Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s4.t2.4

v1.c7.s4.t2.4

According to *Chu san zang ji ji* [*Compilation of Notes on the Translation of the Tripitaka*], An Shigao translated a total of 34 books (ie 40 volumes) of *sutras* but some of which were later lost and presently only 22 books (ie 26 volumes) are available. Later generations appraised his translation as done “with clear reasoning and appropriate wording, giving intellectual argument without rhetoric, embodying good quality without wildness”. It is easy for readers to understand, and often triggers their tireless learning enthusiasm. The translation project was stopped in late Jianning period of Emperor Ling of Han (168-171 CE) due to chaos around Guanzhong (present-day west of Lingbao, He’nan and the Shaanxi Guanzhong Plain area) and Luoyang. An Shigao then travelled to Jiangnan area to teach. There are some amazing stories about his stay in Yuzhang (present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi), Xunyang, Kuaiji (present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang), Guangzhou and other places. According to legend, he finally passed away when he was accidentally attacked by fighters on the streets of Kuaiji. His activities in China spanned about 30 years in total. His doctrines belonged to the sthaviravāda school of Sectarian Buddhism and his interpretation primarily focussed on the two aspects ie *samadhi* [calmness] and *prajñā* [wisdom]. As *Gao seng zhuan* [*Memoirs of Eminent Monks*] does not verify the earlier arrival of Indian monks, Kāśyapamātanga and Dharamarakùa (or Dharamaratna), it can be safely presumed that An Shigao was the earliest translator of Chinese Buddhist *sutras*.