Person · translator monk · China
Dharmarakṣa
A monk of Yuezhi descent, born at Dunhuang in the third century, who learned Sanskrit and Central Asian languages, travelled west collecting texts, and translated well over a hundred works into Chinese — including the first Chinese Lotus Sutra, in 286.
- Date
- 233–310
- Function
- Religious institution & practice
- Confidence
- Not assessed
Worth knowing
He was called the Bodhisattva of Dunhuang. His Lotus Sutra translation held the field for more than a century until Kumarajiva's replaced it, and between them the two versions shaped almost everything East Asian Mahayana became.
Connections (1)
- Teaching lineageDunhuang, China
Dharmaraksha was born at Dunhuang to a Yuezhi family, learned Sanskrit and the Central Asian languages, travelled west collecting texts and translated well over a hundred works into Chinese — including the first Chinese Lotus Sutra, in 286. They called him the Bodhisattva of Dunhuang. His versions held the field for over a century until Kumarajiva's replaced them, and between the two of them they shaped almost everything East Asian Mahayana became.
Sources
Wikipedia, “Dharmarakṣa”. Daniel Boucher, Bodhisattvas of the Forest (2008); the Taishō canon colophons to Dharmarakṣa’s translations.
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