A Pilgrim Scholar’s Arrival at Nalanda

When the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang finally reached Nalanda Monastery in 631 CE after his arduous journey across Central Asia, he encountered a reception far beyond what any foreign student could expect. The prestigious institution, considered the Oxford of ancient Buddhist learning, maintained strict hierarchical rules and disciplined routines for its 10,000 resident monks. Yet Xuanzang, a newcomer from distant China, received treatment reserved only for the most esteemed scholars.

Nalanda’s abbot, the venerable Shilabhadra (known in Chinese as Jiexian), recognized something extraordinary in this determined pilgrim. Breaking all institutional norms, Xuanzang was immediately granted privileges that typically took decades of study to earn. He received luxurious accommodations, was exempted from all monastic duties, and remarkably – was given time to postpone his studies for further travels through India before formally beginning his education at the monastery.

Royal Treatment at the Buddhist University

The specifics of Xuanzang’s privileged status reveal much about his exceptional position. He traveled in an elephant-drawn carriage – a mode of transport reserved for royalty and high-ranking monks in ancient India. The monastery assigned him multiple attendants, including a Brahmin servant (significant as Brahmins occupied the highest caste position) and several “pure persons” (possibly eunuchs) to attend to his needs.

Most astonishingly, Xuanzang was immediately counted among Nalanda’s “Ten Masters of the Three Baskets” – scholars recognized as having mastered the entire Buddhist canon of sutras, vinaya (monastic rules), and abhidharma (philosophical treatises). Historical records from the Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks state clearly that this honor was reserved for only ten individuals at any time, and the position had remained vacant until Xuanzang’s arrival. This placed the Chinese monk among the top 0.1% of Nalanda’s scholarly community.

The Significance of Delayed Studies

Rather than immediately immersing himself in Nalanda’s rigorous academic program, Xuanzang embarked on another pilgrimage through India’s sacred Buddhist sites. This might seem counterintuitive after his years-long journey to reach Nalanda, but several factors explain this decision. The pilgrimage allowed Xuanzang to:

1. Pay homage at important Buddhist sites before focusing on study
2. Gain broader cultural and religious context for his upcoming studies
3. Establish connections with other monastic communities across India
4. Collect additional texts and knowledge not available at Nalanda

This journey proved particularly significant when Xuanzang visited two sites that would later inspire one of China’s most iconic Buddhist monuments.

The Legendary Origins of the Wild Goose Pagoda

At a mountain called Indraśailaguhā, Xuanzang encountered two sites with avian-themed names that carried profound Buddhist lessons. The first was Kapotaka Monastery (Pigeon Monastery), named after a legend where the Buddha transformed into a pigeon to teach compassion to a bird-catcher.

More significantly, Xuanzang visited a stupa called Hamsa (Wild Goose) Stupa, named after another miraculous event. According to the story, a group of Hinayana (Theravada) monks who ate meat found themselves without food. When one monk jokingly complained to flying geese about their predicament, a goose fell dead at his feet. Interpreting this as the Buddha’s message to adopt Mahayana vegetarian practices, the monks converted and built the stupa to commemorate the event.

These stories made such an impression on Xuanzang that they directly inspired the name and design of what would become China’s famous Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an.

From Indian Inspiration to Chinese Icon

After returning to China in 645 CE with hundreds of Buddhist texts, Xuanzang sought to protect his precious collection. In 652 CE, with Emperor Gaozong’s permission, he constructed a pagoda at Ci’en Temple in Chang’an (modern Xi’an). Originally planned as a 300-foot stone structure, practical considerations led to a 180-foot brick pagoda instead.

The pagoda’s design consciously followed Indian models rather than contemporary Chinese styles, as recorded in the Biography of the Tripitaka Master of the Great Ci’en Monastery. Though Xuanzang never formally named it, people began calling it the Wild Goose Pagoda (Yanta) in reference to the Indian stupa that inspired it. After the original structure collapsed in 683 CE, Empress Wu Zetian rebuilt it as a ten-story pagoda and officially adopted the name “Great Wild Goose Pagoda.”

Beyond Buddhism: The Pagoda’s Cultural Legacy

The Wild Goose Pagoda transcended its original religious purpose to become a cultural landmark. By the early 8th century, it had become tradition for successful candidates in the imperial examinations to inscribe their names on the pagoda’s walls – the highest academic honor in Tang China. The poet Bai Juyi famously commemorated his achievement at age 27 with the lines: “At the name-inscribing place beneath Ci’en Pagoda, Among seventeen men I was the youngest.”

This “Wild Goose Pagoda Name Inscription” practice preserved valuable calligraphy from Tang dynasty literati. The pagoda also survived numerous wars and reconstructions, maintaining much of its original Tang architecture. Designated a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 1961, it remains one of China’s most recognizable ancient structures.

Academic Life at Nalanda

When Xuanzang finally began his studies at Nalanda after his travels, he received another extraordinary honor – personal instruction from the 100-year-old abbot Shilabhadra on the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra (Treatise on the Stages of Yoga Practice). This massive text, comprising 100 volumes in Xuanzang’s Chinese translation, represented the most comprehensive work of Yogacara philosophy.

The lectures became a major event in Indian Buddhist circles, attracting thousands of monks from across Asia. A remarkable incident occurred during the opening lecture when a Brahmin interrupted proceedings, alternately weeping and laughing. He claimed the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara had prophesied this very occasion would lead him to enlightenment. Shilabhadra welcomed him, and he reportedly achieved his spiritual goals – and through royal patronage, even became a minor king.

Xuanzang spent five years at Nalanda, studying the Yogācārabhūmi three times along with other key texts on logic, linguistics, and philosophy. He also mastered Brahmanical classics and refined his Sanskrit, the scholarly lingua franca of Buddhist Asia.

The Enduring Legacy of a Scholar-Pilgrim

Xuanzang’s story reveals several timeless aspects of intellectual pursuit:

1. The value of cultural immersion in education
2. How physical journeys can inspire intellectual and spiritual ones
3. The importance of preserving and transmitting knowledge
4. How architectural monuments can bridge cultures across centuries

The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda stands today not just as a Buddhist relic, but as testament to one man’s extraordinary journey between civilizations. It embodies the fruitful exchange between Indian and Chinese Buddhist traditions while serving as a reminder of the Tang dynasty’s cosmopolitan golden age.

Xuanzang’s delayed studies at Nalanda and subsequent travels demonstrate that true learning often follows unexpected paths. His privileges at the monastery reflected not special treatment, but recognition of his exceptional dedication to the Buddhist quest for wisdom – a dedication that ultimately enriched both Chinese culture and our understanding of medieval Asian history.