Prajna (Buddhist Monk) - Definition and Overview

Prajñā (Sanskrit; Ch: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 Kukai, future founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, during his pilgrimage to China. He is said to have helped Kukai learn and understand Sanskrit source texts.

See also

• Silk Road transmission of Buddhism

Reference

• Dictionary of Buddhism. Keown, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198605609