Haribhadra (Buddhist philosopher)
8th-century Indian Buddhist philosopher
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Through Bihar, India and Pala Empire
A notable student of his was the monk Buddhajñānapāda who also played a role in founding Vikramashila.
Life
Details of Haribhadra's life are known both through his writings and through the writings of later Tibetan writers including Taranatha and Buton Rinchen Drub. Most scholars place Haribhadra in the second half of the 8th century and the beginning of the 9th century but Mano Laohavanich places him around 735–795 CE. What is known for certain is that he was active during the reign of Emperor Dharmapala as Taranatha noted that he died 20 years after the ascension of Dharmapala to the throne. Buton states that Haribhadra belonged to a Kshatriya family while Taranatha states that he was a prince. A story exists detailing that he received his name after his mother was attacked and killed by a lion while he was still in her womb. He survived; hence, Hari refers to the lion and Bhadra refers to being fortunate.
The colophon of the Ālokā details that he was staying at the Trikaṭuka monastery which has yet to be identified but was probably located in the northeast of India around Bihar and Bengal. Buddhism during Haribhadra's lifetime, was flourishing in the territory of the Pala Empire with new monasteries being established including Vikramashila, Odantapuri and Somapura.
Over the course of his monastic career, he garnered a reputation as a specialist in the Prajñāpāramitā.