The monk Dharma Master Xuanzhao was a native of Xianzhang in Taizhou. His Sanskrit name was Pañcaśamati, which means "Illuminated Wisdom" in Chinese. His ancestors and father were both distinguished officials, passing down their official caps through generations. In his youth, he removed his hairpin and left the secular life. Upon reaching adulthood, he longed to follow in the footsteps of the saints. So he went to the capital to seek and listen to sutras and treatises.
During the Zhenguan era, he began studying Sanskrit under Master Xuanzheng at the Daxingshan Temple. Thus, taking up his staff, he journeyed westward, his thoughts fixed on the Jetavana Grove. He left the Golden Prefecture and traversed the Flowing Sands, passed through the Iron Gate and ascended the Snowy Mountains. Purifying his mind at the Fragrant Pool, he fully embraced the Four Great Vows. Climbing the Onion Range, he aspired with a sincere heart to liberate all beings from the Three Realms.
Along the way, he passed through Suli and Tukhara, crossing far into foreign lands until he reached the Tufan Kingdom, where he received assistance from Princess Wencheng, who sent him to Northern India. Gradually, he made his way toward the country of Jalandhara. Before arriving, on a long and treacherous path through narrow passes, he was captured by bandits. The merchants traveling with him were at a loss, with no one to appeal to for help. So, he turned to divine aid, placing his faith in the wisdom of the saints. Through a dream, he received a miraculous sign. Upon waking, he found all the bandits asleep and secretly led the group out of the encirclement, thus escaping danger.
He stayed in the country of Jalandhara for four years, where the king held him in high esteem and provided for him. There, he studied sutras, vinaya, and Sanskrit. Once he had gained some proficiency, he gradually traveled south to Mahābodhi, where he spent another four summers. He lamented not being born in the time of the Buddha but felt fortunate to witness the traces he left behind. Gazing upon the true image created by Maitreya, he maintained unwavering devotion. In addition to his deep reverence, he immersed himself in the Abhidharma, mastering the teachings on reality and clarifying the disciplines of both the sutras and vinaya.
Later, he went to Nalanda Monastery and stayed for three years. There, he studied treatises such as the *Madhyamakaśāstra* and *Śataśāstra* under the esteemed Master Shengguang, and received instruction on the seventeen stages of yoga from the great virtue Master Bao Shizi. He delved deeply into the methods of meditation and samadhi, thoroughly exploring their depths. Having grasped the broad framework, he then traveled to the north of the Ganges River, where he received support from King Shanbu and stayed at the Temple of the Faithful for another three years.
Later, when the Tang envoy Wang Xuance returned to his homeland, he submitted a memorial reporting on Xuanzhao’s true virtue. Consequently, an imperial edict was issued, ordering Xuanzhao to return to the Western Regions and summon him to the capital. Passing through the country of Nepal, he received the king’s assistance and was sent to Tufan, where he once again met Princess Wencheng, who treated him with great courtesy and provided resources for his return to Tang.
Thus, he journeyed through the Western Regions and arrived in the Eastern Land. He bid farewell to Shanbu in September and reached Luoyang by January, covering ten thousand li in just five months. During the Linde era, when the imperial carriage was in the eastern capital, he had an audience at the court. He then received an imperial decree ordering him to go to the country of Kashmir to fetch the longevity Brahmin Lukayiduo.
After meeting with various virtuous monks in Luoyang and briefly discussing the essentials of the Dharma, he was invited by Master Daolüshi and Master Guan of Jing’ai Temple to translate the *Sarvāstivāda Vinaya*. However, an urgent imperial command forced him to depart before fulfilling his original intentions, leaving all the Sanskrit texts in the capital.
Once again, he crossed the Flowing Sands and passed through rocky deserts. Along treacherous plank roads, he moved cautiously with half his shadow slanting, and beneath swaying rope bridges, he crossed with his whole body submerged. He encountered Tufan bandits but escaped with his life, and faced fierce nomadic raiders, barely surviving. When he reached the border of Northern India, he met Tang envoys who were escorting Lukayiduo on the road.
Lukayiduo then ordered Xuanzhao and several attendants to go to the country of Rāja in Western India to obtain longevity medicine. Passing through Bakhara, they arrived at Navavihāra (meaning "New Temple" in Chinese), where they saw the bathing place of the Tathagata and other sacred sites. Gradually, they reached the country of Kapisa, where they paid homage to the Buddha’s parietal bone, made offerings of incense and flowers, and took impressions of its seal to observe the good and evil of future lives.
Continuing through the country of Sindhu, they finally reached Rāja. There, they received the king’s respectful hospitality and stayed for four years. Then, traveling through Southern India, they gathered various medicines and set out to return to the Eastern Land. Upon reaching the Vajrasana, they turned back to Nalanda Monastery, where Jing (perhaps another monk) met with him. There, he fulfilled the aspirations of his lifetime, vowing to reunite at the Dragon Flower Assembly.
However, the route through Nepal was blocked by Tufan, and the path through Kapisa was difficult to cross due to the control of the Dashi (Arab) people. Thus, he settled his aspirations at Vulture Peak and immersed his spirit in the Bamboo Grove. Though he often harbored the hope of transmitting the lamp of Dharma, he never realized his wish to return to his roots. Alas! Through austere practice, he demonstrated sincerity, yet his aim to benefit beings remained unfulfilled. Longing to soar among the clouds, his wings fell in mid-heaven. In the country of Amrapali in Central India, he fell ill and passed away, at over sixty years of age.