An Shih Kao

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

An Shih-kao (?-~168) (安世高; pinyin Ān Shígāo) 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 Iranian Parthia. Most Parthian visitors who took a Chinese name received the An prefix to indicate their Iranian 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|181 CE, where he took charge of translating Mahayana texts.