Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud
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- Create Date：2022-09-20 06:58:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sun Shuyun
- ISBN：0007129742
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Summary
Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud is a beautifully written account of Sun Shuyun’s journey to retrace the steps of one of the most popular figures in Chinese history – the monk Xuanzang， who travelled to India searching for true Buddhism。
Xuanzang should be known as one of the world's great heroes。 His travels across Asia to bring true Buddhism back to China are legendary， and his own book provides a unique record of the history and culture of his time。 Yet he is unknown to most of us and even to most Chinese， whose knowledge of Buddhist history has been eradicated by decades of Communist rule。
Sun Shuyun was determined to follow in his footsteps， to discover more about Xuanzang and restore his fame。 She decided to retrace his journey from China to India and back， an adventure that in the 8th century took Xuanzang eighteen years and led him across 118 kingdoms， an adventure that opened up the east and west of Asia to each other – and to us。
A man of great faith and determination， Xuanzang won the hearts of kings and robbers with his teaching， his charm and his indomitable will。 Against all odds he persuaded the Confucian emperors to allow Buddhism to flourish in China。
At the heart of the book lies Sun Shuyun's own personal journey towards understanding the Buddhist faith of her grandmother， recognising the passionate idealism of the communist beliefs of her own family and discovering her own ideological and personal path through life。
Xuanzang should be known as one of the world's great heroes。 His travels across Asia to bring true Buddhism back to China are legendary， and his own book provides a unique record of the history and culture of his time。 Yet he is unknown to most of us and even to most Chinese， whose knowledge of Buddhist history has been eradicated by decades of Communist rule。
Sun Shuyun was determined to follow in his footsteps， to discover more about Xuanzang and restore his fame。 She decided to retrace his journey from China to India and back， an adventure that in the 8th century took Xuanzang eighteen years and led him across 118 kingdoms， an adventure that opened up the east and west of Asia to each other – and to us。
A man of great faith and determination， Xuanzang won the hearts of kings and robbers with his teaching， his charm and his indomitable will。 Against all odds he persuaded the Confucian emperors to allow Buddhism to flourish in China。
At the heart of the book lies Sun Shuyun's own personal journey towards understanding the Buddhist faith of her grandmother， recognising the passionate idealism of the communist beliefs of her own family and discovering her own ideological and personal path through life。
Reviews
Tram
，
chương cuối có vẻ hấp dẫn nhất， các chương còn lại thích hợp cho ai yêu mến lịch sử và các câu chuyện dọc hành trình địa lý
Prashanth Bhat
，
ಪ್ರಶಾಂತ ನೀಲಾಕಾಶ - ಮೂಲ ಸನ್ ಶುಯೂನ್ ಅನುವಾದ ಉಷಾಶ್ರೀ ಎಸ್。ಇದು ಟೆನ್ ಥೌಸಂಡ್ ಮೈಲ್ಸ್ ವಿಥೌಟ್ ಎ ಕ್ಲೌಡ್ ಅನ್ನುವ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಅನುವಾದ。ಚೀನಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಕ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯ ಕಾಲಘಟ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ ಲೇಖಕಿಗೆ ಮಾವೋ ಸರಕಾರದ ದಬ್ಬಾಳಿಕೆ ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯದ ಪರಿಚಯವಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಿತವಾಗಿ ಜನರ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಮಣ್ಣೆರೆಚುವ ಅದರ ಕಾರ್ಯತಂತ್ರಗಳಿಂದ ಅದರ ಅಗಾಧತೆಯ ಅರಿವಾಗಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ。 ಬಾಲ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಕಸ್ಮಿಕವಾಗಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಮಂಕಿ ಕಿಂಗ್ ಎಂಬ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಮೂಲಕ ಹೊಸ ಜಗತ್ತಿಗೆ ಪ್ರವೇಶ ಪಡೆವ ಲೇಖಕಿ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಬೆಳೆದಂತೆ ಆ ಮಂಕಿ ಕಿಂಗ್ ಕತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಸಾಧು ಬೇರಾರೂ ಅಲ್ಲ ಹ್ಯೂಯನ್ ತ್ಸಾಂಗ್ ಎಂದು ಅರಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ。 