1 00:00:00,345 --> 00:00:01,413 What Xuanzang brought back 2 00:00:01,665 --> 00:00:03,343 And what he did not bring back 3 00:00:03,345 --> 00:00:04,913 In the year 645 4 00:00:05,264 --> 00:00:08,073 Zhuque Avenue in Chang'an was packed with people 5 00:00:08,544 --> 00:00:10,593 A monk who had been away for seventeen years 6 00:00:10,824 --> 00:00:13,634 Returned with more than six hundred Sanskrit texts 7 00:00:14,064 --> 00:00:15,954 He left as an illegal border crosser 8 00:00:16,225 --> 00:00:18,353 He returned to streets emptied by the crowds 9 00:00:18,745 --> 00:00:20,993 Emperor Taizong received him in person 10 00:00:21,545 --> 00:00:23,033 But have you ever wondered 11 00:00:23,225 --> 00:00:25,274 The things someone risks everything to bring home 12 00:00:25,504 --> 00:00:28,193 May not have their fate decided by him 13 00:00:28,704 --> 00:00:29,012 Hello 14 00:00:29,263 --> 00:00:29,733 Everyone 15 00:00:29,864 --> 00:00:30,873 I am Wang Lijie 16 00:00:31,103 --> 00:00:34,232 Last time we saw Xuanzang slip out of the Tang empire 17 00:00:34,264 --> 00:00:35,792 Cross eight hundred li of desert 18 00:00:35,823 --> 00:00:37,872 And climb the snowy Pamir mountains 19 00:00:37,944 --> 00:00:39,633 He spent twelve years in India 20 00:00:39,783 --> 00:00:42,232 And caught Master Silabhadra at the very last moment 21 00:00:42,543 --> 00:00:45,463 A man who set out to answer one question 22 00:00:45,463 --> 00:00:47,353 Finally found the answer he wanted 23 00:00:47,664 --> 00:00:48,993 Today we continue the story 24 00:00:49,183 --> 00:00:50,493 After he brought the answer home 25 00:00:50,863 --> 00:00:52,063 What happened next 26 00:00:52,064 --> 00:00:53,414 After Xuanzang returned to Chang'an 27 00:00:53,704 --> 00:00:54,914 The first thing he did 28 00:00:55,024 --> 00:00:55,734 Was not preach the sutras 29 00:00:56,104 --> 00:00:57,433 And not found a school 30 00:00:57,905 --> 00:00:58,974 The first thing he did 31 00:00:59,344 --> 00:01:00,673 Was meet the emperor 32 00:01:01,304 --> 00:01:02,793 Pay attention to this detail 33 00:01:03,225 --> 00:01:04,854 He did not first settle back into a monastery 34 00:01:05,184 --> 00:01:06,553 He went straight to the imperial court 35 00:01:06,865 --> 00:01:07,374 Why 36 00:01:08,614 --> 00:01:09,843 Because what he wanted to do 37 00:01:10,213 --> 00:01:11,343 Could not be done by one person 38 00:01:11,373 --> 00:01:13,102 Or by one monastery 39 00:01:13,493 --> 00:01:14,362 What he wanted to do 40 00:01:14,653 --> 00:01:16,382 Could only be done by the state 41 00:01:16,894 --> 00:01:17,903 He wanted to translate 42 00:01:18,254 --> 00:01:21,983 The more than six hundred texts he brought from India 43 00:01:22,573 --> 00:01:24,343 You may think translation means 44 00:01:24,373 --> 00:01:27,662 A few Sanskrit experts sitting down and working slowly 45 00:01:28,013 --> 00:01:28,823 It did not 46 00:01:29,174 --> 00:01:30,323 The translation Xuanzang planned 47 00:01:30,733 --> 00:01:31,612 Was so vast 48 00:01:31,614 --> 00:01:33,703 That the world had never seen anything like it 49 00:01:34,701 --> 00:01:36,070 Emperor Taizong agreed 50 00:01:36,262 --> 00:01:37,420 And he did more than agree 51 00:01:37,421 --> 00:01:40,790 He offered far more than Xuanzang had expected 52 00:01:41,341 --> 00:01:44,111 The court assigned Hongfu Monastery as the translation bureau 53 00:01:44,542 --> 00:01:47,310 It supplied funds paper ink food and lodging 54 00:01:47,781 --> 00:01:48,870 More importantly 55 00:01:48,902 --> 00:01:53,430 It recruited the finest monks in the empire to assist him 56 00:01:53,822 --> 00:01:56,430 The team kept growing 57 00:01:56,622 --> 00:02:00,310 At its peak records say it included hundreds of monks 58 00:02:01,216 --> 00:02:02,904 Picture the scene 59 00:02:03,416 --> 00:02:04,604 