An Shih-kao (?-~
168) (安世高;
pinyin Ān Shgāo) was a prince of
Parthia,
nicknamed the "Parthian Marquis", who renounced his prospect as a
contender for the royal throne of Parthia in order to serve as a
Buddhist missionary monk.
The prefix An in An Shih-kao's name is an abbreviation of Anxi (Ch:安息), meaning Parthia in ancient Chinese: Anxi is a transcription of "Arsaces", the founder of the Arsacid Dynasty of Parthia. Most Parthian visitors who took a Chinese name received the An prefix to indicate their origin.
In 148, An Shih-kao arrived in China at the Han Dynasty capital of Loyang, where he set up a centre for the translation of Buddhist texts. He translated thirty-five texts from the Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism, including works on meditation, psychology, and techniques of breath control.
An Shih-kao is the first Buddhist missionary to China to be named in Chinese sources. Another Parthian monk named An Hsuan is also said to have followed An Shih-kao at Loyang around 181 CE, where he took charge of translating Mahayana texts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Shihkao
Does anyone know about him????ble();