176 ann heirman
dynasties. According to the Gaoseng zhuan,^55 the Kashmirian monk
Punyatrta recited the Indian text, while Kumrajva translated it into
Chinese. Kumrajva was born in Kucha, the son of an Indian father.
His mother was related to the Kucha royal family. When the text was not
yet nished, Punyatrta died. His task was continued by another western
monk, Dharmaruci, who is said to have brought with him a copy of
the text.^56 In 406, the Kashmirian monk Vimalka came to Chang’an
to meet Kumrajva. Vimalka had been Kumrajva’s teacher in
Kucha. From him, Kumrajva had learned the Sarvstivdavinaya. After
the death of Kumrajva, Vimalka left Chang’an and went to the
present day province of Anhui. There, he revised Kumrajva’s
translation. Vimalka continued to propagate the Sarvstivdavinaya and
his teaching even reached the southern capital Jiankang.
A second vinaya translated into Chinese, was the Sifen lü
(T.1428, Vinaya in Four Parts), Dharmaguptakavinaya,^57 translated by
Buddhaya as and Zhu Fonian^58 between 410 and 412.
Buddhaya as was born in Kashmir (K mra). After his ordination, he
went to Kashgar, where he met his former disciple Kumrajva. He later
moved to Kucha, and then nally travelled to Chang’an where he again
encountered Kumrajva. It was in Chang’an that a translation team led
by Buddhaya as began to translate the Dharmaguptakavinaya. Buddhaya as
recited the text by memory, Zhu Fonian,^59 born in Liangzhou
in the present-day Gansu province, translated it into Chinese, and
the Chinese Daohan wrote down the translation.^60
The next vinaya that was translated, was the Mohesengqi lü
(T.1425), Mahsghikavinaya,^61 translated by Buddhabhadra and
Faxian^62 between 416 and 418 in Jiankang, the capital of the
(^55) See the biographies of Kumrajva, Punyatrta, Dharmaruci and Vimalka
(Huijiao, T.2059.50.330a10–333c14, translated by Shih 1968, pp. 60–85). See also the
earliest extant catalogue, Sengyou, T.2145.55.20a28–b21. 56
Huijiao, T.2059.50.333b6–7.
(^57) For a translation into English of the rules for nuns (T.1428.22.714a2–778b13),
see Heirman 2002a.
(^58) See the biographies of Zhu Fonian and of Buddhaya as (Huijiao, T.2059.50.329a28–
b15, 333c15–334b25, translated by Shih 1968, pp. 55–56, 85–90).
(^59) According to Z. Tsukamoto (1985, vol. 2, p. 738), Zhu Fonian was possibly an
Indian whose family had lived in China for generations.
(^60) For more details, see Heirman 2002a, part 1, pp. 24–25.
(^61) The rules for nuns (T.1425.22.471a25–476b11 and 514a25–547a28) have been
translated into English by Hirakawa, 1982. 62
See the biographies of Buddhabhadra and Faxian (Huijiao, T.2059.50.334b26–
335c14 and 337b19–338b25, translated by Shih 1968, pp. 90–98 and 108–115).