Prajna (Buddhist Monk)

Prajñā (Sanskrit; Chinese:般若三藏, sometimes abbreviated in 般若, "Banruo"), was an important 9th century Buddhist monk from Gandhara, born in the area of modern Kabul, Afghanistan.

He visited China during the Tang dynasty, and contributed several important translations of Sanskrit sutras into Chinese. Some of his main works are:

* The Flower Adornment Sutra (Avatamsaka Sutra, Ch: 華嚴經)
* Two Mahayana sutras: 大乘理趣六波羅密多經 and 大乘本生心地觀經.

Prajñā reportedly befriended the Japanese monk Kūkai, future founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, during his pilgrimage to China. He is said to have helped Kūkai learn and understand Sanskrit source texts.

ee also

*Silk Road transmission of Buddhism

References

*Dictionary of Buddhism. Keown, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-860560-9