Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c32.s6.22

c32.s6.22

Kumārajīva was born in a family of hereditary ministers of an Indian State. His father turned a monk and went to Koutcha where he became the priest of the king whose daughter he married. Young Kumārajīva at the age of 7 was taken to a convent by his mother and at 9 came to Kashmir for education under Āchārya Bandhudatta from whom he learnt the Nikāyas. He then came to Kashgar where he studied the Abhidharma with six Pādas, and then to Koutcha where, in the royal convent, he studied Vinaya under the monk Vimalāksha. There was a regular battle for his services between the King of Koutcha and the Chinese emperor whose general took him away as a prisoner. Later in 401, he saw the emperor who invited him to propagate Buddhism in China. By working for twelve years he translated into Chinese more than one hundred Sanskrit works. His translations read like original Chinese works and count as masterpieces of Chinese literature. His works are exclusively on Meditation or Samādhi and do not include any Tāntrika works. They include biographies of Aśvaghosa and Nāgārjuna. Kumārajīva was associated in his work with his colleagues Vimalāksha (his guru), Buddha Bhadra, and Puṇyatrata. He is also known as the teacher of the famous Chinese pilgrim to India, Fa-Hien. Both Vimalāksha and Puṇyatrata hailed from Kashmir (Kipin).