ಕಲಿಕೆಗ ಪ್ರಶಾಂತ ನೀಲಾಕಾಶ - ಮೂಲ ಸನ್ ಶುಯೂನ್ ಅನುವಾದ ಉಷಾಶ್ರೀ ಎಸ್。ಇದು ಟೆನ್ ಥೌಸಂಡ್ ಮೈಲ್ಸ್ ವಿಥೌಟ್ ಎ ಕ್ಲೌಡ್ ಅನ್ನುವ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಅನುವಾದ。ಚೀನಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಕ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯ ಕಾಲಘಟ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ ಲೇಖಕಿಗೆ ಮಾವೋ ಸರಕಾರದ ದಬ್ಬಾಳಿಕೆ ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯದ ಪರಿಚಯವಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಿತವಾಗಿ ಜನರ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಮಣ್ಣೆರೆಚುವ ಅದರ ಕಾರ್ಯತಂತ್ರಗಳಿಂದ ಅದರ ಅಗಾಧತೆಯ ಅರಿವಾಗಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ。 ಬಾಲ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಕಸ್ಮಿಕವಾಗಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಮಂಕಿ ಕಿಂಗ್ ಎಂಬ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಮೂಲಕ ಹೊಸ ಜಗತ್ತಿಗೆ ಪ್ರವೇಶ ಪಡೆವ ಲೇಖಕಿ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಬೆಳೆದಂತೆ ಆ ಮಂಕಿ ಕಿಂಗ್ ಕತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಸಾಧು ಬೇರಾರೂ ಅಲ್ಲ ಹ್ಯೂಯನ್ ತ್ಸಾಂಗ್ ಎಂದು ಅರಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ。 ಕಲಿಕೆಗೆಂದು ವಿದೇಶಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದಾಗ ಆಕೆಗೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಸರಕಾರದ ಇಷ್ಟರವರೆಗೆ ಮಾಡಿದ ಮೋಸ ಅತ್ಯಾಚಾರ ಬರ್ಬರತೆಗಳ ಸತ್ಯ ತಿಳಿದು ಆಘಾತವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ。 ಇಡೀ ಚೈನಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಧರ್ಮದ ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ಮತ್ತೆ ರೂಪಿಸಿದ ಅದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಪಯಣ ಕೈಗೊಂಡ ಹ್ಯೂಯನ್ ತ್ಸಾಂಗ್ ಸಾಗಿದ ಹಾದಿಗುಂಟ ಪ್ರವಾಸ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಲು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿ ಆಕೆ ಹೊರಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ。 ಸಿಲ್ಕ್ ರೋಡ್ ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಡುವ ಹಾದಿಯ ಮೂಲಕ ಸಾಗುವ ಆಕೆ ಆಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನ， ಭಾರತ ಹೀಗೆ ಹ್ಯೂಯನ್ ತ್ಸಾಂಗ್ ಸಾಗಿದ ಹಾದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪಯಣ ಬೆಳೆಸಿದ ಅನುಭವಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನವೇ ಈ ಪ್ರವಾಸ ಕಥನ。ಇದೊಂದು ರೀತಿ ತನ್ನ ನಂಬಿಕೆಗಳ ಮೂಲದ ಹುಡುಕಾಟವೂ ಹೌದು。ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ತಂದೆಯೇ ಮಾವೋನ ಕಮ್ಯುನಿಸ್ಟ್ ನಾಯಕರ ಯಾದಿಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾಗ ಭ್ರಮನಿರಸನಗೊಂಡು ತನ್ನ ಬದುಕಿನ ಕಾರಣ ಏನು ಎಂದು ಆರೋಪಿಸಿ ನಡೆಸಿದ ಹುಡುಕಾಟವೂ ಹೌದು。ಇಡೀ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಬರೀ ಆಕೆಯ ಪಯಣವಲ್ಲದೆ ，ಹ್ಯೂಯನ್ ತ್ಸಾಂಗ್‌ನ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನೂ ಹೇಳುವ ಕಾರಣ ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ。ನನಗೆ ಅತೃಪ್ತಿ ಕಂಡ ಅಂಶಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆಯೂ ಹೇಳಬೇಕು。 ಒಂದು ಇಂಡಿಯಾದ ಕುರಿತಾದ ಆಕೆಯ ಪೂರ್ವಗ್ರಹಪೀಡಿತ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯಗಳು ಎರಡು ಕೊನೆ ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಬೌದ್ಧ ಮತದ ಕುರಿತಾದ ಬೋಧನೆಯ ಹಾಗೆ ಭಾಸವಾಗುವ ಬರವಣಿಗೆ。ಇವೆರಡು ಬಿಟ್ಟರೆ ಬಹಳ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಪ್ರವಾಸ ಕಥನ ಇದು。ಅಚ್ಚರಿ ಎಂಬಂತೆ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ ಪ್ರಕಾಶನದ ಒಂದೇ ಒಂದು ಅಕ್ಷರ ತಪ್ಪು ಇಲ್ಲದ ಹಾಗೆ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿದೆ。 ಮುಖಪುಟ，ಪುಟ ವಿನ್ಯಾಸ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಆಹ್ಹಾ ಅನಿಸುವ ಹಾಗೆ ಇದೆ。 ಅನುವಾದದ ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟ ಅದ್ಭುತವಾಗಿದೆ。 ನಿಮಗೆ ಇತಿಹಾಸ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರವಾಸಕಥನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಇದ್ದರೆ ಓದಲೇಬೇಕಾದ ಪುಸ್ತಕ。 。。。more
Way Chuang Ang
，
