竺曇摩羅剎，此云法護，其先月支人，本姓支氏，世居燉煌郡。年八歲出家，事外國沙門竺高座為師，誦經日萬言，過目則能。天性純懿，操行精苦，篤志好學，萬里尋師，是以博覽六經，遊心七籍，雖世務毀譽，未嘗介抱。
Zhu Tanmoluocha, whose name means "Dhamma Guardian" in Chinese, was originally from the Yuezhi region and bore the clan name Zhi. His family had resided for generations in Dunhuang Commandery. At age eight, he left home to become a monk, studying under the foreign monk Zhu Gaozuo as his master. He would recite ten thousand words of scripture daily, able to memorize anything at a glance. By nature pure and virtuous, his conduct was diligent and ascetic, with unwavering dedication to learning. He would travel ten thousand miles to find teachers, thus widely studying the Six Classics and immersing himself in the Seven Works. Although worldly affairs brought praise and criticism, he never let them trouble his mind.
是時晉武之世，寺廟圖像，雖崇京邑，而《方等》深經，蘊在葱外。護乃慨然發憤，志弘大道，遂隨師至西域，遊歷諸國。外國異言三十六種，書亦如之，護皆遍學，貫綜詁訓，音義字體，無不備識。遂大齎梵經，還歸中夏，自燉煌至長安，沿路傳譯，寫為晉文。所獲覽即《正法華》、《光讚》等一百六十五部。孜孜所務，唯以弘通為業。終身寫譯，勞不告勌。經法所以廣流中華者。護之力也。
During the Jin Wu era, while temples and images were flourishing in the capital, the profound Mahayana scriptures remained hidden beyond the Cong Mountains. Dharmaraksha, deeply moved, resolved with determination to spread the great Dharma. He followed his teacher to the Western Regions, traveling through many lands. There were thirty-six different foreign languages, with an equal number of scripts, and Dharmaraksha learned them all. He thoroughly mastered their grammar, pronunciation, meanings, and writing systems, leaving nothing unlearned. He then brought a great collection of Sanskrit scriptures back to China. Along the route from Dunhuang to Chang'an, he translated and transcribed them, rendering them into Jin Chinese. The works he obtained include the *Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra* (*The Lotus Sutra*), the *Guangzan Jing*, and other texts totaling 165 titles. His sole devotion was the work of spreading and promoting these teachings. He spent his entire life copying and translating, tirelessly laboring without complaint. If the Buddhist teachings came to be widely circulated in China, it was all thanks to Dharmaraksha's efforts.
護以晉武之末，隱居深山，山有清澗，恒取澡漱，後有採薪者穢其水側，俄頃而燥。護乃徘徊歎曰：「人之無德。遂使清泉輟流。水若永竭，真無以自給，正當移去耳。」言訖而泉涌滿澗，其幽誠所感如此。故支遁為之像贊云：「護公澄寂，道德淵美，微吟窮谷，枯泉漱水。邈矣護公，天挺弘懿，濯足流沙，領拔玄致。」後立寺於長安青門外，精勤行道。於是德化遐布，聲蓋四遠，僧徒數千，咸所宗事。
In the final years of Emperor Wu of Jin, [Dharmaraksha] retired to a secluded mountain valley. There was a clear stream there, which he always used for washing. Later, a woodcutter polluted the water's edge, and soon the stream dried up. Dharmaraksha paced about and sighed, saying: "When people lack virtue, even the pure springs cease to flow. If the water never returns, I truly cannot sustain myself here. I should simply move away." The moment he finished speaking, the spring surged forth, filling the stream. Such was the power of his sincere faith.
Thus, when Zhi Dun later composed a hymn in praise of Dharmaraksha, he wrote: "Master Hu was deep and still, his virtue profound and fine; he hummed softly in the valley, washing at a dried-up spring. How far-reaching was his purity, a genius born of heaven—he washed his feet in the flowing sands, and grasped the highest truth."
Later, Dharmaraksha built a temple outside the Qingmen Gate of Chang’an, where he diligently cultivated the Way. His virtue spread far and wide, and his fame resounded in all directions. Thousands of monks honored him as their teacher and guide.
及晉惠西奔，關中擾亂，百姓流移，護與門徒避地東下。至澠池，遘疾而卒，春秋七十有八。後孫綽製《道賢論》，以天竺七僧方竹林七賢，以護匹山巨源。論云：「護公德居物宗，巨源位登論道，二公風德高遠，足為流輩矣。」其見美後代如此。
When Emperor Hui of Jin fled westward, the Guanzhong region fell into chaos, and the people were displaced. Dharmarakṣa, along with his disciples, fled eastward. Upon reaching Mianchi, he fell ill and died at the age of seventy-eight. Later, Sun Chuo wrote the *Treatise on the Virtuous and Wise*, comparing seven Indian monks to the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove. He matched Dharmarakṣa with Shan Tao (Shan Julong), stating: "Dharmarakṣa’s virtue made him a master among the people, just as Shan Julong’s position placed him at the forefront of the Way. Both were men of noble character and far-reaching influence, truly worthy peers." Such was the admiration he inspired in later generations.
時有清信士聶承遠，明解有才，篤志務法，護公出經，多參正文句。《超日明經》初譯，頗多煩重，承遠刪正，得今行二卷。其所詳定，類皆如此。承遠有子道真，亦善梵學，此君父子，比辭雅便，無累於古。又有竺法首、陳士倫、孫伯虎、虞世雅等，皆共承護旨，執筆詳校。
安公云：「護公所出，若審得此公手目，綱領必正。凡所譯經，雖不辯妙婉顯，而宏達欣暢，特善無生。依慧不文，朴則近本。」其見稱若此。護世居燉煌，而化道周給，時人咸謂「燉煌菩薩」也。