Ultimate Journey Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk Who Crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment

by BERNSTEIN, RICHARD

• ISBN13: 9780679781578
• ISBN10: 0679781579
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-02-05
• Publisher: Vintage

Summary

In 629, the revered Buddhist monk Hsuan Tsang set out across Asia in search of the Ultimate Truth, and to settle what he called "the perplexities of my mind." From the Tang dynasty capital at Xian through ancient Silk Road oases, over forbidding mountain passes to Tashkent, Samarkand, and the Amu-Darya River, across Pakistan to the holiest cities of Indiaand back againhis sixteen-year journey was beset with every hardship imaginable. Pilgrimage complete, Hsuan Tsang wrote an account of his trek that is still considered one of the classics of Chinese literature. In 1998, Richard Bernstein, venerated journalist andTimemagazine's first Beijing bureau chief, retraced the steps of Hsuan Tsang's long and sinuous route, comparing present and past. Aided by modern technology but hampered by language barriers, harried border crossings, hostile Islamic regimes, and the accidental U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Bernstein follows the monk's path not only in physical but in contemplative ways. Juxtaposing his own experiences with those of Hsuan Tsang, Bernstein has crafted a vivid account of two stirring adventures in pursuit of illumination. Inspiring and profoundly felt,Ultimate Journeyis a marvelous amalgamation of travelogue and history, cultural critique and spiritual meditation.

Author Biography

Richard Bernstein lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction	3	(12)
How Many Springs Do We See?	15	(21)
Leaving the Ba River Behind	36	(14)
The Fugitive Monk	50	(21)
The Ghost Town	71	(12)
The Long Dead	83	(14)
The Bombing of Belgrade	97	(19)
The Horror of Home	116	(14)
The Torugart Pass	130	(13)
Genghis Khan's Ancestors	143	(11)
The Bridge Nobody Crosses	154	(16)
Self-Annihilating Arguments	170	(22)
An Orphanage in Amritsar	192	(14)
The Maharaja of Ruin	206	(13)
A Detour to Hong Kong	219	(13)
The Holy Places	232	(14)
The Synagogue of Calcutta	246	(16)
The Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram	262	(13)
To the Kunjerab Pass	275	(21)
The Nightmare Bus to Khotan	296	(16)
The Southern Oases to Dunhuang	312	(12)
Last Words	324	(15)
Acknowledgments	339	(2)
Index	341