Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2018 | Page 44

him. After learning the tragic story of Hsüan Tsang’s parents from the blood letter. I took the boy under my
care and raised him as a monk. Both of his parents must be deceased by now. A group of Mongols was
hunting them. He used to be surrounded by fear, nobody stood up for him or protected him. But, now,
alone in the tranquil forests, he does not need to fear anything. Unshackled from the burdens of fear, my
friend advances through meditation to find such inner peace, that he cannot stop praising the Lord for
freeing him from his troubles. Maybe you can find this inner peace too; you must have a lot of stress from
being the King of this wonderful place. Let me teach you a few things..."
The king understood at once. The king stayed with the monks for a while to received advice before
returning to his palace. After this day, the king started visiting the monks more frequently. The king even
visited the monk's’ village in the lovely forest to receive more advice, and the king eventually found his
inner peace.
Later, Hsüan Tsang paid his respects to his master and returned home. The old monk lived out the
remainder of his life, died, and was reborn in a high heaven world. But, the old monk had something left for
his number one assistant, a blood letter, detailing a mysterious journey to the west...
Hsüan Tsang’s journey was not easy, he felt discombobulated with all the different rituals throughout Asia.
Yet, he prevailed. His journey brought his life new meaning. His new friends helped him further pursue
inner peace.