One man sat at the center 60 00:02:05,136 --> 00:02:06,865 With the Sanskrit originals beside him 61 00:02:07,256 --> 00:02:09,005 He recited the Sanskrit line by line 62 00:02:09,416 --> 00:02:10,544 And explained the meaning 63 00:02:10,775 --> 00:02:14,505 Then discussed the best Chinese wording with his assistants 64 00:02:14,856 --> 00:02:16,984 Some people recorded every word 65 00:02:17,055 --> 00:02:18,905 Some checked the Sanskrit 66 00:02:19,015 --> 00:02:20,944 Some polished the Chinese 67 00:02:21,015 --> 00:02:22,905 Some verified the doctrine 68 00:02:23,136 --> 00:02:25,734 Every sentence passed through several stages 69 00:02:25,735 --> 00:02:27,225 Before it could be finalized 70 00:02:27,735 --> 00:02:30,305 This was not one monk translating scriptures 71 00:02:30,735 --> 00:02:32,704 This was a national project 72 00:02:33,533 --> 00:02:35,343 I often think of a comparison 73 00:02:35,533 --> 00:02:36,702 More than two centuries earlier 74 00:02:36,773 --> 00:02:39,902 Kumarajiva had done something similar in Chang'an 75 00:02:40,134 --> 00:02:41,862 Yao Xing created a translation bureau for him 76 00:02:42,014 --> 00:02:44,702 Records say more than eight hundred people took part 77 00:02:44,974 --> 00:02:47,623 Their working methods looked much the same 78 00:02:47,694 --> 00:02:51,262 Imperial funding state support and collective work 79 00:02:51,454 --> 00:02:53,063 But the works they translated 80 00:02:53,213 --> 00:02:55,302 Met completely different fates 81 00:02:55,613 --> 00:02:56,482 What made the difference 82 00:02:56,974 --> 00:03:01,343 First we need to understand what translation meant to each man 83 00:03:02,248 --> 00:03:03,957 Kumarajiva pursued one principle 84 00:03:04,289 --> 00:03:04,777 Clarity 85 00:03:05,289 --> 00:03:07,378 He wanted Chinese readers to read with ease 86 00:03:07,849 --> 00:03:11,737 He would sacrifice some literal precision for readability 87 00:03:12,009 --> 00:03:12,638 Think of it this way 88 00:03:13,009 --> 00:03:14,848 A brilliant translator 89 00:03:14,849 --> 00:03:18,337 Turns an English poem into a natural Chinese verse 90 00:03:18,688 --> 00:03:21,777 Not every word matches the original exactly 91 00:03:21,968 --> 00:03:23,888 But the mood and the force 92 00:03:23,889 --> 00:03:24,897 Come through completely 93 00:03:25,049 --> 00:03:27,337 It does not feel like a translation 94 00:03:27,368 --> 00:03:29,057 It feels like original Chinese 95 00:03:29,329 --> 00:03:31,378 That is why Kumarajiva's Diamond Sutra says 96 00:03:31,489 --> 00:03:33,538 Let the mind arise without dwelling anywhere 97 00:03:33,769 --> 00:03:34,577 Eight Chinese characters 98 00:03:34,609 --> 00:03:35,557 Clean and decisive 99 00:03:35,889 --> 00:03:36,818 Like a knife 100 00:03:37,208 --> 00:03:38,487 Sixteen hundred years later 101 00:03:38,489 --> 00:03:42,577 People recite it calligraphers write it and temples chant it daily 102 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:44,610 Xuanzang was different 103 00:03:44,841 --> 00:03:46,270 Xuanzang pursued one principle 104 00:03:46,681 --> 00:03:47,169 Fidelity 105 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:48,650 He wanted precision 106 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,449 He had read the Sanskrit originals himself 107 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,249 He knew better than anyone 108 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,569 How interpretive choices had distorted Kumarajiva's older translations 109 00:03:57,961 --> 00:04:02,249 He had seen the fierce debates those differences caused in China 110 00:04:02,681 --> 00:04:03,469 He went to India 111 00:04:03,721 --> 00:04:05,610 Precisely to settle those debates 112 00:04:06,001 --> 00:04:07,409 So when he translated 113 00:04:07,561 --> 00:04:11,770 He wanted an exact Chinese equivalent for every Sanskrit term 114 00:04:12,121 --> 00:04:12,789 When none existed 115 00:04:13,001 --> 00:04:14,639 He would rather coin a new term 116 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:16,169 Than blur the meaning 117 00:04:16,863 --> 00:04:17,792 Think of it this way 118 00:04:17,944 --> 00:04:21,032 If Kumarajiva translated poetry into poetry 119 00:04:21,303 --> 00:04:24,353 Xuanzang translated scholarship into scholarship 120 00:04:24,743 --> 00:04:27,592 Every concept had strict boundaries 121 00:04:27,704 --> 00:04:30,433 Every argument kept its complete logical chain 122 00:04:30,863 --> 00:04:32,553 Academically it was beyond reproach 123 00:04:33,063 --> 00:04:34,152 But then came the problem 124 00:04:34,623 --> 00:04:35,412 Academic papers 125 00:04:35,904 --> 00:04:36,373 Who reads them 126 00:04:37,220 --> 00:04:39,230 Here is something you may not know 127 00:04:39,540 --> 00:04:41,629 Kumarajiva translated the Diamond Sutra 128 00:04:41,941 --> 00:04:43,869 Xuanzang later translated it too 129 00:04:43,980 --> 00:04:46,830 As The Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom That Cuts Like a Diamond 130 00:04:47,220 --> 00:04:49,749 The title alone reveals the difference 131 00:04:50,061 --> 00:04:52,309 Kumarajiva's version has about five thousand Chinese characters 132 00:04:52,420 --> 00:04:54,619 It reads like a mountain stream 133 00:04:54,621 --> 00:04:55,989 Flowing through in one breath 134 00:04:56,340 --> 00:04:58,910 Xuanzang's terminology is more precise 135 00:04:58,980 --> 00:05:01,470 But the reader has to stop and think 136 00:05:01,701 --> 00:05:03,749 And pause every few lines to absorb it 137 00:05:04,061 --> 00:05:05,590 More than a thousand years have passed 138 00:05:05,621 --> 00:05:09,179 Temples chant it people memorize it and calligraphers copy it 139 00:05:09,181 --> 00:05:11,550 And it is still Kumarajiva's version 140 00:05:12,102 --> 00:05:13,021 You may ask 141 00:05:13,021 --> 00:05:14,850 Does that mean Xuanzang translated poorly 142 00:05:15,266 --> 00:05:16,066 No 143 00:05:16,261 --> 00:05:17,470 Quite the opposite 144 00:05:17,742 --> 00:05:19,050 From an academic standpoint 145 00:05:19,381 --> 00:05:21,110 Xuanzang was more accurate 146 00:05:21,422 --> 00:05:22,650 But in translation 147 00:05:23,061 --> 00:05:24,621 Accuracy and reach 148 00:05:24,622 --> 00:05:26,431 Can point in opposite directions 149 00:05:26,821 --> 00:05:27,730 I am not making this comparison 150 00:05:28,021 --> 00:05:29,470 To rank one above the other 151 00:05:29,662 --> 00:05:31,583 I want you to see one thing 152 00:05:32,014 --> 00:05:33,362 What did Xuanzang bring back 153 00:05:33,894 --> 00:05:37,862 The most precise complete system of Buddhist knowledge yet assembled 154 00:05:38,173 --> 00:05:41,182 His translations exceeded thirteen hundred fascicles 155 00:05:41,293 --> 00:05:45,742 Covering Yogacara logic Prajna Abhidharma and more 156 00:05:45,934 --> 00:05:49,343 In precision structure and scholarly value 157 00:05:49,413 --> 00:05:51,132 Across the history of Chinese translation 158 00:05:51,134 --> 00:05:52,903 No one else compares 159 00:05:53,213 --> 00:05:54,543 That is what he brought back 160 00:05:54,653 --> 00:05:56,122 So what did he fail to bring back 161 00:05:56,574 --> 00:05:59,776 A mechanism that could keep these ideas alive 162 00:06:00,047 --> 00:06:01,326 To understand that statement 163 00:06:01,328 --> 00:06:03,177 First see one fact clearly 164 00:06:03,567 --> 00:06:05,076 Xuanzang's entire translation enterprise 165 00:06:05,367 --> 00:06:06,607 From its first day 166 00:06:06,607 --> 00:06:09,256 Was built on imperial patronage 167 00:06:09,687 --> 00:06:11,537 The court supplied the translation bureau 168 