The great Buddhist pilgrim, monk- translator Hsuan Tsang had spent 15 years in India studying in Buddhist monasteries where he learned Sanskrit.
He brought the manuscripts back to China during the reign of the 2nd Tang dynasty emperor.
He was greatly admired by the 2nd and 3rd Tang emperors, Tai-tsung [626-649] and Kao-tsung [649- 683] respectively.
Weinstein provides us with a glimpse of the high regard these two emperors had for Hsuan Tsang. They invited him to stay near the palace and gave him logistics support to translate the Sanskrit manuscripts he had brought back from India, albeit without changing the official religion from Taoism to Buddhism.
After he died in 664 ADS, Kao -tsung, sadly, disbanded his translators and ordered all translations to cease.
By that time, Hsuan-tsang and his team had only translated a fraction of the 657 Sanskrit manuscripts that he brought from India.
It was still a major achievement. The amount represents one fourth of the canon as it existed in his day. [p 31 Weinstein].
Lwh @ The Retreat Lodge,
Ngorongoro Conservation Area,Tanzania.
11 to 13 Aug 2024, Sunday to Tuesday.