Kumarajiva, a Kuchean Buddhist monk, scholar and translator whose father was from an Indian noble family, and whose mother was a Kuchean princess who significantly influenced his early studies, had first studied teachings of the Sarvastivada schools, later studied under Buddhasvamin, and finally became a Mahayana adherent, studying the Madhyamika doctrine of Nagarjuna.

He is mostly remembered for the prolific translation of Buddhist texts written in Sanskrit to Chinese he carried out during his later life.

His translation of Mahayana Buddhist texts from Indian into Chinese greatly facilitates the spread of Buddhism in China, but political fragmentation retards cultural development.