釋迦方志 2.95

2.95

十六謂。大唐京師大莊嚴寺沙門玄奘。以貞觀三年自弔形影西尋教迹。從初京邑西達沙州。獨陟險塞伊吾高昌。備經危險。時高昌王麴氏。為給貨賂傳送突厥葉護牙所。又被將送雪山以北諸蕃胡國。具觀佛化。又東南出大雪山。達諸印度經由十年。後返從葱嶺南雪山北。歷諸山國東歸。經于闐婁蘭等。凡一百五十國。貞觀十九年安達京師。奉詔譯經。乃著西域傳一十二卷。余歷尋僧傳并博聽聞。所遊佛國備之前矣。然記傳所見時互出沒。取其光顯者方為敘之。至如法維法表之徒。標名無記者。其計難緝。又隋代往還唐運來往。咸纘履歷具程油素。諸如此例何可具焉。

The sixteenth: In the Great Tang, the śramaṇa Xuanzang of Dazhuangyan Monastery in the capital, pitying his own shadow, went west in the third year of Zhenguan to seek the teaching traces. From the capital in the beginning, he reached Shazhou in the west, and climbed solitary dangerous barriers to Yiwu and Gaochang, experiencing every peril. At that time, the King of Gaochang, of the Qu clan, provided gifts and sent him along to the Yabghu of the Turks' camp. He was further escorted to all the barbarian kingdoms north of the Snow Mountains, thoroughly observing Buddhist culture. Further southeast he crossed the Great Snow Mountains, reached the various Indias, and spent ten years there. Later he returned from south of the Pamirs and north of the Snow Mountains, passing through various mountain kingdoms to return east via Khotan, Lou-lan, and others, through one hundred and fifty kingdoms in all. In the nineteenth year of Zhenguan, he arrived safely in the capital, and by imperial decree translated scriptures, authoring the *Records of the Western Regions* in twelve fascicles. I have searched through the monastic biographies and widely heard reports; the Buddhist kingdoms traversed are fully presented above. Yet the records and biographies seen from time to time appear and disappear; taking those that are illustrious, I have now narrated them. As for those like Fawei and Fabiao whose names are marked without records, their accounts are difficult to weave together. Furthermore, those who went and returned in the Sui dynasty and those who came and went under the Tang all compiled their itineraries, fully detailing them on paper and silk. How could cases such as these be fully related?