothing.

I will read Emperor Harsha's letter.

I, Harsha, have travelled to Udra,

Where they slander Mahayana.

I have heard that Nélandé is full of

Wise and virtuous monks.

I respectfully ask for four learned monks

t0 take part in a theological debate.

The Buddha says: "a monk should not argue."

Yet if dharma is at stake, we have no choice.

And so. I will choose four monks

t0 participate in the great debate.

Haihui.

Zhiguflflg-

Simharsami.

Xuanzang.

You will take part.

You will debate scripture,

not just for the glory of Nalanda,

but the truth of dhanna.

Now, put my mind at ease.

Each of you, say a few Words.

Abbot,

I know Buddhist logic and language

but in other areas of study, I'm not so confident.

Abbot,

I fear that a great debate of 18 days

is not for an old man like me.

So modest! And if you're old, What am I?

Abbot,

I'm happy to represent Nalanda.

It's an honour.

I came to Nalanda as a non-believer. You converted me.

I know Mahayana-sarngraha

and will triumph With it.

Tell me about Hinayana and Mahayana.

Hinayana aims at worthiness. Mahayana aims at Buddhahood.

And Prajnagupta's critiques of Mahayana?

I don't know them.

But anyway, my arguments are better.

You underestimate Prajnagupta.

Xuanzang,

Can you tell me the difference

between Mahayana and Hinayana?

Yes, Abbot.

Hinayana believes

that the universe is material

but perception illusory.

But Mahayana believes

that both perception and the universe are mutable and illusory.

Mahayana sees the universe's true face.

All is mutable, all is illusion.

Very good.

You speak to the essence of it.

My Worries have dissolved.

Today is a happy day.

I praise and thank Lord Buddha.

The Harsha Empire was the greatest empire in Sidhu.

Harsha brought together 18 kings for a theological debate

that would affect all Sidhu.

Welcome, learned and virtuous monks.

I convene this debate on dharma

in honour of the Buddha.

We ate here to discuss

Hinayana and Mahayana.

We have the Venerable Prajnagupta,

author of 700 verses against Mahayana

and the Venerable Xuanzang of Nalanda,

the author of 1600 verses for it.

The texts are on display.

Over the next 18 days, anyone with different ideas

who Wishes to present them, please speak up.

At the end, We will celebrate the victor

and pay homage to him

as he parades on an elephant.

All my arguments were Written down.

I Wasn't nervous or Worried.

I loved the atmosphere,

and the diversity there,

like a lake fed by many streams, brimming and full.

Swami, you come from China.

The drums recall the triumphal music

of your emperor.

Yes, tell us, What he has done

to be so revered by his people?

He is the Son of Heaven of the Tang,

who was previously called "Qin".

The people love and support him.

Of course,

it is heaven's will that he rules.

Hinayana' and 'Mahayana' are metaphors.

To put it simply, they are like ferries.

Hinayana - 'small vehicle' transports an individual.

Mahayana - 'greater vehicle' transports others as Well.

Compassion.

It is how Buddhism changes the World.

Buddha forbid the taking of life,

including of those with other beliefs.

Mahayanefls love and tolerance

can cleanse the World of violence,

and make it a more beautiful place.

This is the greatness of Buddha.

The great scriptural debate

spread the dharrna far and Wide.

Winning mam matter so much to me.

It was the process,

how the truth of Mahayana was spread,

that gave it meaning.

Eighteen days have passed.

There was no need for debate.

It was like when the sun rises,

the fireflies stop glowing.

Or when it's thundering, hammers are silenced.

It was thus, that all other arguments

faded away before Xuanzang's.

I congratulate him and Nalanda Temple

for their victory

Venerable, please.

At this moment, in my mind,

I saw a monk called Xuanzang

surrounded by admirers riding an elephant,

applauded by all, praised by all,

paraded in their midst.

I can go home now,

I Want to go home.

Buddhism is in decline in Sidhu.

Only Nalanda keeps it alive.

But it is advancing in the Tang.

You will help it to flourish there.

The true value of your journey to Sidhu

lies there.

When I think of home, I dream of my mother.

Although I was very small when I lost her,

her image often appears to me.

It makes me feel homesick.

The kings Harsha and J anaka Kumara

Want you to stay in Sidhu

What do you think?

This is the homeland of the Buddha.

It's not that I don't love it,

but I came for the scriptures,

and I need to take them back.

On the return journey,

The emperor sent a party to meet me.

They had an edict that said,

Having gone West for the dharrna,

the monk Was returning, and this truly delights us.

All officials are to help him on his Way.'

I finally brought the scriptures home.

Translating them into Chinese

gave my life meaning.

Nothing was more important.