Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c32.s6.46

c32.s6.46

The greatest Indian scholar of the century to work in China was Amoghavajra. A Brāhmaṇa monk of Northern India, he accompanied to China his guru, Vajrabodhi, in A.D. 719. After his death in A.D. 732, Amoghavajra came to India in A.D 741, travelled all over India and Ceylon, and returned to China in 746 with many MSS. Seeing his learning, the emperor conferred upon him the high title of “Prajñā-moksha”, and, later, the higher title of “Tripiṭaka Bhadanta”. He wanted to return to India in A.D. 749 and reached the sea-shore on his journey, when the emperor thought he could ill spare him and at once recalled him. He thus narrated himself his career to the emperor in presenting him with his translations from Tripiṭaka: "From my boyhood I served my teacher (Vajrabodhi) for fourteen years (719-732) and received instructions in the doctrine of Yoga. Then I went to the five parts of India and collected several Sūtras and Śāstras, more than 500 different Texts, which had hitherto not been brought to China. In A.D. 746 I came back to the capital. From the same year till the present time (A.D. 771) I translated seventy-seven works." Amoghavajra translated many works on *Dhāraṇīs* (such as "*Sarva-roga-praśamana-dhāraṇī*", treating of mysterious formulae for curing diseases) and *Tantras*, and is known in China as the promulgator of Tāntrika Buddhism. He died in A.D. 774 at the age of 70.