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An Shigao and Early Chinese Meditation Techniques¹ Phra Kiattisak Kittipanyo² (University of Otago) An Shigao安世高 (147~168 CE) played an important role in the early transmission of Buddhism into China, and there have been many investigations of his life and translations (Zürcher, 2007³; Forte, 1995⁴; Zacchetti, 2002⁵; Nattier, 2008⁶). Most of these investigations have focused on his ethnicity, sectarian affiliation, his translation style, and the authenticity of the texts attributed to him. However, a careful reading of his biography shows that during the time he was active in China, An Shigao was well-respected as a meditation master. There has been little interest in the form of meditation that he taught and practiced during his lifetime. One reason for this is that his translations of meditation sutras are often ambiguous and difficult to understand because he used Daoist terminology. Another reason is that his biographies emphasize his adventurous life and his supernatural abilities rather than his Buddhist practice. However, his biographers all mention that he practiced meditation, and it is known that he translated many important meditation sutras into Chinese. ¹ This is the revised version of a paper, “An Shigao and Early Chinese Buddhist Meditation”, given at the 2011 NZASR/AABS Conference, (Queenstown, New Zealand, 7-9 December 2011). I am grateful to Prof. Adrian Snodgrass, Prof. Judith Snodgrass, Dr. Michael Radich and Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie who gave me many invaluable suggestions during and after my presentation at the conference. Please note that this article’s references have been formatted using Zotero ² Phra Kiattisak Kittipanyo is MA student at University of Otago New Zealand. ³ Erik Zürcher, The Buddhist conquest of China: the spread and adaptation of Buddhism in early medieval China (BRILL, 2007). ⁴ Antonino Forte, The Hostage An Shigao and His Offspring: An Iranian Family In China (Italian School of East Asian Studies, 1995). ⁵ Stefano Zacchetti, “An Early Chinese Translation Corresponding to Chapter 6 of the Petakopadesa: An Shigao’s ‘Yin chi ru jing’ ṭ 603 and Its Indian Original: A Preliminary Survey,” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 65, no. 1 (January 1, 2002): 74-98. ⁶ Jan Nattier, A guide to the earliest Chinese Buddhist translations: texts from the Eastern Han“ Dong Han” and Three Kingdoms“ San Guo” periods (International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2008). 99