Young Writers Society

(This is from when I was 12 years old)

You obviously know what defence is. But, do you know how to defend ? Now, most of you will say that you defend by showing aggression to scare the opponent till they give up. Either with words or actions. But is aggression the only way to defend ? No! You can also defend yourself with peace and determination. Do you know anybody in the 5th century a.d who has defended themselves with peace and determination ? Well, you are about to read about one of them.

It was around 600 A.D. In the village of Henan, Chen Yi was born. Nobody really knew his future at the time. Even though he was meant to be a Buddhist monk like his fore fathers, nobody could have imagined that he'd master the Buddhist arts and find peace, the greatest joy of life. Chen Yi turned a prodigy in the eyes of every one of his teachers. He could memorize entire scriptures with just hours of studying. Normally, kids are ordained as novice monks only after becoming 7 years old, but Chen Yi was given an exception because of his extraordinary memory and intelligence. After completing his training in Buddhism, he was named 'Xuang Zang'.

Xuang zang wanted to get a greater understanding of Buddhist scriptures. So, he set out for Nalanda university in India accompanied by a few other Buddhists. He faced many threats, from bandits to landslides in India. But it took three years for him to reach India as he struggled through out his journey from China. His worst challenge was when he crossed the Gobi desert . He nearly died while crossing it because of lack of food, water, and also because of heat. When he was nearly dead, some kind of giant carried him to an oasis and saved his life.

Once, after reaching india, a group of people kidnapped him and his companions for a human sacrifice. Xuang zang showed no sign of anger or fear. Instead he sat there meditating in the will of God. Right before the sacrifice, a storm began. Many people were killed. One of Xuang Zang's brave companions shouted, saying that Xuang Zang was a master in the Tang Dynasty. The kidnappers' head thought that the gods were angry at them for attempting to sacrifice such a great man. He instantly fell at Xuang Zang's feet. Zang opened his eyes and looked up, and said nothing. This is how he defended himself with peace.

They continued their journey.

bandits attacked them again in another village. They were kept in a dry well. One of them saw a tunnel and they all escaped through it.

After facing similar threats Xuang Zang alone survived and reached his destination. The education he found was disappointing. It was quite the same as in China, but still there was more. In the end, he returned to China and translated Sanskrit scriptures he found in India to Chinese.

Surprising, isn't it ? This man had big and life threatening travels where he defended himself from threats. 2 times ! Defending yourself like that is something you shouldn't hesitate to learn.