Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c32.s6.20

c32.s6.20

These two Indian scholars were pioneers who opened up a vast field of work in China, attracting any number of scholars from India. The following were the most prominent Indian scholars who worked in China in the first three centuries a.d., viz. (1) Saṁghavarman, (2) Dharmasatya, (3) Dharmakala, (4) Mahābala, (5) Vighna, (6) Dharmaphala, (7) Kālaśivi (a.d. 255), (8) Kālaruchi (a.d. 281), (9) Lokaraksha, and others. These contended against heavy odds in building up the Chinese Buddhist Church on the basis of Indian texts translated into Chinese. Dharmaphala took with him a Sanskrit text from Kapilavastu and translated it in a.d. 207 with the help of another monk of Tibet who was from "Central India". Even in a.d. 222, Dharmakāla, who also came from "Central India", found the Chinese monks quite ignorant of the rules of Vinaya. He, therefore, at once undertook the translation of *Prātimoksha* of the Mahāsaṁghikas, which was finished in a.d. 250. Among these Indian monks working in China were some who were Tibetans but had settled in India, whence they came to China. One of these was Khansan-Hwui, the son of the Prime Minister of Khan-Ku (= Kambu = Kamboja = ulterior Tibet), who became a favourite of the Chinese emperor, had a monastery built, and translated into Chinese fourteen works including several Jātakas and a Mahāyāna Sūtra about A.D. 251.