00:06:11,728 --> 00:06:13,656 The treasury paid the bills 169 00:06:14,088 --> 00:06:16,696 The court recruited assistants from across the empire 170 00:06:17,208 --> 00:06:20,497 Even the treatises organized after translation 171 00:06:20,728 --> 00:06:22,566 Relied on official channels 172 00:06:22,567 --> 00:06:24,609 For printing and circulation 173 00:06:25,039 --> 00:06:27,558 Emperor Taizong provided more than material support 174 00:06:27,559 --> 00:06:30,008 He personally wrote a preface for the translations 175 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:31,948 The Preface to the Sacred Teachings of the Great Tang 176 00:06:32,239 --> 00:06:34,169 Was written by Emperor Taizong himself 177 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:36,208 This was an extraordinary honor 178 00:06:36,479 --> 00:06:38,068 Scriptures translated by a monk 179 00:06:38,479 --> 00:06:40,289 Carried a preface written by the emperor 180 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:44,248 The highest seal of approval available in that age 181 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:46,648 In the final years of Taizong's life 182 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:50,208 Crown Prince Li Zhi honored his mother Empress Wende 183 00:06:50,239 --> 00:06:51,589 By building the Great Ci'en Monastery 184 00:06:51,999 --> 00:06:54,328 And appointing Xuanzang as its presiding monk 185 00:06:54,799 --> 00:06:55,628 The conditions improved 186 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:56,969 And the operation grew 187 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:58,688 After Taizong died 188 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,328 Emperor Gaozong continued to support Xuanzang 189 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,089 And later moved him to Yuhua Palace 190 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:05,029 To continue translating 191 00:07:05,479 --> 00:07:07,609 Until the final day of his life 192 00:07:08,434 --> 00:07:09,742 That sounds ideal does it not 193 00:07:10,194 --> 00:07:12,322 A scholar received the greatest possible support 194 00:07:12,434 --> 00:07:14,362 And could focus completely on his work 195 00:07:14,713 --> 00:07:16,523 But a hidden risk lay inside it 196 00:07:16,954 --> 00:07:17,822 Everything Xuanzang had 197 00:07:18,194 --> 00:07:19,802 Was tied to the emperor 198 00:07:20,233 --> 00:07:22,283 Here is a modern analogy 199 00:07:22,673 --> 00:07:24,562 Imagine a startup today 200 00:07:24,793 --> 00:07:27,163 All its money comes from one major investor 201 00:07:27,553 --> 00:07:28,502 While that investor stays 202 00:07:28,913 --> 00:07:29,802 Funding is abundant 203 00:07:29,834 --> 00:07:30,583 The team is stable 204 00:07:30,913 --> 00:07:31,923 And everything works 205 00:07:32,314 --> 00:07:34,163 But what if the investor pulls out 206 00:07:34,233 --> 00:07:36,442 Or shifts attention elsewhere 207 00:07:36,634 --> 00:07:37,742 What happens to the company 208 00:07:38,928 --> 00:07:39,736 In reality 209 00:07:39,767 --> 00:07:43,577 Xuanzang's life in Chang'an was less free than it appeared 210 00:07:43,887 --> 00:07:45,156 Late in life he submitted several petitions 211 00:07:45,447 --> 00:07:46,726 Asking to leave Chang'an 212 00:07:46,728 --> 00:07:50,617 And translate in peace at Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song 213 00:07:51,007 --> 00:07:52,577 The court refused 214 00:07:52,928 --> 00:07:53,916 Its reasoning was subtle 215 00:07:54,168 --> 00:07:55,697 But the message was clear 216 00:07:55,928 --> 00:07:56,677 The emperor was saying 217 00:07:56,928 --> 00:07:59,046 Translate well here in Chang'an 218 00:07:59,048 --> 00:08:00,336 Do not leave the capital 219 00:08:00,728 --> 00:08:02,017 Consider