# Bodhiruci (8th century CE)

Bodhiruci (also written Bodhiruchi or Bodairushi; Chinese: 菩提流支; 562 or 571 – 727 CE) was an Indian translator and Buddhist monk from South India. Originally named Dharmaruci, he is believed to have lived for 156 years. Bodhiruci travelled to China in the late 7th century, where he translated numerous texts, sutras, and commentaries from Sanskrit into Middle Chinese.

## Biography

Bodhiruci was born into a family of Brahmins from the Kashyapa Gotra, in South India. The year of his birth is uncertain, with sources suggesting either 562 or 571 CE. He died in 727 CE, purportedly at the age of 156.. He was educated according to the principles of his caste, but when he reached adulthood, he chose the path of Buddhism.
In 663 CE, Emperor Gaozong of Tang invited him to China. However, he delayed for 30 years, finally arriving in 693 CE, during the reign of empress Wu Zetian, who requested that he change his name from Dharmaruci to Bodhiruci.
He first settled in the monastery of Foshoujisi, in Chang'an, the ancient Chinese capital, (now Xi'an). He also stayed in Luoyang, the empire's secondary capital named Dongdu (東都), the "Eastern Capital". In 699 CE, under the direction of Śikṣānanda (652–710), he took part in the second translation of the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, better known as the Avataṃsaka Sūtra.
In 706 CE, he moved to the monastery of Chongfusi where he translated the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra. It took him seven years to complete the translation of the 49 sutras that make up the whole. By 713 CE, the completed edition contained 120 scrolls. During his life, he also translated other texts, sutras and commentaries.
At the age of 90, he renounced worldly life to devote himself entirely to meditation and devotion. He isolated himself completely and stopped writing, reading only his manuscripts written in Sanskrit.

## Translations

The following sutras, listed in the Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, by Lewis Lancaster and Sun-bae Park, are among the 69 sutras mentioned, and include an incomplete list of translations attributed to Bodhiruci.
| Tripitaka Koreana Number | Sanskrit Title and Translation Year (CE) | English Title | Chinese title | Korean title | English translations |
| K.18 | Adhyardhaśatikāprajñāpāramitā sūtra (693) | Diamond Sutra | 實相般若波羅蜜多經 | 실상반야바라밀다경 | ? |
| K.22 K.22(1–49) | Mahāratnakūṭa (706) | Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra | 大寶積經 | 대보자경 | see details on article page |
| K.36 | Sumatidārikāparipṛcchā sūtra (693) | Sumati Sūtra | 須摩提經 | 수마제경 | ? |
| K.287 | Amoghapāśakalparāja sūtra (707) | Mantra of Light | 不空羂索神變眞言經 | 불공견삭신변진언경 | |
| K.293 | Nīlakaṇṭhaka sūtra (709) | Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī | 千手千眼觀世音菩薩姥陀羅尼身經 | 천수천안관세음보살모타라니신경 | ? |
| K.298 | Padmacintāmaṇi dhāraṇī sūtra (709) | Dharani Sutra of the Great Wheel of Love | 如意輪陀羅尼經 | 여의륜 다라니경 | ? |
| K.351 | Sumukhanāmadhāraṇī sūtra (693) | Dharani Sutra for Protecting Life | 護命法門神咒經 | 호명법문신주경 | ? |
| K.422 | Mahāmaṇivipulavimānaviśvasupratiṣṭhita guhyaparamarahasyakalparāja dhāraṇī sūtra (706) | Dharani Sutra of the Great and Powerful Palace of Virtue and Mystery | 廣大寶樓閣善住祕密陀羅尼經 | 광대보루각선주비밀타라니경 | ? |
| K.489 | Śrīmatībrāhmāṇiparipṛcchā sūtra (693) | The Mahayana Sutra Asked by A Virtuous Woman | 有德女所問大乘經 | 유덕녀소문대승경 | ? |