Bodhiruci

{{Short description|Indian Buddhist monk}}

{{about|the 6th century Buddhist monk translator from North India|the 8th century Buddhist monk translator from South India|Bodhiruci (8th century CE)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{Buddhism}}

Bodhiruci ({{zh|c=菩提流支|p=pú tí liú zhī}}) was a Buddhist monk from North India (6th century CE) active in the area of Luoyang, China.Sylvie Hureau. [https://hal.science/hal-02502087v1/file/Bodhiruci%20%E8%8F%A9%E6%8F%90%E7%95%99%E6%94%AF%20%28%E2%80%A0%20ca.%20534%20et%20537%29.pdf 'Bodhiruci' († ca. 534 et 537) : Moine bouddhiste indien, traducteur.] Dictionnaire biographique du haut Moyen Âge chinois. Culture, politique et religion de la fin des Han à la veille des Tang (IIIe-VIe siècles), 2020, pp.52. hal-02502087 He was appointed as master translator at Yongning (永寧寺) temple by emperor Xuanwu of the Northern Wei. In his translations, Bodhiruci was assisted by the central Indian monk Ratnamati (勒那摩提).

Bodhiruci translated various important texts including the Ten Stages Sutra ({{zh|c=十地経論}}) and the commentary on this sutra by Vasubandhu (Shidi jing lun 十地經論). He translated the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra as well as Vasubandhu's commentary titled Stanzas of the vow to be reborn [in the Pure Land] in the Sūtra [of the Buddha] Infinite Life (Wuliangshou jing youbotishe yuansheng jie 無量壽經優波提 舍願生偈). He also translated Sūtra of the descent to Laṅka (Ru lengqie jing 入楞伽經), and a Sūtra of Buddha names (Foming jing 佛名經).

By the time of his death Bodhiruci had translated between 20 and 30 texts.

Bodhiruci is regarded as the patriarch of the Dashabhumika ({{zh|c=地論宗|p=Dìlùn zōng}}) school, which used his Ten Stages Sutra and Vasubandhu's commentary as its chief object of study.{{cite web|url = https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095514794| title= OVERVIEW Bodhiruci |accessdate = 6 March 2020| work = Oxford Reference}}

Bodhiruci's disciple, Daochong (道寵), founded of the northern Dilun branch which focused on the practice of reciting the names of the Buddhas. Bodhiruci was also the master of Tanluan (曇鸞), one of the patriarchs of the Pure Land tradition.

References