what that really means 220 00:08:02,488 --> 00:08:03,976 This was not called a restriction on freedom 221 00:08:04,048 --> 00:08:06,096 It was a highly refined form of retention 222 00:08:06,488 --> 00:08:08,377 The emperor gave him the best conditions 223 00:08:08,408 --> 00:08:09,896 And the highest honors 224 00:08:10,048 --> 00:08:13,216 Yet he could not choose a quiet place to translate 225 00:08:13,608 --> 00:08:16,497 His value was locked inside the translation bureau 226 00:08:16,767 --> 00:08:18,937 This was retention through patronage 227 00:08:19,728 --> 00:08:21,536 On the surface he had everything 228 00:08:22,007 --> 00:08:25,577 In reality he was embedded inside an institutional framework 229 00:08:25,887 --> 00:08:28,416 The framework did not run according to his will 230 00:08:28,647 --> 00:08:30,776 It ran according to the man on the throne 231 00:08:31,328 --> 00:08:32,766 While Xuanzang was alive 232 00:08:32,768 --> 00:08:34,607 The system worked very well 233 00:08:34,607 --> 00:08:36,087 He translated for nineteen years 234 00:08:36,088 --> 00:08:37,937 Producing more than a thousand fascicles 235 00:08:38,168 --> 00:08:40,886 His leading disciple Kuiji studied with him for years 236 00:08:40,887 --> 00:08:42,857 And understood Yogacara deeply 237 00:08:43,088 --> 00:08:46,617 Kuiji became the effective founder of the Faxiang Yogacara school 238 00:08:46,847 --> 00:08:48,536 But one crucial question remains 239 00:08:48,808 --> 00:08:50,636 What was Kuiji's background 240 00:08:51,527 --> 00:08:53,697 His uncle was Yuchi Jingde 241 00:08:53,732 --> 00:08:54,408 Yes 242 00:08:54,408 --> 00:08:57,697 The famous Yuchi Gong among the twenty four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion 243 00:08:58,088 --> 00:08:59,276 Kuiji came from a military elite family 244 00:08:59,568 --> 00:09:00,737 His lineage was powerful 245 00:09:00,767 --> 00:09:02,567 He gained entry to Xuanzang's translation bureau 246 00:09:02,568 --> 00:09:04,207 Because of more than personal talent 247 00:09:04,208 --> 00:09:07,221 His family background also mattered 248 00:09:07,611 --> 00:09:09,581 Follow this clue over a longer span 249 00:09:09,971 --> 00:09:11,701 From Xuanzang to Kuiji 250 00:09:11,812 --> 00:09:14,181 The transmission of this school from the beginning 251 00:09:14,212 --> 00:09:16,140 Was tied to the center of Tang political power 252 00:09:16,212 --> 00:09:17,821 In an intimate way 253 00:09:18,251 --> 00:09:22,221 It did not grow upward from the soil of ordinary society 254 00:09:22,771 --> 00:09:24,900 It was planted downward from the palace 255 00:09:25,212 --> 00:09:27,461 Kuiji inherited Xuanzang's learning 256 00:09:27,572 --> 00:09:29,061 And wrote extensive commentaries 257 00:09:29,491 --> 00:09:31,000 But what happened after Kuiji died 258 00:09:31,652 --> 00:09:32,920 Kuiji passed it to Huizhao 259 00:09:33,412 --> 00:09:34,941 Huizhao passed it to Zhizhou 260 00:09:35,532 --> 00:09:36,240 Only three generations 261 00:09:36,652 --> 00:09:38,156 Then the line ended 262 00:09:38,428 --> 00:09:39,516 One common explanation for this break 263 00:09:39,627 --> 00:09:42,197 Circulated widely for years 264 00:09:42,267 --> 00:09:43,996 It said the Faxiang school ended 265 00:09:44,028 --> 00:09:46,827 Because Yogacara was too precise and too difficult 266 00:09:46,828 --> 00:09:49,237 Its threshold was too high for ordinary people 267 00:09:49,387 --> 00:09:52,116 I have mentioned that explanation before 268 00:09:52,428 --> 00:09:54,786 But if you examine the historical timeline closely 269 00:09:54,788 --> 00:09:56,876 The story becomes more complicated 270 00:09:57,188 --> 00:10:00,116 Kuiji died around the year 682 271 00:10:00,267 --> 00:10:01,457 What else happened then 272 00:10:01,867 --> 00:10:04,357 Emperor Gaozong's