[Buddha-l] In the footsteps of Xuan Zhang

[Stephen Hodge]

Joanna wrote:

>  Sort of like launching an Olympics team.........this ain't the way 
> XuangZhan did it.
For extra authenticity, it should be remembered that the mortality rate for 
Chinese monks visiting India were very high -- in the region of 90%, if the 
accounts by Yijing and others are reliable !   Tibetans visiting India at 
that time also suffered a very high mortality rate.  I read that they sent 
people in batches in the hope that at least one or two would survive.  Must 
be something about India.  In contrast, Indian monks who ended up in China 
often lived to great ages -- octogenarians, nonogenarians were not uncommon. 
One or two even made it past 100.

Best wishes,
Stephen Hodge