Xuanzang Going on a Pilgrimage for Buddhist Scriptures

One of China's Four Great Classics, Journey to the West, tells the story of the Tang Monk and his three disciples enduring hardships to travel to the Western Heaven in quest of Buddhist scriptures. The character called "Tang Monk" in the story is based on the historical figure Xuanzang, an eminent monk and translator who authored Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang and facilitated cultural exchanges between China and India. The story of his journey had already been depicted in Dunhuang murals during the Western Xia period (1038-1227), although Journey to the West was written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Six confirmed depictions of Xuanzang Going on a Pilgrimage for Buddhist Scriptures have been found so far in the Dunhuang Caves—the Western Xia murals in the Yulin Caves and the Eastern Thousand- Buddha Caves. These six illustrations share similar content and artistic styles, most of which are not standalone paintings but part of larger murals, often appearing in the corners of Water-Moon Guanyin or Samantabhadra transformation scenes.

In Yulin Cave 2, on the western wall north of the door, Water-Moon Guanyin is depicted reclining against a rock, seated within a transparent halo. Opposite Guanyin, the Tang Monk, wearing a kasaya, stands with his hands raised in prayer, facing Guanyin with reverence. Behind him, the itinerant monk is dressed in narrow-sleeved clothing and pants tied at the legs. He leads a horse with one hand while shading his eyes with the other, gazing up at Guanyin. In Cave 3 of Yulin, on the southern side, the Samantabhadra Transformation scene shows Samantabhadra Bodhisattva holding a palm-leaf manuscript while seated on a lotus throne atop a six-tusked white elephant. Surrounding the Bodhisattva are Brahma, heavenly kings, bodhisattvas, and arhats. To the left of the painting, the Tang Monk is depicted standing by the riverbank, slightly bowing with his hands clasped in prayer. The itinerant monk and the white horse stand side by side behind him, following closely. The itinerant monk is shown with thick hair, a fierce expression, bulging eyes, and bared teeth, yet he is also shown with hands clasped in prayer. The white horse carries a bundle that emits light, indicating it contains the true scriptures and revealing that this scene depicts the return journey after obtaining the scriptures from India. These scenes centered around the theme of Xuanzang Going on a Pilgrimage for Buddhist Scriptures from the Western Xia period suggest that the legendary tale of the monk's journey had already been circulating in folk culture over 300 years before Journey to the West was published.

《唐僧取經圖》

中國古典四大名著之一《西游記》講述了唐僧師徒四人歷經磨難去西天取經的故事。故事中“唐僧”的原型，是撰寫了《大唐西域記》、實現中印文化交流的翻譯家——高僧玄奘。《西游記》成書于明代，而早在西夏時期，唐僧取經的故事就被畫入了敦煌壁畫。敦煌石窟現存6幅《唐僧取經圖》，出現在榆林窟和東千佛洞的西夏壁畫中。這6幅《唐僧取經圖》的內容和表現手法基本一致，大都不是獨立畫面，而是繪制在《水月觀音變》或《普賢變》的一角。

榆林窟第2窟西壁門北的水月觀音，斜倚巖壁坐于透明的圓光之中。觀音對面的巖岸上，唐僧身穿袈裟，雙手高舉合十，面朝觀音遙拜，其后猴行者穿窄袖衫、束腿褲，一手牽馬，一手搭涼棚，仰望觀音。榆林窟第3窟南側的《普賢變》，普賢菩薩手持梵夾坐于六牙白象背上的蓮座上，周圍梵天、天王、菩薩、羅漢等護從。畫面左邊的崖岸上，唐僧立于岸邊，身體微躬，雙手合十而拜，猴行者與白馬并排站立，緊隨其后。猴行者毛發濃密，面露兇相，雙目圓睜，張口露齒，亦雙手合十禮拜。白馬背馱包袱，包袱放出光芒，可見裝有真經，據此可知這一畫面是取經后返回東土的情節。這些西夏時期的《唐僧取經圖》說明，早在《西游記》成書之前300多年，民間已流傳唐僧取經的傳奇故事。