Part memoir， part travelogue， part historical account。 This is a well written book on the journey to retrace the steps of Master Xuanzang。 I am very glad to have learned about this book from online e-learning course on the spread of Buddhism in China conducted by Professor Victor Wee。 It's sad to be reminded about the demise of Buddhism from the land of its origin。 The area which used to be part of Buddhist stronghold was sacked by the Muslim crusaders。 One tidbit that surprises me is that the A Part memoir， part travelogue， part historical account。 This is a well written book on the journey to retrace the steps of Master Xuanzang。 I am very glad to have learned about this book from online e-learning course on the spread of Buddhism in China conducted by Professor Victor Wee。 It's sad to be reminded about the demise of Buddhism from the land of its origin。 The area which used to be part of Buddhist stronghold was sacked by the Muslim crusaders。 One tidbit that surprises me is that the Ambedkars sort of adopt Buddhism but discard core pillars of Buddhism: Karma and rebirth。 When you take those 2 concepts out， there isn't much left of Buddhism。 I don't want to speculate as to why they do so。I knew so little about the Master Xuangzang before reading this book and didn't realize the importance of his record to the community of archaeologists during colonial time。 Many prominent archaeologists used his record to rediscover holy sites of the Buddha， while some used the records to steal the artifacts unfortunately。 。。。more
Crystal
，
Bought this book probably a decade ago and let it sit on the shelf。 Interesting read and following the travels of a iconic buddhist master and a modern writer hundreds of years apart。
David Iverson
，
Wonderful！ Combines history of chinese monk who travelled to india in 7th century， with author retracing parts of his journey and her own internal journey to understand her family and her search for a deeper meaning to life。
Dechen
，
A very inspiring work of art。 Thoroughly enjoyed the way the travel was written and exhibited。 Highly recommended。
Eric
，
This book has taught me many things about Buddhism， China， India and life。 Although it's a journey， there are many hidden knowledge in the stories。 If you are not interested in Buddhism， you shouldn't read this book since the content may be a bit tedious as it is Buddhism-centralized。 The narration is smooth， intertwining with the present and the past。 This is a peaceful journey。 My only regrets that is this is a little too academic and the book doesn't reveal about her hardships， emotions or ow This book has taught me many things about Buddhism， China， India and life。 Although it's a journey， there are many hidden knowledge in the stories。 If you are not interested in Buddhism， you shouldn't read this book since the content may be a bit tedious as it is Buddhism-centralized。 The narration is smooth， intertwining with the present and the past。 This is a peaceful journey。 My only regrets that is this is a little too academic and the book doesn't reveal about her hardships， emotions or own style a lot。 。。。more
Sophia Tran
，
Đọc xong cuốn này làm mình muốn đi silkroad để được tận mắt mục sở thị những bức bích hoạ ở Đôn Hoàng， chùa Từ Ân nơi Huyền Trang làm chụ trì。。。。
Thao
，
Phật Giáo cổ đại thịnh suy như thế nào？ Trung Hoa cổ đại vĩ đại ra sao？ Vương triều nhà Đường vì sao mà trở thành vương triều vĩ đại nhất， đã từng là thời đại hưng thịnh của thi ca， nghệ thuật， tôn giáo？ Trung Hoa， Ấn Độ và những quốc gia nằm trên con đường Tơ Lụa lúc ấy ra sao？ Phật Giáo ở các nước Trung Đông vì đâu mà suy tàn？ Và hơn tất thảy， là hành trình vĩ đại bậc nhất trong lịch sử Trung Hoa， cũng như lịch sử Phật Giáo của ngài Đường Huyền Trang。Về tác giả: là con gái thứ ba trong một gia Phật Giáo cổ đại thịnh suy như thế nào？ Trung Hoa cổ đại vĩ đại ra sao？ Vương triều nhà Đường vì sao mà trở thành vương triều vĩ đại nhất， đã từng là thời đại hưng thịnh của thi ca， nghệ thuật， tôn giáo？ Trung Hoa， Ấn Độ và những quốc gia nằm trên con đường Tơ Lụa lúc ấy ra sao？ Phật Giáo ở các nước Trung Đông vì đâu mà suy tàn？ Và hơn tất thảy， là hành trình vĩ đại bậc nhất trong lịch sử Trung Hoa， cũng như lịch sử Phật Giáo của ngài Đường Huyền Trang。Về tác giả: là con gái thứ ba trong một gia đình có bố là người nghiêm khắc， triệt để theo lý tưởng của chủ tịch Mao， suốt tuổi thơ sống trong vòng tay dỗ dành và cưng chiều của ngoại， là lứa du học sinh trao đổi đầu tiên giữa Trung Quốc và châu Âu， vừa bị chi phối bởi những tuyên truyền trước， trong và sau Cách mạng Văn Hoá， vừa ngỡ ngàng trước kho kiến thức khổng lồ của Thế giới khi bước sang trời Tây。 