health was steadily failing 273 00:10:04,428 --> 00:10:07,916 And political power was shifting toward Wu Zetian 274 00:10:08,107 --> 00:10:09,136 Wu Zetian supported Buddhism 275 00:10:09,428 --> 00:10:11,317 But not Yogacara 276 00:10:11,387 --> 00:10:14,031 She supported the Huayan school 277 00:10:14,343 --> 00:10:15,592 The reason is not complicated 278 00:10:15,782 --> 00:10:19,511 Huayan theory better served her political needs 279 00:10:19,742 --> 00:10:20,791 The Zhou replacing the Tang 280 00:10:20,902 --> 00:10:24,151 Needed an ideology distinct from Tang legitimacy 281 00:10:24,502 --> 00:10:27,511 Huayan teaches that all is one and one is all 282 00:10:27,622 --> 00:10:29,832 That theoretical structure can imply 283 00:10:29,862 --> 00:10:32,112 That one person can become the center of everything 284 00:10:32,423 --> 00:10:33,332 What about Yogacara 285 00:10:33,823 --> 00:10:36,072 Yogacara examines the inner structure of consciousness 286 00:10:36,223 --> 00:10:39,992 And asks each person to transform consciousness into wisdom through practice 287 00:10:40,223 --> 00:10:42,192 For imperial power 288 00:10:42,223 --> 00:10:43,751 That offered little direct utility 289 00:10:44,142 --> 00:10:47,431 So when Wu Zetian turned her attention to Huayan 290 00:10:47,663 --> 00:10:50,511 The Faxiang school lost more than a patron 291 00:10:50,703 --> 00:10:53,232 It lost the foundation of its entire operation 292 00:10:54,102 --> 00:10:56,232 No court sponsored translation bureau 293 00:10:56,303 --> 00:10:58,232 No state funding 294 00:10:58,303 --> 00:11:01,232 No administrative power to recruit talent nationwide 295 00:11:01,343 --> 00:11:04,181 How could a school dependent on elite scholarship 296 00:11:04,183 --> 00:11:05,452 Continue among ordinary people 297 00:11:06,423 --> 00:11:07,712 Now compare it with another case 298 00:11:08,342 --> 00:11:10,472 Chan Buddhism rose around the same period 299 00:11:10,543 --> 00:11:12,271 And followed a completely different path 300 00:11:12,663 --> 00:11:15,151 Chan did not depend on massive scripture translation 301 00:11:15,183 --> 00:11:16,871 It needed no state level translation bureau 302 00:11:17,023 --> 00:11:19,432 And no mastery of Sanskrit terminology 303 00:11:19,663 --> 00:11:21,781 The Sixth Patriarch Huineng was said to be illiterate 304 00:11:21,783 --> 00:11:23,072 Yet he could still awaken 305 00:11:23,382 --> 00:11:24,092 No reliance on written words 306 00:11:24,342 --> 00:11:25,352 Directly pointing to the mind 307 00:11:25,543 --> 00:11:27,381 Those eight Chinese characters themselves mean 308 00:11:27,382 --> 00:11:30,312 The teaching could survive without imperial money 309 00:11:30,622 --> 00:11:31,291 One teacher 310 00:11:31,543 --> 00:11:32,172 A few disciples 311 00:11:32,382 --> 00:11:33,302 A bamboo grove 312 00:11:33,303 --> 00:11:34,052 A well of water 313 00:11:34,342 --> 00:11:35,432 Were enough to transmit the Dharma 314 00:11:35,943 --> 00:11:38,002 No external institution was required 315 00:11:38,193 --> 00:11:39,622 But the Faxiang Yogacara school 316 00:11:40,193 --> 00:11:43,043 Required reading all one hundred fascicles of the Yogacarabhumi 317 00:11:43,514 --> 00:11:45,783 Understanding how the eight consciousnesses operate 318 00:11:46,193 --> 00:11:48,342 And the definitions and categories of every mental factor 319 00:11:48,833 --> 00:11:52,322 And the difference between imagined nature and dependent nature 320 00:11:52,833 --> 00:11:56,602 You cannot master this by hearing one story or grasping one insight 321 00:11:56,833 --> 00:11:58,962 It requires systematic scholarly training 322 00:11:59,274 --> 00:12:00,952 And systematic scholarly training 323 00:12:00,953 --> 00:12:04,643 Requires institutions funding and structural support 324 00:12:05,034 --> 