The Treasury of Lives

Jinamitra was an Indian paṇḍita who was active in Tibet during the ninth century. He may have been from Kashmir. He likely worked at Samye Monastery (bsam yas), under the auspices of the Tibetan king Tri Srongdetsen (khri srong lde brtsan, c. 742-800).

He translated several core Vinaya texts, including the Prātimokṣa-sūtra and the Bhikṣuṇī-prātimokṣa-sūtra, both in collaboration with Chokro Lui Gyeltsen (cog ro klu'i rgyal mtshan). He translated eighty-six sūtras, such as the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, in collaboration with Jñānagarbha and Devacandra, and the Aksobhyatathāgatasyavyūhasūtra, with Surendrabodhi and Yeshe De (ye shes sde). He collaborated on the translation of seven texts in the tantra section of the Kangyur, and nineteen in the dhāraṇī section.

Jinamitra is credited with the translation of fifty-one texts in the Tengyur, most of which are in the Vinaya, Cittamatra, Madhyamaka, and Abhidharma sections. These include Śāntideva's Śikṣāsamuccaya and works by Vasubhandu, Nagārjuna, Asaṅga, and Guṇaprabha, as well as works by his contemporaries in Tibet Vimalamitra and Kamalaśīla.

He is said to have been a teacher to the Indian masters Siṃhamukha and Lotsāwa Candra. His Tibetan students included Kawa Peltsek (ska ba dpal brtsegs) and Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje (lha lung dpal gyi rdo rje).