Most religions of the world have been spread with force, killing mercilessly those who did not agree to convert, the after effects of which are being experienced till date, of which the present terrorism is also a result; but the religion of Lord Buddha did not take this course and, on the contrary was invited by the Chinese to come over and teach; their scriptures were translated in very large numbers; stupas were erected one after the other; and one of their Mongol kings, Kublai Khan, utilized its ideology of peace and compassion to change the behaviour pattern of his violent, quarrelsome, always ready to attack and fight everyone everywhere, people-a point not till now noted. As such Buddhism's contribution to history is significant and should similarly be utilized to calm down the present day situation.
The book presents the enlightening story of the spread of Buddhism in China, along with the details of a Fa Hian and Huen Tsang's perilous travels to India, in search of the real tenets of the religion. It is a remarkable saga of human cooperation and endurance in their highest form. |