Với một nền tảng nhiều xung đột như thế， tuy không nhắc đến nhiều nhưng cũng lột tả được phần nào bi kịch của những thanh niên Trung Quốc lứa tuổi đó。 Sau cuộc Tây du theo bước ngài Huyền Trang， hiểu rõ hơn những lời ngoại dạy khi trước， càng cố viết cho ngắn và khách quan thì tình cảm dành cho ngoại càng hiển hiện đậm sâu。Đôi lời không thể diễn tả hết niềm vui sướng của bản thân khi tiếp cận một lượng tri thức khổng lồ mà cuốn sách mang lại。 Mỗi trang sách là một cuộc du hành ngược về quá khứ， là lạc thú khó cưỡng của kẻ hậu thế được đắm chìm trong thế giới cổ đại。 Hành trình Tây du từ thời niên thiếu qua bộ phim Tây du ký và bộ tiểu thuyết của Ngô Thừa Ân đến năm 28 tuổi với Vạn lý vô vân quả là một hành trình viên mãn。Tháng 8 năm 2018。 。。。more
Aditya Raghav
，
Did not expect it to be emotional。 The author not just retraces the path of Xuanzang but comments on political situation and history of the places and also her own experiences growing up in Mao's China。 It was a pleasure to read。 Did not expect it to be emotional。 The author not just retraces the path of Xuanzang but comments on political situation and history of the places and also her own experiences growing up in Mao's China。 It was a pleasure to read。 。。。more
Mai Đức
，
Đọc một quyển sách như đi ngàn dặm đường。 Cuộc hành trình khám phá chính mình đã bắt đầu。 Mong sao như ngài Huyền Trang không tới đích không quay đầu。
Karen
，
This is a very interesting book if you want to learn something about Chinese history and Buddhism。 Sun Shuyun follows the journey of Xuanzang （a 7th century monk who traveled from China to India in search of the true Buddhism） Throughout the book she makes constant parallels between what Xuanzang encountered and the reality she was witnessing。 She also contrasts the different philosophical and religious ideas that were flourishing at the times， but manages to keep a "down to earth" approach whil This is a very interesting book if you want to learn something about Chinese history and Buddhism。 Sun Shuyun follows the journey of Xuanzang （a 7th century monk who traveled from China to India in search of the true Buddhism） Throughout the book she makes constant parallels between what Xuanzang encountered and the reality she was witnessing。 She also contrasts the different philosophical and religious ideas that were flourishing at the times， but manages to keep a "down to earth" approach while addressing these subjects。 Her frequent references to her family - a very religious grandmother and a Communist father bring together the reality of China at the time of the Cultural Revolution。 This is a good read。 The map of the journey at the beginning was very helpful but I would have appreciated a Glossary of Terms to help me along in my understanding。 。。。more
P。
，
Dù là người Công giáo nhưng tôi vẫn rất thích đọc những chuyện và người liên quan đến Phật giáo。 Quyển này， thiếu một chút phong vị cá nhân của tác giả để được 4 sao đối với tôi。 Hơi đáng tiếc， dù vậy chuyến đi xa và nhiều gian nan này vẫn rất đáng nhớ。
[S] Bibliophage
，
This is my first time to read a book dedicated to Buddhism。 I am always fascinated on the tradition of Buddhism so I could say that it was luck or destiny when I found this book in the bookstore。 I was totally clueless on Buddhism's beginning and this book enlightened me on as much as everything I want to know about it。 Prior to this， I was not aware that there are different forms of Buddhism and this novel open my mind about them。 The journey of Xuanzang is truly remarkable and he's really a gr This is my first time to read a book dedicated to Buddhism。 I am always fascinated on the tradition of Buddhism so I could say that it was luck or destiny when I found this book in the bookstore。 I was totally clueless on Buddhism's beginning and this book enlightened me on as much as everything I want to know about it。 