Sun Shuyun followed in the footsteps of Xuanzang, a 7th century monk who travelled over a period of 18 years ( 13 spent studying at a famous seat of Buddhist learning in India) from Central China to India and back to bring Buddhism to China, his travels inspired the classic novel called Monkey. Shuyun’s journey presents a hero whose achievements should be better known in Modern China yet alone the world, whilst examining the current state of the regions in which she travels.
This review from The Guardian captures the Book and the talk given by the author.
"It's hard to think of a western equivalent: if you combine Marco Polo and St Columba it gives some idea of Xuanzang's range. But when Sun was growing up, Xuanzang had been usurped in the popular imagination in China by a magical monkey. He was never exactly a household name in the west. Only in the countries that he visited and documented so meticulously is he remembered with gratitude and appreciation. To them he left, in many cases, the only - and in most, the best - descriptive account of their countries. He was an intrepid pilgrim, an extraordinary travel writer and a cultural ambassador whose determination and courage were second to none.
After several years of study, Xuanzang had become dissatisfied with the doctrinal contradictions of the competing schools of Buddhism. He resolved to travel to India in search of the authentic message of the Buddha. As darkness was falling one evening in August 627, he slipped out of the Western Gate of Chang'an (present day Xian) and set off."
It was a testimony to the great faith of her Grandmother that Shuyun wavered many times on the brink of breakdown in a greety-face show of remorse and guilt for the way she , her family and the state treated a woman of great dignity and reserve , surely a metaphor for us all.
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