不空

Amogha, Amoghavajra. [lang id =1028]不空三藏; [lang id =1028]智藏; [lang id =1028]阿目佉跋折羅 Not empty (or not in vain) vajra. The famous head of the Yogācāra school in China. A Singhalese of northern brahmanic descent, having lost his father, he came at the age of 15 with his uncle to [lang id =1028]東海, the eastern sea, or China, where in 718 he became a disciple of [lang id =1028]金剛智 Vajrabodhi. After the latter's death in 732, and at his wish, Eliot says in 741, he went to India and Ceylon in search of esoteric or tantric writings, and returned in 746, when he baptized the emperor Xuan Tsung. He was especially noted for rain-making and stilling storms. In 749 he received permission to return home, but was stopped by imperial orders when in the south of China. In 756 under Su Tsung he was recalled to the capital. His time until 771 was spent translating and editing tantric books in 120 volumes, and the Yogacara [lang id =1028]密教 rose to its peak of prosperity. He died greatly honoured at 70 years of age, in 774, the twelfth year of Tai Tsung, the third emperor under whom he had served. The festival of feeding the hungry spirits [lang id =1028]孟蘭勝會 is attributed to him. His titles of [lang id =1028]智藏 and [lang id =1028]不空三藏 are Thesaurus of Wisdom and Amogha Tripitaka.