Prior to this， I was not aware that there are different forms of Buddhism and this novel open my mind about them。 The journey of Xuanzang is truly remarkable and he's really a great inspiration to Buddhist devotees to follow his devotion to the tradition and teachings。 I learnt a lot from reading his biography。 I truly admired his astounding perseverance and endurance on all the obstacles he faced。 This incredible man in the history of Buddhism contributes a lot on compiling， fetching， transporting， translating and propagating some of the sutras。 Hopefully that more Buddhists will be aware and appreciate his huge contribution。 。。。more
planetkimi
，
I picked up Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud looking for a perspective on the 16th century Chinese Novel Journey to the West， but I learned so much more from this fascinating book。 I learned that Xuanzang was pretty much the opposite of his character in the novel， which was written nearly a thousand years after his actual journey to the West。 I learned about what it was like to grow up in communist China。 I learned about oases on the Silk Road both currently and in the 7th century BCE。 I learn I picked up Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud looking for a perspective on the 16th century Chinese Novel Journey to the West， but I learned so much more from this fascinating book。 I learned that Xuanzang was pretty much the opposite of his character in the novel， which was written nearly a thousand years after his actual journey to the West。 I learned about what it was like to grow up in communist China。 I learned about oases on the Silk Road both currently and in the 7th century BCE。 I learned why Xuanzang is considered a hero in India， and perhaps why he's not considered to be such a big deal in modern China。 I also learned that Buddhism itself can be seen as pretty subversive， which helps explain why it's fallen in and out of favor with various political units through the centuries。 I loved reading every page of this thought-provoking book。 。。。more
Jan-Maat
，
Did you grow up watching Monkey Magic？ （view spoiler）[ and if not why not - answers in less that 100 words - protractors may be used （hide spoiler）] That was what the Japanese TV version， dubbed into English of the Chinese classic Journey to the West was called。 Not that we knew it was a classic of Chinese literature - instead we valued this simple tale of a Buddhist monk's journey from China to India to fetch more Buddhist scriptures back to China for the Enlightenment of the people for its fr Did you grow up watching Monkey Magic？ （view spoiler）[ and if not why not - answers in less that 100 words - protractors may be used （hide spoiler）] That was what the Japanese TV version， dubbed into English of the Chinese classic Journey to the West was called。 Not that we knew it was a classic of Chinese literature - instead we valued this simple tale of a Buddhist monk's journey from China to India to fetch more Buddhist scriptures back to China for the Enlightenment of the people for its frequent battles between Monkey and various demons， typically these involved Monkey flying about on a small pink cloud， or shrinking himself， or growing to giant proportions， those at least are the bits I remembered rather than the explicitly Buddhist bits。 In any case， rambling slowly towards the subject of this review， Journey to the West was a novelisation of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang's （view spoiler）[ or Hsüan-tsang （hide spoiler）] journey - mostly on foot - escaping from China （view spoiler）[permission to travel abroad having been denied - an incredible thing in to my mind for any one to seriously believe that they could do （hide spoiler）]， then down the Silk Road across deserts， through oasis city states， the realm of the Turkish khan， over the ruins of Buddhist Afghanistan and Pakistan which to his surprise had been devastated by the White Huns a couple of hundred of years earlier （view spoiler）[ the news cycle in those days was a fair bit slower than 24 hours （hide spoiler）]， before finally turning left into India where he was to remain for a long time seeking to learn more about Buddhism - having become uncertain in China about the amounts and quality of the translated sutras available and the limitations of the schools of Buddhism in his native land。