Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s4.t2.55

v1.c7.s4.t2.55

According to volume I of *Biographies of Eminent Monks*, volume IX of *Compilation of Notes on the Translation of the Tripitaka* and other data, Tanmonanti was from the country of Tukhara (northern Afghanistan). He was away from the worldly life since childhood, intelligent and mature in mind at an early age. He had read all classics of Tripitaka and was specially good at chanting and interpreting *Ekottara Agama*. All the fellow countrymen praised and admired his erudition. Tanmonanti's ambition was to develop and expand Buddha *Dharma* so he travelled from the distance through deserts and arrived in Chang'an in the middle of Jianyuan's reign of former Qin Dynasty (365～384 CE) (in volume VIII of *Three Treasures of Previous Dynasties*, it was said in the beginning of Jianyuan's reign while in Daoan's preface of *Ekottaragama* it was said in Jianyuan 20ᵗʰ year). He was heartedly welcomed with courteous reception by Emperor Fu Jian. On the request of Zhao Zheng, the prefecture chief of Wuwei and also the great officer of former Qin Dynasty, Tanmonanti cooperated with Dao An, Zhu Fonian and other famous monks on the translation project of 59 volumes of *Madhyamāgama* and 41 volumes of *Ekottarikāgama*, totally 100 volumes, (it was also said 92 volumes). These two Buddhist *sutras* were corrected by Samghadeva later to make it contemporaneous. Besides, according to volume VIII of *Three Treasures of Previous Dynasties*, Tanmonanti had also translated two volumes of *Tri-dharmika-śāstra* and two volumes of *Samgha-varti*. Later Fu Jian was killed by Yao Chang. Tanmonanti again translated one volume of *Sutta of Asoka's Abandoning of Evilness* for the minister Yao Min in Jianchu sixth year (the year of 391 CE, it was also said in Jianchu second year) of Later Qin Dynasty. However in volume I of *Biographies of Eminent Monks*, it was said when the invader Yao Chang exerted pressure on the areas inside Shanhaiguan pass, Tanmonanti had already taken leave for Western Regions. It was not known where he arrived which was not the same as the above sayings. It is difficult to mention how much sutras he had translated in volume VIII of *Three Treasures of Previous Dynasties* it was said five books and 114 volumes, while in volume I of *Biographies of Eminent Monks* it was said 106 volumes.