Hsuan Tsang Temple Introduction
Continuing west along the lakeside road for about 4.8 kilometers, you can reach the Hsuan Tsang Temple. Master Hsuan Tsang was a prominent monk of the Tang Dynasty. Feeling the significant differences among the sutras and texts that had been translated at the time, he was determined to seek the true essence of the Buddha's teachings. Despite the prohibitions of the government, he overcame numerous difficulties to travel to India for Buddhist scriptures, spending seventeen years abroad and returning with 657 texts. Together with his disciples, he translated 75 texts, totaling 1,335 volumes, greatly contributing to the development of Buddhism in China. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese stole Master Hsuan Tsang's relics from Nanjing and enshrined them at the Jien-ji Temple in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. In 1955, the relics were brought to Taiwan and temporarily enshrined at the Hsuan Guang Temple by Sun Moon Lake. In November 1965, after the completion of Hsuan Tsang Temple, the relics were then enshrined there. Hsuan Tsang Temple is built in the Tang-style architecture, featuring blue tiles and red pillars, exuding a simplistic elegance with a serene environment reminiscent of a Chinese garden's magnificence. It faces Sun Moon Lake in front and is backed by Qingshan Mountain, a location described by geomancers as "the treasure land of the Green Dragon playing with pearls," making it the most suitable place for enshrining Master Hsuan Tsang's relics. The Hsuan Tsang Memorial Hall opened for public viewing on March 28, 2014.