In the novelisation horses were transformed into a dragon horse， a white elephant into a giant river swimming turtle， occasional companions into the Monkey God， bandits and the blandishments of foreign rulers keen - in Xuanzang's words at any rate - to keep this exotic monk to grace their own courts into terrible demons。This transformation shows something of the nature of Buddhism in China as Sun Shuyun experienced it growing up during the Cultural revolution。 It was superstition， god ridden， an opiate for the people。 At home Sun Shuyun's illiterate grandmother held to her faith， using beans to say her prayers， exercising compassion for her family， teaching on the sly as we do through stories her values and morality to her Granddaughter who none the less， sided invariably。 with her Father to poke fun at her faith。Impermanence is the nature of the world and change allowed Sun Shuyun to study first at Beijing university and then at Oxford in the UK （view spoiler）[ and the famous one， not the one that Jeffrey Archer went to （hide spoiler）]。 In Oxford， people recognised her as Chinese and the learned among them began to say things with big smiles like 'oh， you are from China studying history， you must know about the T'ang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang！'。 This being ancient times， before the rise of the internet and the smart phone， her only possible response was to say 'yeeeeesss， oh is that the time！ Silly me， I am forgetting my urgent appointment at the library'。 In which beautiful place - a stupa to the value of learning - she discovered Xuanzang's account of his journey to India and back written perhaps as a kind of intelligence report for the Emperor of China and a biography of him written after his death by one of his fellow monks translated into French and then English during the nineteenth century。 And herewith begins the subject and adventure of Sun Shuyun's book。She decides to follow Xuanzang's journey， not on foot， but by train， car， aeroplane and without Steve Martin。 She stops in China's far western frontier， visits the area around the Khyber Pass， flies to India（view spoiler）[ by conventional means rather than by using a personal pink cloud （hide spoiler）] and visits Bihar in the middle of election season。 At the same time her journey takes in the variety of Buddhisms that Xuanzang encountered - he was terribly keen on learning about the Yogacara school - and revisits the famous Buddhist cave sites along the Silk Road all plundered by the likes of Sir Aureal Stein（view spoiler）[ a Hungarian who later became an Englishman， due to some alchemy or other （hide spoiler）]。This allows her to examine her relationship with her Grandmother， and to consider China's recent past， the historical relationship between China and India， and the role of Xuanzang in the rediscovery of India's Buddhist past。She found her one experience of walking in the desert overwhelming， so I missed her not attempting more of the journey on foot。 She kept fairly faithfully to the original itinerary， and achieves an interesting balance between the personal and issues on the scale of civilisations。 Equally this isn't a mix， glancing at some of the other goodreads reviews， that works for all readers。 But there is something to be said for a book that sees India and China as the two opposite poles of humanity， with everybody else arranged on a spectrum between them。Ah， a final comment， the book was written in English which isn't Sun Shuyun's native language and I did wonder about her finding her own idiom and in a way the whole book is about finding an idiom - a spiritual and intellectual one that both honours and expands upon her heritage。 Maybe it was just a printing error， but one town was described as 'busty' rather than the more customary， in British English at least， 'bustling'。 It would be a pity if this were a mere accident， a busty town would require an architecture， materials and methods of construction all of its own， and is the kind of challenge to familiar urban spaces that one might hope to find when journeying along the Silk Road - which remains a cultural squinch， the space one has to travel across to get from a square to a circle。 。。。more
