天竺取经的玄奘大师
The Story of Great Master Hsuan Tsang, Who Went to India in Search of Sutras
宁向西天一步死，不愿东土一步生。
I would rather die while making one last step towards the West,
than live by retreating one step towards the East.
玄奘法师生于隋文帝仁寿二年(公元六○一年)，河南陈留人，俗姓陈，幼年即有过人的智慧，七岁时便开始读五经。在十三岁那年，随其二兄长捷法师到洛阳净土寺出家，诵习经典。隋朝制度，凡是出家修道之人，必须经过考试合格，颁发证书(度牒)，才有资格做沙弥。当时正逢洛阳度僧，玄奘法师年幼，不能参加考试。他在考场门前徘徊，望之兴叹！而被主考官郑善果发现，认为是佛门龙象，故特别破例度之。
Dharma Master Hsuan Tsang was born in the second year of the reign period Renshou of the Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty (a.d. 601). His home was in Honan Province, Chenliu County, and his lay surname was Chen. Even as a young boy, his wisdom surpassed his peers. At age seven, he began to study the Five Classics, and at age thirteen, he travelled with his second elder brother, the Dharma Master Chang Jie, to Pure Land Monastery in Luoyang to leave the home-life and study and recite Sutras. According to the laws of the Sui Dynasty, people who wished to leave the home-life had to pass an examination and receive certification before they could qualify to become Shramaneras (novice monks). The two of them reached Luoyang just as the clerks were enrolling candidates for Sangha membership. Dharma Master Hsuan Tsang was too young, and was not qualified to take the examination. He anxiously paced back and forth outside the door of the examination hall, sighing in consternation. But then he was discovered by the supervisor of the examinations, Mr. Shanguo Zheng. The man recognized the boy as a potential asset to Buddhism, and made a special exception to the standards, in order to admit him into the Sangha.
二十岁受具足戒之后，他就到处参访善知识，发现众师所说，与经典颇有歧异，令人无所适从。尤其《十七地论》，见解不同。乃发愿到天竺(即印度)研究，以解其惑。
After receiving full ordination at age twenty, Dharma Master Hsuan Tsang travelled about, learning from Good and Wise Advisors. He discovered that the teachings of the various masters differed in large measure from the Sutra texts in the Canon, and as a result, no one knew where to turn. This was especially the case with the Shastra on the Seventeen Stages, which produced many different opinions. Master Hsuan Tsang thus made a vow to go to India to investigate the Dharma, in order to resolve his doubts.
由于赴天竺路途，要经过崇山峻岭、崎岖不平的山道，所以玄奘法师在未启程之前，先练习爬山越岭的技术，先用桌子、凳子之类物品，堆成假山，从这边爬到那边，再从那边爬到这边。这样一天练习多次，后来自己感觉爬山的技术不错，又到山上去实地练习，约有一年经验，技术方臻熟练。
After receiving full ordination at age twenty, Dharma Master Hsuan Tsang travelled about, learning from Good and Wise Advisors. He discovered that the teachings of the various masters differed in large measure from the Sutra texts in the Canon, and as a result, no one knew where to turn. This was especially the case with the Shastra on the Seventeen Stages, which produced many different opinions. Master Hsuan Tsang thus made a vow to go to India to investigate the Dharma, in order to resolve his doubts.
于是上表，申请到天竺取经。当时(唐朝)的法令，禁止人民出境，所以未获唐太宗批准。但是玄奘法师已拿定主意，无论批准与否，他决定赴天竺一行，所以最后不得不私自出境。
At this point, he applied for permission to travel to India to obtain the Sutras. As the laws of the Tang Dynasty forbade civilian travel across the border, the Tang Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) refused his request. However, Master Hsuan Tsang was resolute. With or without permission, he was determined to make the trip to India. Finally he was forced to secretly cross the border.
从长安出发，只身向西行，经过一个山洞，见洞口有蝙蝠粪，当时玄奘法师想：「这洞中一定无人住，否则不会有这么多的蝙蝠粪。」好奇的心理使他向洞中走去，在不远的地方，他发现一个怪物，头发都结在一起，小鸟在上面做窝，窝中小鸟吱吱哇哇在叫，这怪物脸上的尘土很厚，好像石头人一般。玄奘法师走近仔细一看，原来是位老修行，已经入定。玄奘法师用引磬给他开静，令他出定，一会儿，这位老修行开始动弹。
While heading west alone from the capital, Changan, Master Hsuan Tsang passed by a mountain cave with piles of bat-droppings by the entrance. It occurred to him that nobody lived in the cave, or else the bat-dung could not have piled up outside the cave entrance. Full of curiosity, he v…
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