ABSTRACT
Paramartha came from a Brahman family in the west of the Indian subcontinent. From his youth he began studying under different masters, and became learned in Buddhist and non-Buddhist writings. In particular, he was an expert in the doctrine of the Mahayana school Between 535 and 545 CE, Emperor Wu of the Southern Liang Dynasty sent ambassadors in search of eminent monks and Buddhist sutras from outside his kingdom. In 546 CE he arrived at what is now the south of China's Guangdong Province. Two years later, he made his way north and was warmly received by Emperor Wu of Liang in Jianye. He was about to embark on a major translation project when a rebellion broke out and he was compelled to move about from place to place. He was not only a great translator but also a great master of Buddhist doctrine and philosophy. During his life, he translated forty-one sutras in over one hundred fascicles.