Ann Balmforth
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Not sufficiently well written or interesting。
Michael Bafford
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I got this from a friend who enjoyed it。 I found myself wading through the beginning hoping; "when she gets to India it will get better"。 And it did。 In China Ms。 Sun had too many memories of family and of growing up during the cultural revolution。 I am not really interested in modern history。 Also I was disappointed that there was very little walking in Xuanzang's footsteps。 A lot more travelling by train， plane and taxi。 Travelling by bus was apparently gruelling。 One place was unreachable as I got this from a friend who enjoyed it。 I found myself wading through the beginning hoping; "when she gets to India it will get better"。 And it did。 In China Ms。 Sun had too many memories of family and of growing up during the cultural revolution。 I am not really interested in modern history。 Also I was disappointed that there was very little walking in Xuanzang's footsteps。 A lot more travelling by train， plane and taxi。 Travelling by bus was apparently gruelling。 One place was unreachable as there were not enough people to form a tour group。 The author's apparent sincerity is buffeted by these failures and occasionally I thought she lost her footing。 Still， the ancient history is interesting as was learning of the rediscovery of Buddhism in India in the 19th Century。 I had no idea it had been lost。 I have wondered how it could have been so totally eradicated as to be invisible today。 I got part of an answer to that。 And I have to agree that Mr。 Xuanzang was a wonder！ 。。。more
Savita Sharma
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Good book
John
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I was a bit concerned that the history would overwhelm the modern travel narrative aspect， but that didn't really happen。 Good book， but not great， unless you have a specific interest in Buddhism or ancient Chinese history。 I was a bit concerned that the history would overwhelm the modern travel narrative aspect， but that didn't really happen。 Good book， but not great， unless you have a specific interest in Buddhism or ancient Chinese history。 。。。more
Nipun Cp
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Great Book if you want to know about history of china from a common woman's perspective。 An eye opener to an Indian who is blinded by pride of nationalism Great Book if you want to know about history of china from a common woman's perspective。 An eye opener to an Indian who is blinded by pride of nationalism 。。。more
Nina
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Fascinating insight into the relationships between China and India over millennia as well as absorbing reflections upon spiritual beliefs， politics， and economics over generations。
Nancy 'hedge'
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what a journey the Chinese have had。 This may seem at times a bit tedious， but is worth the read if nothing else to understand what has happened in the recent past to form this country as it is today。
Ayla
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Very engaging and intimate。 I read it twice。 I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Chinese history and culture， Buddhism， or in just a plain good read！
Huy
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Đọc được vài chương và quyết định để dàng mang theo chuyến du lịch sắp tới， có lẽ rất là hợp :D13/09: Ngừng đọc vì có lẽ lúc này chưa phải lúc thích hợp để đọc， đọc mà chẳng thấy vô gì cả。
