Lokaksema Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Lokaksema (born around 147 CE) is the earliest known Buddhist monk to have translated Mahayana Buddhist scriptures into the Chinese language. A Kushan of Yueh-Chih ethnicity from Gandhara, he came from Central Asia to the court of the Han dynasty at the capital Loyang and worked there between 178 and 189.
His work includes the translation of the Pratyutpanna Sutra, containing the first known mentions of the Buddha Amitabha and his Pure Land, said to be at the origin of Pure Land practice in China, and the first known translations of the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra; (The "Astasahasrikaprajnaparamita Sutras", or "Perfection of Wisdom Sutras of the practice of the Way", a part of the "Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 lines"), a founding text of Mahayana Buddhism.
Lokaksema's translation activities, as well as those of the Parthians An Shih Kao and An Hsuan slightly earlier, or the Yueh-Chih Dharmaraksa (around 286 CE) illustrate the key role Central Asians had in propagating the Buddhist faith to the countries of Eastern Asia.
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"Religions of the Silk Road" Richard C.Foltz ISBN 0312233388