DAO AN

'Dao An' (312-385 AD) was a Buddhist monk of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, originating from what is now Hebei Province. Mainly important today as a translator of Buddhist scripture. He was active in Xiangyang until Emperor Xiaowu (r. 372-396) took the city in 380AD and asked Dao An to live in Changan. He spent the last years of life translating and interpreting scripture as well as compiling a catalogue of scriptures. He also advocated monks and nuns taking Shi as a surname, from the Chinese for Sakyamuni(釋迦牟尼佛).