Kumarajiva

This work is the first full-length narration of the extraordinary life, immense literary output, manifold philosophical perspectives of Kumarajiva and his development of a new translation methodology. All his works, both extant and lost, are detailed. The author discusses at length Kumarajiva’s texts that became the foundation of sects and philosophical systems in East Asia.

Around a hundred illustrations of murals and scrolls vividly portray the ambience of Kucha, Kumarajiva’s homeland. The book also includes a write-up by President Daisaku Ikeda, whose devotion to the unparalleled monk-translator adds to the deep understanding of the mind and message of Kumarajiva. President Ikeda discusses Kumarajiva’s new systematization of terminology to bring greater clarity to Buddhist thought and practice.