Prajna (Buddhist monk)

Prajñā (Chinese: 般若三藏 or 般若; pinyin: Bōrě Sāncáng or Bō Rě), was an important 9th century Buddhist monk from Gandhara (born in the area of modern Kabul, Afghanistan).

He visited Tang China and contributed several important retranslations of Sanskrit sutras into Chinese. Some of his main works are:

• The Avatamsaka Sutra (Chinese: 華嚴經)
• The Heart Sutra (Chinese: 大乘理趣六波羅密多經)
• The Mahayana Sutra of Mind Meditation from the Jataka tales (Chinese: 大乘本生心地觀經)

Prajñā reportedly befriended the Japanese monk Kūkai, future founder of Shingon Buddhism, during his pilgrimage to China. He is said to have helped Kūkai learn and understand Sanskrit source texts.

See also

• Silk Road transmission of Buddhism

References

• Keown, Damian (2003). Dictionary of Buddhism. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860560-9