Jīvaka (also referred to as Jiva) was a sister of a king of

Kucha Kucha, or Kuche (also: ''Kuçar'', ''Kuchar''; ug, كۇچار, Кучар; zh, t= 龜茲, p=Qiūcí, zh, t=庫車, p=Kùchē; sa, कूचीन, translit=Kūcīna), was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road ...

, and later a

Buddhist nun Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. Jīvaka was a princess of Kucha (in Central Asia) in the early fourth century C.E. She was the sister of the King who introduced her to

Kumārāyana Kumārāyana (also Kiu-mo-yen) was a famous monk from ancient India, probably of Kashmiri origin. Kumārāyana renounced his wealth to become a Buddhist monk. He left Kashmir, crossing to the Pamirs in order to spread the teachings of Buddhism ...

, a noble

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n who came from

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

to China to study further. After two or three years they returned to

Kashgar Kashgar ( ug, قەشقەر, Qeshqer) or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is an oasis city in the Tarim Basin region of Southern Xinjiang. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, near the border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan ...

, renounced his fortune to become a Buddhist monk and thus stopped in Kucha on his journey. However, after meeting Jīvaka, Kumārāyana and her were married. Jīvaka is said to have possessed great talent and keen perception and understanding. According to the "Collection of Records concerning the Tripitaka", she "had only to glance over a written passage to master it, had only to hear something one time to be able to repeat it from memory." Daisaku Ikeda (1976), The Flower of Chinese Buddhism, Middleway Press, pp. 32-33. Combining their great talents, Jīvaka and Kumārāyana produced a son,

Kumārajīva Kumārajīva (Sanskrit: कुमारजीव; , 344–413 CE) was a Buddhist monk, scholar, missionary and translator from the Kingdom of Kucha (present-day Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, China). Kumārajīva is seen as one of the greatest ...

. When he was just seven, he had already memorised many Buddhist texts, and Jīvaka herself joined the Tsio-li nunnery north of Kucha. Two years later, when her son was nine, Jīvaka took him where they stayed for a year. Finally, they travelled to

Turpan Turpan (also known as Turfan or Tulufan, , ug, تۇرپان) is a prefecture-level city located in the east of the autonomous region of Xinjiang, China. It has an area of and a population of 632,000 (2015). Geonyms The original name of the cit ...

before returning home to

. As Kumārajīva grew up Jīvaka the two are said to have become more distant, with Jīvaka supposedly relocating to

. Kumārajīva became a noted Buddhist scholar and translator.

References

Indian Buddhist nuns 4th-century Buddhist nuns {{India-reli-bio-stub