00:12:07,322 When those external conditions disappear 325 00:12:07,514 --> 00:12:10,683 The Faxiang school is like a great tree uprooted 326 00:12:10,953 --> 00:12:13,343 However lush its crown it cannot survive 327 00:12:13,773 --> 00:12:14,363 So you can see 328 00:12:14,694 --> 00:12:15,893 The decline of the Faxiang school 329 00:12:15,893 --> 00:12:18,623 Was not rooted in scholarship being too hard for ordinary people 330 00:12:18,813 --> 00:12:23,302 It was rooted in being a state project dependent on imperial power from day one 331 00:12:23,653 --> 00:12:24,763 When imperial attention remained 332 00:12:25,133 --> 00:12:26,143 It flourished 333 00:12:26,374 --> 00:12:27,603 When imperial attention shifted 334 00:12:27,893 --> 00:12:28,942 It withered 335 00:12:29,214 --> 00:12:30,773 It never built a system 336 00:12:30,773 --> 00:12:32,322 That could survive without official patronage 337 00:12:32,574 --> 00:12:35,263 And reproduce itself among ordinary people 338 00:12:35,694 --> 00:12:38,143 That is what Xuanzang failed to bring back 339 00:12:38,813 --> 00:12:41,383 He brought back the most precise system of knowledge 340 00:12:41,694 --> 00:12:45,743 He created the largest scholarly project in translation history 341 00:12:46,133 --> 00:12:47,282 But he did not bring back 342 00:12:47,574 --> 00:12:49,172 A way for that system 343 00:12:49,173 --> 00:12:50,922 To take root among ordinary people 344 00:12:51,374 --> 00:12:54,491 And live without an emperor 345 00:12:55,003 --> 00:12:57,172 I do not see this as Xuanzang's failure 346 00:12:57,403 --> 00:12:59,812 There are limits to what one person can do 347 00:12:59,883 --> 00:13:02,971 He spent his life doing the part he could do 348 00:13:03,003 --> 00:13:05,052 And pushed it to the limits of human achievement 349 00:13:05,722 --> 00:13:06,591 In translation 350 00:13:06,803 --> 00:13:08,532 He achieved what no one had before 351 00:13:08,883 --> 00:13:10,192 But dissemination 352 00:13:10,602 --> 00:13:12,251 Cannot be designed by one person alone 353 00:13:12,482 --> 00:13:15,011 It depends on too many things beyond his control 354 00:13:15,482 --> 00:13:18,224 The currents of history politics and human desire 355 00:13:18,496 --> 00:13:19,984 Sometimes I wonder 356 00:13:20,376 --> 00:13:23,064 If Kumarajiva had lived in Xuanzang's age 357 00:13:23,095 --> 00:13:25,625 Or Xuanzang in Kumarajiva's age 358 00:13:25,695 --> 00:13:26,925 Would the outcome have changed 359 00:13:27,536 --> 00:13:28,545 Probably not 360 00:13:28,776 --> 00:13:30,375 Because what each man represented 361 00:13:30,376 --> 00:13:32,064 Was not merely a personal choice 362 00:13:32,136 --> 00:13:36,185 But an eternal tension within translation itself 363 00:13:36,536 --> 00:13:37,484 Do you choose accuracy 364 00:13:37,856 --> 00:13:38,685 Or reach 365 00:13:39,256 --> 00:13:41,425 Do you stay faithful to every word of the original 366 00:13:41,496 --> 00:13:44,724 Or help more people understand remember and use it 367 00:13:45,415 --> 00:13:47,785 Kumarajiva chose the side of reach 368 00:13:48,136 --> 00:13:51,145 So his Diamond Sutra has lived for sixteen hundred years 369 00:13:51,376 --> 00:13:53,385 And remains on ordinary people's lips 370 00:13:53,736 --> 00:13:55,824 Xuanzang chose the side of accuracy 371 00:13:56,695 --> 00:13:59,744 So his translations remain the academic gold standard 372 00:13:59,776 --> 00:14:01,505 But fewer and fewer people read them 373 00:14:01,976 --> 00:14:03,704 Neither choice is simply right or wrong 374 00:14:04,175 --> 00:14:05,625 It is a double edged sword 375 00:14:06,055 --> 00:14:08,219 Each man held one edge 376 00:14:08,529 --> 00:14:10,369 Looking back at this whole history 377 00:14:10,369 --> 00:14:12,619 One thing moves me most 378 00:14:13,129 --> 00:14:16,219 Xuanzang