Praveen Peethambaran
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Started reading 'Ten thousand Miles without a Cloud'， a interesting journey into the journey of Buddhist monk Xangzung。。。 Started reading 'Ten thousand Miles without a Cloud'， a interesting journey into the journey of Buddhist monk Xangzung。。。 。。。more
Hock Tjoa
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Without drama， Sun tells of her journeys to the many places that Xuan Zang， the 7th century Chinese monk made to the "West"--Central Asia （the Silk Road） and India。 His story was retold with much fantasy and "paranormal" incidents in the 15th century and is regarded as one of the Four great classic novels。 It could rightly be called The Monkey King， after one of the superheroes that was chosen to protect the monk on his journey。 "Ten thousand miles" is the sober and sensible but fascinating stor Without drama， Sun tells of her journeys to the many places that Xuan Zang， the 7th century Chinese monk made to the "West"--Central Asia （the Silk Road） and India。 His story was retold with much fantasy and "paranormal" incidents in the 15th century and is regarded as one of the Four great classic novels。 It could rightly be called The Monkey King， after one of the superheroes that was chosen to protect the monk on his journey。 "Ten thousand miles" is the sober and sensible but fascinating story of a Chinese woman who grew up with Red Guards for parents and a grandmother who had bound feet and was a devout Buddhist。 The Silk Road sounds like the Orient Express; it is not。 Peshawar is said to be the epicenter of "Islamofascists": well， it is the second most important site for Buddhists。 Buddhism was born in India around 600 B。C。 but was much forgotten by the 19th century until an English translation of Xuan Zang's Great Tang Records on the Western Regions （referred to in this book as the "Buddhist Records of the Western World"） helped British and Indian archaeologists uncover the sacred sites to which Burmese， Thai and Ceylonese Buddhists had come but failed to find。 You will learn much from this book， not least about your own preconceptions about the meaning of life。 。。。more
Marianne
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Ten Thousand Miles Without A Cloud is the first book by Sun Shuyun。 It details Sun’s experience as she tries to follow in the footsteps on Xuanzang， a Buddhist monk who， in the 7th century， made a pilgrimage through Central Asia and into India， to find the original sutras of the Buddha。 Xuanzang made his trip during a time of political unrest， as does Sun; both confront obstacles and both come to understand Buddhism and themselves better for their encounters with others on the way。 I found mysel Ten Thousand Miles Without A Cloud is the first book by Sun Shuyun。 It details Sun’s experience as she tries to follow in the footsteps on Xuanzang， a Buddhist monk who， in the 7th century， made a pilgrimage through Central Asia and into India， to find the original sutras of the Buddha。 Xuanzang made his trip during a time of political unrest， as does Sun; both confront obstacles and both come to understand Buddhism and themselves better for their encounters with others on the way。 I found myself checking how many pages left and eyeing my next read with increasing frequency as the book progressed: never a good sign！ Readers interested in Buddhism would find this book informative and enjoyable; readers with less of a fascination might find it somewhat repetitive and a bit slow。 All those Chinese and Indian gods and historical figures had my eyes glazing over， but I did learn a few noteworthy facts。 This was not my first choice of Sun’s books: I still hope to read A Year in Tibet。 。。。more
Emma
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The real story of monkey magic and a great book to read while traveling in china
Katie
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