Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness

Dao'an

translator · Buddhist monk · Religious leader

Years: 312–385
Birthplace: China
Birth polity: China during the Sixteen Kingdoms period
Era: Ancient
Field: Religion
Occupations: translator · Buddhist monk · Religious leader

Chinese Buddhist monk and translator. He focused his efforts on organizing the catalog of Buddhist scriptures and improving the discipline of monks, and supported the later development of Buddhism in China. He is a person who thinks about the East Asianization of Buddhism.

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Historical context

Places

Chang'an
Work

Events

Buddhist translation and cataloguing
360–385
Cultural event · Leader

Origins

Origins map

Birth country

Birth country: China

Map: Natural Earth (PD)

Biography

Early life

Born in chaotic China during the Five Hus and Sixteen Kingdoms period, he deepened his studies as a Buddhist monk. In order to understand Buddhism, which originated in India, in the Chinese language world, translation and organization of doctrine were major challenges.

Achievements

He proceeded with the classification and cataloging of Buddhist scriptures, and created the basis for systematically handling translated Buddhist scriptures. He created an academic environment that was conducive to the translation activities of later generations such as Kumaraya.

Character & anecdotes

Doan is also said to be the person who popularized the custom of monks taking their surnames as Shaka. He focused his efforts not only on individual training, but also on shaping the monk system and scholarship.

Historical Impact

If you study Doan, you will understand that the process by which Buddhism was introduced to China was not just the importation of beliefs, but also an intellectual process in which the language, system, inventory, and discipline of the monks were prepared. He is an important figure in the history of East Asian Buddhism, and provides clues for thinking about the foundations of translation culture.