Donmusen - Donmusen

A Chinese Buddhist monk who translated Buddhist scriptures. Born in central India. His Sanskrit name was Dharmakema. He also read as "Donmushin." He passed through Kucha (Qiuzi) and Dunhuang, and entered Northern Liang, the country of the northern ethnic Xiongnu. In Guzang, the capital of Northern Liang, he was converted by Hexi King Juqu Mengxun (368-433), and while translating various Buddhist scriptures into Chinese, he also became the king's political advisor, and was revered as the treasure of Northern Liang. Among his translated sutras, the 40 volumes of the Mahaprananirvana Sutra (later known as the Northern Edition, in contrast to the 36 volumes of the Southern Edition, which was created in parallel with the 6 volumes translated by Faxian), encouraged the rise of the Chinese Nirvana Sect, and works such as the Bodhisattva-Jijikyo (part of the Yogacara-Jiron) and the Golden Light Sutra had a major influence on later Chinese Buddhism. In 433 (the third year of the Boxer Wing), he set out on a journey to the West in search of the original text of the latter part of the Nirvana Sutra, but he was assassinated on the way by Meng Xun, who aroused suspicion.

[Hiroo Kashiwagi March 21, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の訳経僧。中インド出身。サンスクリット名はダルマクシェーマDharmakema。「どんむしん」とも読む。クチャ（亀茲(きじ)）、敦煌(とんこう)を経て、北方民族匈奴(きょうど)族の国、北涼(ほくりょう)に入った。北涼の都、姑臧(こぞう)で、河西(かさい)王沮渠蒙遜(そきょもうそん)（368―433）の帰依(きえ)を受け、諸経典の漢訳を遂行するかたわら、王の政治顧問ともなり、北涼の至宝と仰がれた。訳出経典のうち、とくに『大般涅槃経(だいはつねはんぎょう)』40巻（その後これを、法顕(ほっけん)訳6巻本と対校してつくった36巻の南本に対して、北本とよぶ）は中国涅槃宗の興起を促し、また、『菩薩地持経(ぼさつじじきょう)』（『瑜伽師地論(ゆがしじろん)』の一部）、『金光明経(こんこうみょうきょう)』などは、後世の中国仏教に大きな影響を与えた。彼は433年（義和3）、『涅槃経』の後分にあたる原典を求めて西行を企て旅に出たが、その途中、怪しまれて蒙遜の刺客に殺された。

［柏木弘雄　2017年3月21日］

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