https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=%C5%9Aubhakarasi%E1%B9%83haŚubhakarasiṃha - Revision history2026-08-19T03:18:30ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=%C5%9Aubhakarasi%E1%B9%83ha&diff=150627&oldid=previmported>KashKarti at 11:12, 31 August 20212021-08-31T11:12:04Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>[[File:Śubhakarasiṃha 14th century, Kamakura, National Museum,Tokyo.jpg|thumb|right|Painting of Śubhakarasiṃha. Japan, [[Kamakura Period]] (14th century)]]<br />
<br />
[[File:Taizokai.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Womb Realm|Garbhadhātu]] [[mandala|maṇḍala]] used in Śubhakarasiṃha's teachings from the ''Mahāvairocana Tantra''. [[Vairocana]] is located in the center.]]<br />
'''Śubhakarasiṃha''' (637-735 CE) ({{CJKV|t=善無畏|p=Shànwúwèi|k=선무외 |rr=Seonmuoe|r=Zenmui|v=Thiện Vô Uý}}) was an eminent [[India]]n [[Buddhist]] monk and master of [[Esoteric Buddhism]], who arrived in the [[China|Chinese]] capital [[Chang'an]] (now Xi'an) in 716 CE and translated the ''{{IAST|[[Mahavairocana Sutra|Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra]]}}'', better known as the ''Mahāvairocana Sūtra''.{{sfn|Bibhuti Baruah|2000|p=170}} Four years later another master, [[Vajrabodhi]] (670-741 CE), and his pupil [[Amoghavajra]] (705-775 CE), would arrive and proceeded to translate other scriptures, thus establishing a second esoteric tradition. Along with these other masters, Śubhakarasiṃha was responsible for bringing Esoteric Buddhism to the height of its popularity in China.{{sfn|Bibhuti Baruah|2000|p=170}}<br />
<br />
==Life in India==<br />
<br />
According to the Chinese sources, Śubhakarasiṃha was born in India as the oldest son of Buddhakara (Fo-shou Wang).{{sfn|Klaus Pinte|2011|p=340}} Li Hua's ''Shan-wu-wei-hsing-chuang'' states that his family originated in [[Magadha]].{{sfn|Richard K. Payne|2006|pp=236-237}} Because of unrest in their native kingdom, they had migrated to [[Odra Kingdom|Odra]] (in present-day [[Odisha]]).{{sfn|Richard K. Payne|2006|p=39}} Modern scholars theorize that Śubhakarasiṃha may have been an ancestor of the [[Bhauma-Kara dynasty]], which ruled in Odisha between 8th and 10th centuries, and whose kings included people named Śubhakara.{{sfn|Richard K. Payne|2006|p=39}}<br />
<br />
According to his biography, Śubhakarasiṃha ascended to the throne as king when he was thirteen years old. Although emerging victorious from a power struggle with his older brothers, he turned over his position to his oldest brother and entered the monastic life. He became well known for his supernatural abilities, and finally settled in [[Nalanda|Nālandā]] where he met the master Dharmagupta. After being instructed by him, Śubhakarasiṃha became a traveling teacher, and was then told by Dharmagupta to go further east to China.{{sfn|Bibhuti Baruah|2000|p=170}}<br />
<br />
==Life in China==<br />
When Śubhakarasiṃha arrived in China, he was already eighty years old. Upon his arrival, he became well known for his supernatural abilities, and became favored by [[Emperor Xuanzong of Tang|Emperor Xuanzong]] of the [[Tang Dynasty]]. It was during this time that he translated several works of Esoteric Buddhism including the ''{{IAST|Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra}}''.{{sfn|Bibhuti Baruah|2000|p=170}}<br />
<br />
==With Yixing==<br />
According to Robert Sharf, [[Zen|Chán]] Master [[Yi Xing]] (Ch. 一行禅師) was the most eminent of his students. Yixing belonged to the northern school of Chán Buddhism, but this was not seen by [[Chinese Buddhism|Chinese Buddhist]] culture as being fundamentally different from the esoteric teachings of Śubhakarasiṃha.<ref>Sharf, Robert (2001) ''Coming to Terms With Chinese Buddhism: A Reading of the Treasure Store Treatise'': p. 268</ref> Around the turn of the eighth century, the northern school was known for its esoteric practices of [[dharani|dhāraṇīs]] and [[mantra]]s.<ref>Faure, Bernard (1997) ''The Will to Orthodoxy: A Critical Genealogy of Northern Chan Buddhism'': p. 85</ref><br />
<br />
==In Shingon Buddhism==<br />
Śubhakarasiṃha was the first patriarch of the Shingon teachings in China. Following Śubhakarasiṃha, the lineage is traced to his student Chán Master Yixing, then to [[Huiguo]] (Ch. 惠果), and finally to [[Kūkai]] ([[Japanese language|Jp]]. 空海), who brought the teachings of Śubhakarasiṃha and his translation of the ''{{IAST|Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra}}'' to [[Japan]].<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
=== Bibliography ===<br />
{{ref begin}}<br />
* {{cite book |author=Bibhuti Baruah |title=Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_s1PZAMD13SMC |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_s1PZAMD13SMC/page/n178 170] |year=2000 |publisher=Sarup & Sons |isbn=978-81-7625-152-5 }}<br />
* {{cite book |author=Klaus Pinte |chapter=Śubhakarasiṃha (637-735) |editor1=Charles Orzech |editor2=Henrik Sørensen |editor3=Richard Payne |title=Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F0XNX3N1a2AC&pg=PA340 |year=2011 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-18491-6 }}<br />
* {{cite book |author=Richard K. Payne |title=Tantric Buddhism in East Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Y0PUmrAxyMC&pg=PA39 |year=2006 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-86171-487-2 }}<br />
{{ref end}}<br />
<br />
{{Buddhism topics}}<br />
<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Vajrayana]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Buddhist monks]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Buddhist missionaries]]<br />
[[Category:Monks of Nalanda]]<br />
[[Category:8th-century Buddhist monks]]<br />
[[Category:Shingon Buddhism]]<br />
[[Category:Tendai]]<br />
[[Category:637 births]]<br />
[[Category:735 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:7th-century Indian monks]]<br />
[[Category:8th-century Indian monks]]</div>imported>KashKarti