He lived in the second century at the time of King Kanishka. He was a native of Shravasti (Middle India). At first he criticized Buddhism, but was later refuted by Parshva and became a buddhist. His most famous work is the Buddhacarita, the life story of Buddha Shakyamuni in prose. Other works by him:
Fifty Verses on Guru Devotion, bla ma lnga bcu pa
Mahayana sutralamkara shastra
Saundarananda kavya
Shariputra prakarana (a drama).