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Malananta (fl. late 4th century) was an Indian Buddhist monk that brought Buddhism to the sothern Korean peninsula in the 4th century. Multiple romanizations of Malananta's name may be found, including Malananda, Maranant'a and Maalaananda. He was among the first to bring Buddhist teaching, or Dharma, to Korea. The Samguk Yusa records him as the one who brought Buddhism to Baekje, along with Sundo in Goguryeo and Ado in Silla.[1]
Malananta came to Baekje from Jin in the ninth lunar month of 384, the coronation year of King Chimnyu.[2] Two months before Malananta's arrival, King Chimnyu had sent a tribute mission to Jìn, as was common upon the ascension of Baekje kings in this period.
These are the only mentions of Malananta in historical records. His ultimate origins are unknown, as is the time and manner of his death. It is possible that he originally hailed from Serindia.
- ^ "Malananta bring Buddhism to Baekje" in Samguk Yusa III, Ha & Mintz translation, pp. 178-179.
- ^ "Chimnyu-wang," in Samguk Sagi, Baekje Bon-gi 2.
[edit] References
- Ilyon (tr. by Tae-Hung Ha & Grafton K. Mintz). Samguk Yusa: Legends and history of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea. Seoul: Yonsei University Press. ISBN 89-7141-017-5.
[edit] External links
- [1]-- A detailed article on the history of Korean Buddhism, including multiple images of Korean Buddhist art and a substantial bibliography.
