安世高

An Shigao is an important figure in the history of Chinese Buddhist translation. Publicly available sources contain limited information about his life, and he is generally regarded as a monk who came to China during the Eastern Han dynasty. The library holds three of his works: the Sutra of the Eight Realizations of Great Beings, the Chang Agama Sutra of the Ten Recitations, and the Sutra on the Causes of Leaving Home. They are commonly classified under religion and culture. These texts are chiefly translations of Buddhist scriptures, written in a plain and concise style and focused on transmitting core teachings such as precepts, stages of practice, and the causes of monastic life. The Sutra of the Eight Realizations of Great Beings is brief and clearly structured, suited to recitation and practice, while the Chang Agama Sutra of the Ten Recitations reflects an effort to organize doctrinal numbers and systems of practice. As representatives of early Chinese Buddhist translation, his works have had a lasting influence on the transmission of Buddhist doctrine and the formation of the Chinese Buddhist canon. Given the limits of historical sources, his nationality, dates of birth and death, and detailed biography remain subjects for further research.