Free The Political Situation in China and India Essay Sample
It is very important to take note of the fact that the journeys that were made by Xuanzang occurred during the periods between 629 to 645 CE in order to effectively analyze the true political picture that was present during this particular time. The Chinese political threat was reduced in a year after Xuanzang began his journey. This was made true by the fact that the Khanate which belonged to the Eastern Turks came crushing down. This consequently meant that the threat which had been paused to the Chinese government from the northwest boarders was effectively made impotent. This meant that China was in a position to enjoy more political freedom that it had done before Xuanzang had started his walk.
On the other hand, the case in India was a little bit different form the one in china. By the time Xuanzang was beginning to make his journeys, India was a country that had been kept in optimal peace by the presence of the mighty King Harsha. The control that he had in the country had ensured that optimal peace was present which had offered a very conducive and peaceful environment for Xuanzang to conduct his walk. This though was to last only for a while as King Harsha was to die only after Xuanzang was into the journey for four years. It was after the death of the king that the people from the north India came rapidly into the other parts of India equipped with more violence than they had ever put ahead. It therefore meant that the journey by Xuanzang was made difficult by the political situation that was in India. On the other hand, the political situation that was in china on the other hand had brought in a lot of resistance into the travelling that was being done by Xuanzang.
Xuanzang' Social and Religious Identity
Xuanzang was a well-known Buddhist who had the true and sincere ambition to follow the religion to its core. As a matter of fact, it was as a result of the attachment and personal commitment that he had towards religion that he set out to travel the longest journey that was ever travelled by anyone. The fact that Buddhism had already spread considerably enough in the region during those periods of time could mean that an individual could just be contended with appreciating the much that had been offered by the religious leaders. Xuanzang on the other hand wanted to get to the bottom of the religion that he was in. he did not just want to remain committed into living the life of a Buddha but wanted to realize the real roots that had given rise to Buddha. On the other hand, despite the fact that he had already known a lot about religion, Xuanzang was the type of person who spent most of his time not only enriching himself with the religious knowledge that he had acquired. He organized rallies and crusades during his journeys with an aim of ensuring that he had spread the religion to as many people as he could.
On the social perspective, it can be convincingly said that Xuanzang was more of a social activist who believed in social welfare. As a matter of fact, it can be argued that from the incidents that are recorded in the book, Xuanzang was a communist person who believed that the society was responsible as a unit in ensuring that the welfare of all the individuals was met. This was evidently seen in the situation where Xuanzang fought hard with the Chinese king to an extent of having hunger demonstrations with an aim of having his will granted. Once he was rewarded with massive wealth by the king, Xuanzang was very effective in ensuring that the people or the society was the beneficiary of the whole deal. This convincingly indicates by far how much Xuanzang was an effective leader in propagating for communism in the society. In short, fighting for the common welfare of the society was the main goal that was being perused by Xuanzang.
Personal and Political Influences That Led Xuanzang to Travel to India
As far as the personal reasons for Xuanzang visiting the land of India is concerned, his main aim was to ensure that the he got to the bottom root of the religion that was of interest to his heart, Buddha. The main aim was to ensure that he got access to all the traces of originality of Buddhism for the Indian country. On the other hand, as he was on his way to accomplishing this objective, Xuanzang had also set himself out to ensure that he spreads the religion to the optimal people that he could meet on the way. As a matter of fact, he even ensured that he not only talked to individuals but also organized for rallies in which he could have people gather so as to get more teachings about Buddhism. His personal reasons therefore revolved around two main issues which were to spread the word according to Buddha and also to ensure that the word according to Buddha had its very originality extracted by him.
In regard to the political influences that were driving Xuanzang into digging to the Indian community was the fact that he wanted to have a comprehensive picture of the government affairs of the people, the members of the royal family, the institution of the army, assessing the strengths that the country had politically among other factors. All these political aims were aimed at ensuring that he developed the right picture that could be fed to any Muslim who was in need of talking to the Hindus.
Xuanzang's Discovery about the Religious Situation in India
In the summary that Xuanzang offers in regard to the situation in India, he offers a wholesome view on virtually all the aspects affecting different spheres of the lives of the Indians. As a matter of fact, he offer the reader information that helps in regard tote political structure, the social structure and the religious structure of the people in India. It is due to this fact that he indicates that the Indians were staunch Buddhists. Buddhism almost affected all the areas of life to these people and it is because of this fact that Xuanzang concludes that they were adherents to the religion.
Xuanzang's Travel Effects in India
In as much as the visit that Xuanzang made in India was received with warm hands and actually as he was leaving, King Harsha gave his an extraordinary escort with extraordinary gifts from the country, the teachings and the visit did not last long as the death of the king later on brought disaster into the country. A chaotic situation was created that led India into having a period of a dark history. In this regard, it is therefore true to indicate the fact that Xuanzang was aiming at ensuring that his best was done in as far as offering the best society to the people of India in terms of their spiritual welfare and their social welfare. These efforts though were met with huge resistance by forces that could not at all be controlled by Xuanzang. Political instability in the country meant that his efforts had gone to waste.