'10,000 miles without a cloud,' is a Buddhist saying. It signifies
the search for a mind clear of doubts: a perfect title for this
remarkable book on a journey of discovery and faith. Son Shuyun
grew up in China during the dark night of the Cultural Revolution,
when it was more important to learn the right attitudes than to
study. Her father was an ardent communist and a veteran of the Long
March, her grandmother (with whom she shared a room) a Buddhist. By
the time Sun Shuyun reached university, she had witnessed the
bitter disillusionment of both her father - for whom Mao's brand of
communism had failed to deliver on its promises - and her
classmates. Scarcely surprising then, given the influence of her
grandmother, that she turned to Buddhism for inspiration, and
specifically to Xuanzang, a true Chinese hero waiting to be
rediscovered. Xuanzang lived in the seventh century AD - a golden
period in Chinese history. He was a man of extraordinary qualities,
who travelled from China through Central Asia to India in search of
enlightenment. Sun Shuyun set out to discover what gave Xuanzang
such phenomenal strength and purpose and, above all, to find a
faith for herself, a faith that could replace the false god of
communism. In retracing Xuanzang's steps, Sun Shuyun makes a
journey, both literal and metaphorical, through four landscapes -
historical, cultural, spiritual and personal. In so doing, she
presents us with a vivid and fascinating insight into China and its
people, past and present. Though sparsely illustrated, this is a
book whose rich, descriptive language is marvellously evocative.
Moving and original, it is both a fine introduction to Chinese
Buddhism, and an extraordinary voyage of the soul. (Kirkus UK)
Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud is a beautifully written account
of Sun Shuyun's journey to retrace the steps of one of the most
popular figures in Chinese history - the monk Xuanzang, who
travelled to India searching for true Buddhism. Xuanzang should be
known as one of the world's great heroes. His travels across Asia
to bring true Buddhism back to China are legendary, and his own
book provides a unique record of the history and culture of his
time. Yet he is unknown to most of us and even to most Chinese,
whose knowledge of Buddhist history has been eradicated by decades
of Communist rule. Sun Shuyun was determined to follow in his
footsteps, to discover more about Xuanzang and restore his fame.
She decided to retrace his journey from China to India and back, an
adventure that in the 8th century took Xuanzang eighteen years and
led him across 118 kingdoms, an adventure that opened up the east
and west of Asia to each other - and to us. A man of great faith
and determination, Xuanzang won the hearts of kings and robbers
with his teaching, his charm and his indomitable will. Against all
odds he persuaded the Confucian emperors to allow Buddhism to
flourish in China. At the heart of the book lies Sun Shuyun's own
personal journey towards understanding the Buddhist faith of her
grandmother, recognising the passionate idealism of the communist
beliefs of her own family and discovering her own ideological and
personal path through life.
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