spent seventeen years reaching the source of knowledge 379 00:14:16,609 --> 00:14:20,219 Then nineteen years translating what he found word by word 380 00:14:20,570 --> 00:14:23,689 The workload precision and devotion 381 00:14:23,690 --> 00:14:26,658 Are rare in the entire history of human civilization 382 00:14:27,129 --> 00:14:29,939 Yet only two or three generations after the work was complete 383 00:14:30,009 --> 00:14:33,484 The school he spent his life building lost its line of transmission 384 00:14:34,035 --> 00:14:35,925 You may have seen similar things 385 00:14:36,155 --> 00:14:38,395 Some people create extraordinary work 386 00:14:38,396 --> 00:14:40,245 Yet the work does not survive 387 00:14:40,555 --> 00:14:42,365 Not because the work itself is poor 388 00:14:42,435 --> 00:14:45,804 But because the conditions it needs disappear 389 00:14:45,915 --> 00:14:48,995 A project a company or a field of research 390 00:14:48,996 --> 00:14:51,285 Sometimes dies not from lack of quality 391 00:14:51,315 --> 00:14:53,245 But from the wrong soil 392 00:14:53,675 --> 00:14:56,765 Xuanzang's story teaches a simple lesson 393 00:14:56,915 --> 00:14:58,525 For something to survive 394 00:14:58,555 --> 00:15:00,645 Doing it well is not enough 395 00:15:00,996 --> 00:15:02,115 It also needs 396 00:15:02,116 --> 00:15:05,005 A vitality that does not depend on any single support 397 00:15:05,035 --> 00:15:06,885 And can sustain itself 398 00:15:07,756 --> 00:15:09,115 For knowledge to survive 399 00:15:09,116 --> 00:15:12,484 It must be simple enough for anyone to understand and pass on 400 00:15:12,596 --> 00:15:16,765 Or build a self sustaining system independent of any single patron 401 00:15:17,075 --> 00:15:18,964 Xuanzang completed the first half 402 00:15:19,315 --> 00:15:19,865 The second half 403 00:15:20,155 --> 00:15:21,444 He had no time to complete 404 00:15:21,515 --> 00:15:22,314 Or perhaps 405 00:15:22,315 --> 00:15:25,054 It was never something one person could accomplish 406 00:15:25,405 --> 00:15:28,174 But Buddhism did not disappear from China 407 00:15:28,405 --> 00:15:29,375 Quite the opposite 408 00:15:29,565 --> 00:15:32,295 As the Faxiang school faded 409 00:15:32,445 --> 00:15:35,655 Chinese Buddhists did something even more remarkable 410 00:15:35,925 --> 00:15:39,255 They stopped waiting for Indians to tell them how to practice 411 00:15:39,366 --> 00:15:41,724 They began using their own Chinese ways 412 00:15:41,726 --> 00:15:43,895 To reinterpret the Buddha's teaching 413 00:15:44,165 --> 00:15:47,854 Tiantai Huayan Chan and Pure Land 414 00:15:48,045 --> 00:15:51,174 These schools grew entirely from Chinese soil 415 00:15:51,285 --> 00:15:53,174 And were about to step onto the historical stage 416 00:15:53,565 --> 00:15:55,194 Their relationship with Indian Buddhism 417 00:15:55,486 --> 00:15:56,405 Was not imitation 418 00:15:56,405 --> 00:15:57,115 And not translation 419 00:15:57,445 --> 00:15:59,415 But an entirely new creation 420 00:15:59,805 --> 00:16:01,655 These schools survive to this day 421 00:16:01,726 --> 00:16:03,295 Not because of imperial money 422 00:16:04,045 --> 00:16:09,068 But because they found ways to root themselves in ordinary life 423 00:16:09,668 --> 00:16:10,255 That story 424 00:16:10,465 --> 00:16:11,912 Continues next time 425 00:16:12,262 --> 00:16:14,446 What does Xuanzang's experience teach you 426 00:16:15,016 --> 00:16:18,735 Something built with extreme precision or something made simple enough 427 00:16:18,807 --> 00:16:20,112 Which is more likely to survive 428 00:16:20,562 --> 00:16:23,425 Have you seen anything similar in your work or life 429 00:16:23,915 --> 00:16:25,161 Share your thoughts 430 00:16:25,232 --> 00:16:25,900 I am Wang Lijie 431 00:16:26,189 --> 00:16:27,325 See you next time