Northern-Wèi-period Sinitic Buddhist monk and translator-collaborator; lifedates and biographical details unrecorded. Active at Luòyáng in the early sixth century as a translator-collaborator (等譯 děngyì, “with-others-translated”) with Bodhiruci (菩提留支) and Ratnamati (勒那摩提) in the Northern Wèi imperial translation bureau. Among the works he co-translated:
- Miàofǎ liánhuá jīng yōupótíshè 妙法蓮華經憂波提舍 (KR6d0126, T1519) — Vasubandhu’s commentary on the Lotus Sūtra.
- Various other works in the Bodhiruci translation corpus.
Tánlín is also famous in the Chán tradition as the recipient (shòushū dìzǐ 受書弟子) of Bodhidharma’s 菩提達摩 Èr rù sì xíng lùn 二入四行論 (the Two Entries and Four Practices Treatise) — the foundational text of Chinese Chán according to the Dùnhuáng manuscript witness, which preserves the work in the Èr rù sì xíng lùn shànzǐ 二入四行論善資 redacted by Tánlín. The latter attribution suggests that Tánlín may have been one of Bodhidharma’s circle in addition to his work in the Bodhiruci translation bureau.
Note: distinct from the Wǔ-Zhōu-period Tánlín 曇林 of Luòyáng (DILA A009820), who is a different figure of the late seventh century associated with the Sūn Sīmiǎo 孫思邈 / Dàyún jīng 大雲經 rain-prayer episode.
Sources: Lìdài sānbǎo jì 歷代三寶紀 (T2034); Èr rù sì xíng lùn shànzǐ (Dunhuang manuscript).