# Marananta
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{{Short description|Buddhist monk and missionary}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox Korean name|hangul=마라난타|hanja=摩羅難陀|rr=Marananta|mr=Maranant'a}}
'''Malananta''' (fl. late 4th century) was an [Indian Buddhist](/source/Indian_Buddhism) monk and missionary who brought Buddhism to the southern [Korean peninsula](/source/Korea) in the 4th century. Multiple [romanization](/source/romanization)s of Malananta's name may be found, including '''Meghananda''' (मेघानंदा), '''Malananda''', '''Maranant'a''' and '''Maalaananda'''. He was among the first to bring [Buddhist](/source/Buddhist) teaching, or [Dharma](/source/Dharma), to [Korea](/source/Korea). The [Samguk yusa](/source/Samguk_yusa) and [Samguk yusa](/source/Samguk_yusa) record him as the one who brought Buddhism to King [Chimnyu](/source/Chimnyu_of_Baekje) of [Baekje](/source/Baekje) in 384 CE, along with [Sundo](/source/Shandao) in [Goguryeo](/source/Goguryeo) and [Ado](/source/Ado_(monk)) in [Silla](/source/Silla).["Malananta bring Buddhism to Baekje" in ''Samguk Yusa'' III, Ha & Mintz translation, pp. 178-179.][{{Citation
| last=Kim
| first=Won-yong
| title=An Early Gilt-bronze Seated Buddha from Seoul
| journal=Artibus Asiae
| volume=23
| issue=1
| year=1960
| pages=67–71
| doi=10.2307/3248029
| jstor=3248029
}}, pg. 71] [Buddhism](/source/Buddhism), a religion originating in what is now [India](/source/India), was transmitted to [Korea](/source/Korea) via [China](/source/China) in the late 4th century.[{{cite web |author= |title=Buddhist Sculpture |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Korea/koreaonline/IntroSculpture.htm |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |access-date=2020-12-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530145726/http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Korea/koreaonline/IntroSculpture.htm|archive-date=2010-05-30}}]
==Name==
Multiple [romanization](/source/romanization)s of Mālānanda's name may be found, including '''Marananta''', '''Maranant'a''' and '''Maalaananda'''. An alternative reconstruction of his name is ''Kumāranandin''.{{sfn|Buswell|Lopez|2013|p=520}}
==History==
Marananta was born in India. Marananta had previously been connected with the region of [Gandhara](/source/Gandhara) due to a translation error interpreting the word "Zhuqian" to mean "Gandhara of India" when it simply means "India". The connection between Marananta and Gandhara has been described as an "absurd mistake".[{{cite journal |last1=Rhi |first1=Juhyung |title=Did the Monk Maranant'a Really Come from Gandhāra to Korea |journal=Gandharan Studies |date=2019 |volume=13 |url=https://www.academia.edu/43498610/Did_the_Monk_Marananta_Really_Come_from_Gandhāra_to_Korea}}] He was among the first to bring Buddhism to the Korean Peninsula. The ''[Samgungnyusa](/source/Samgungnyusa)'' records him as the one who brought Buddhism to [Baekje](/source/Baekje), along with [Sundo](/source/Sundo_(monk)) in [Goguryeo](/source/Goguryeo) and [Ado](/source/Ado_(monk)) in [Silla](/source/Silla).["Malananta bring Buddhism to Baekje" in ''Samguk Yusa'' III, Ha & Mintz translation, pp. 178-179.]
Mālānanda came to Baekje from [Jin China](/source/Jin_dynasty_(265%E2%80%93420)) in the ninth lunar month of 384, the [coronation](/source/coronation) year of [Chimnyu of Baekje](/source/Chimnyu_of_Baekje).["Chimnyu-wang," in ''[Samguk Sagi](/source/Samguk_Sagi)'', Baekje Bon-gi 2.] Two months before Mālānanda's arrival, King Chimnyu had sent a tribute mission to the Jin Empire, as was common upon the ascension of Baekje kings in this period. It is possible he was part of an official emissary from Jin China.{{sfn|Buswell|Lopez|2013|p=520}}
There are only scant mentions of Marananta in historical records.
==See also==
* [Buddhism in Korea](/source/Korean_Buddhism)
* [Buddhism in East Asia](/source/Buddhism_in_East_Asia)
* [Buddhism and Eastern religions](/source/Buddhism_and_Eastern_religions)
* [Gyeomik](/source/Gyeyul), went to India to study the [Vinaya](/source/Vinaya), then founded the Vinaya School in Korea.
* [Hyecho](/source/Hyecho), Korean monk from Silla who traveled to India.
* [Dhyānabhadra](/source/Dhy%C4%81nabhadra), Indian monk and translator who went to teach in Korea during Goryeo dynasty.
* [Memorial of Heo Hwang-ok, Ayodhya](/source/Memorial_of_Heo_Hwang-ok%2C_Ayodhya)
* [Silk Road transmission of Buddhism](/source/Silk_Road_transmission_of_Buddhism)
* [Wang ocheonchukguk jeon](/source/Wang_ocheonchukguk_jeon)
==References==
* {{cite book|last1=Buswell|first1=Robert|authorlink1=Robert Buswell Jr.|last2=Lopez|first2=Donald S.|authorlink2=Donald S. Lopez Jr.|title=The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-fWKngEACAAJ|year=2013|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-15786-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Nadiem|first=Ihsan H.|authorlink=Ihsan H. Nadiem|title=Buddhist Gandhara: history, art and architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z-5tAAAAMAAJ|year=2003|publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publication|isbn=978-969-35-1408-7}}
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Samguk Yusa: Legends and history of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea|isbn=89-7141-017-5|author=Ilyon (tr. by Tae-Hung Ha & Grafton K. Mintz)|year=1972|publisher=Yonsei University Press|location=Seoul}}
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061003110334/http://www.marymount.k12.ny.us/marynet/TeacherResources/SILK%20ROAD/html/korea.htm A detailed article on the history of Korean Buddhism, including multiple images of Korean Buddhist art and a substantial bibliography].
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Indian Buddhist monks
Category:4th-century Indian monks
Category:Indian Buddhist missionaries
Category:Buddhism in Korea
Category:Buddhism in Paekche
{{Buddhism-bio-stub}}
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Marananta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marananta) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marananta?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.