- Vajrabodhi
Vajrabodhi (
671 -741 ) was anIndia nbuddhist monk andShingon teacher in TangChina .Vajrabodhi was the second of three
Vajrayana missionaries to eighth-century China. He was born of a South Indianbrahmin family, and his father was a priest for the royal house. Vajrabodhi probably converted to Buddhism at the age of sixteen, although some accounts place him at the Buddhist institution ofNālandā at the age of ten. He studied all varieties of Buddhism and was said to have studied for a time under the famous Buddhist logicianDharmakīrti . UnderSantijnana , Vajrabodhi studiedVajrayāna teachings and was duly initiated intoyoga .Leaving India, Vajrabodhi traveled to
Sri Lanka andSrivijaya (present-daySumatra ), where he apparently was taught aVajrayāna tradition distinct from that taught at Nālandā. From Srivijaya he sailed to China via the escort of thirty-five Persian merchant-vessels, [ [http://www.iranchamber.com/culture/articles/iranian_cultural_impact_southeastasia.php Iranian cultural impact on south-east Asia] ] and by AD720 was ensconced in the Jianfu Temple at the Chinese capital,Chang'an (present-dayXian ). Accompanying him was his soon-to-be-famous disciple,Amoghavajra .Like
Subhakarasinha , who preceded him by four years, Vajrabodhi spent most of his time in ritual activity, in translating texts fromSanskrit to Chinese, and in the production of Esoteric art. Particularly important was his partial translation of the Sarvatathāgatatattvasagraha between the years723 and724 . ThisYoga Tantra - along with the MahāvairocanaSutra ; translated bySubhakarasinha the same year- provides the foundation of the Zhenyan school in China and theShingon and Esoteric branch of theTendai school in Japan. Like Subhakarasinha, Vajrabodhi had ties to high court circles and enjoyed the patronage of imperial princesses; he also taught Korean monkHyecho ; who went on to travel India. Vajrabodhi died in732 and was buried south of theLongmen Grottoes . He was posthumously awarded the title Guoshi, 'Teacher of the Realm'.
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