Geography & Travel

Rin-chen-bzang-po

Buddhist monk
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Also known as: Richen zampo
Also spelled:
Richen Zampo
Born:
958
Died:
1055 (aged 97)

Rin-chen-bzang-po (born 958—died 1055) , also known as the "Great Translator," was a Tibetan Buddhist monk known primarily for his extensive translations of Indian Buddhist texts into Tibetan, thus furthering the subsequent development of Buddhism in Tibet. First sent to India in the late 10th century under Tibetan royal patronage, Rin-chen-bzang-po eventually succeeded in bringing back to Tibet a number of Indian Buddhist monks with whom he then collaborated both in the new translation of Indian Buddhist texts and in the revision of old 8th-century translations. His life’s work includes more than 150 translations, encompassing both canonical works and exegetical treatises.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.