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Kasyapa Matanga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kāśyapa Mātaṇga
Tumulus marker of Kāśyapa Mātaṇga located in White Horse Temple, Luoyang, China
Personal
Bornunknown
Central India[1]
Died73 CE
Luoyang, Henan, China
ReligionBuddhism
Notable work(s)Sutra in Forty-two Sections
OccupationBuddhist monk who introduced Buddhism to China, translator from Sanskrit to Chinese
Kasyapa Matanga
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese迦葉摩騰
Simplified Chinese迦叶摩腾
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinJiā shè mó téng
Wade–GilesChia1 she4 mo2 t’eng2
Sanskrit name
Sanskritकाश्यपमातण्ग

Kasyapa Matanga (Kāśyapa Mātaṇga) or Jia Yemoteng 迦葉摩騰 (Jia Shemoteng 迦攝摩騰, Zhu Yemoteng 竺葉摩騰, or Zhu Shemoteng 竺攝摩騰) was an Indian Buddhist monk who is traditionally believed to have first introduced Buddhism to China in the 1st century CE.[2]

According to popular accounts of Chinese Buddhism, Emperor Ming of Han dreamt of a golden deity interpreted as the Buddha and sent a delegation to India. They returned circa 67 CE with the monks Kasyapa Matanga and Dharmaratna, and white horses carrying Buddhist texts and images. The emperor established White Horse Temple in the Han capital Luoyang, where the two supposedly first translated the Sutra of Forty-two Chapters into Chinese.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Ludvik, Catherine (2007). Sarasvatī, Riverine Goddess of Knowledge: From the Manuscript-carrying Vīṇā-player to the Weapon-wielding Defender of the Dharma. Brill. p. 150. ISBN 9789004158146.
  2. ^ Julch, Thomas (2016). The Middle Kingdom and the Dharma Wheel: Aspects of the Relationship between the Buddhist Saṃgha and the State in Chinese History. Brill. p. 47. ISBN 9789004322585.
  3. ^ 迦葉摩騰[permanent dead link], Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (login: guest, no password).