[Y-Indology] scholars worldwide.

November 30, 2002

Richard Bernstein, a New York Times book critic, has written a book

titled Ultimate Journey: Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk

Who Crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment (2001), describing his

own journey in the footsteps of Hsuan Tsang (AD 603 - 664). He notes

that "any Chinese person who has been to elementary school knowns

who Hsuan Tsang was and what he did" and writes, "The monk's own

account of his journey, whose full title is TheGreat Tang Chronicles of

the Western World, translated into English by a British clergyman-

scholar named Samuel Beal, is regarded as one of the great classics of

Chinese literature." Beal's work would have been marginal to the

consciousness of most late 19th-century American and European

readers, but not to Orientalists or people like Blavatsky...?

The name of Hsuan Tsang is also written Xuan Zang, Hiouen Thsang,

Huan Chwang, and Yuan Chwang. His name in Mandarin Chinese is

pronounced "Shyu-ann Dzang". "Dzang" is close to "Dzyan". Is possible

that HPB may have cribbed the name of this monk to gain some

authenticity with individuals who were vaguely familiar with Beal's

translation of his writings ?

Question is where/what is the original of the Stanzas of Dzyan text that

Blavatsky /modern Theosophy has re-dacted ?

An Indologist pointed out that rather the Sinology it would rather belong

to the realm of Indology.

INDOLOGY, "Chr. Wedemeyer" <bushisadork> wrote:

> Indeed, that is the case. This message was far too long for this list.

> All members are requested to keep their postings to a reasonable

limit

> for the comfort of all.

>

> INDOLOGY, Valerie J Roebuck <vjroebuck@m...> wrote:

>

> > In any case, this is clearly not a topic for an academic Indology

> > list. Moreover, 33k postings block up people's inboxes and cause

> > problems for users of smaller computers. I believe the guideline on

> > the list was around 2k?

> >

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