"To be honest with the Empress Dowager, this poor monk wishes to request that the Empress Dowager speak to the Emperor on my behalf, granting me permission to travel to the Western Paradise to obtain the Buddhist scriptures."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager looked at Xuanzang in surprise and asked, "Why? Are the scriptures of our Great Qing not enough?"
"Empress Dowager, our Great Qing in the East possesses only the Lesser Vehicle scriptures, and not the Greater Vehicle scriptures. Since the Empress Dowager is devoted to the Buddha, you should know that the Dharma originated in the West. This poor monk has studied the scriptures thoroughly since childhood, yet I have found that the scriptures of our Great Qing can only save oneself, not others. That is why I wish to go to the Western Paradise to seek the Greater Vehicle scriptures."
Chapter 350