An Shih Kao

An Shih-kao (?-~168) (安世高; pinyin "Ān Shígāo") was a prince of Parthia, nicknamed the "Parthian Marquis", who renounced his prospect as a contender for the royal throne of Parthia in order to serve as a Buddhist missionary monk.

The prefix "An" in An Shih-kao's name is an abbreviation of "Anxi" (Ch:安息), meaning "Parthia" in ancient Chinese: "Anxi" is a transcription of "Arsaces", the founder of the Arsacid Dynasty of Parthia. Most Parthian visitors who took a Chinese name received the "An" prefix to indicate their Parthian origin.

In 148, An Shih-kao arrived in China at the Han Dynasty capital of Luoyang, where he set up a centre for the translation of Buddhist texts. He translated thirty-five texts from the Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism, including works on meditation, psychology, and techniques of breath control.

An Shih-kao is the first Buddhist missionary to China to be named in Chinese sources. Another Parthian monk named An Xuan is also said to have followed An Shih-kao to Loyang around 181 CE, where he took charge of translating Mahayana texts.

ee also

* Lokaksema
* An (Chinese name)

References

*E. Zurcher, The Buddhist Conquest of China. Leiden, 1959.
*A. Cotterell, From Aristotle to Zoroaster. 1998.
*R. C. Foltz, Spirituality in the Land of the Noble: How Iran Shaped the World's Religions. 2004.