Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra (瑜伽師地論)

About 瑜伽師地論

Tang · by 彌勒菩薩說 · Source text translated by 玄奘

808,803 · about 2696 min

The *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* is a pivotal scripture of the Mahāyāna Yogācāra school. It is traditionally held to have been expounded by the Bodhisattva Maitreya and recorded by the Bodhisattva Asaṅga. The eminent Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang retrieved it from India during the Zhenguan era and translated it into Chinese. Comprising one hundred fascicles, this treatise systematically expounds the doctrines of the Yogācāra school, encompassing core theories such as the seventeen stages, the three natures, the eight consciousnesses, and the sequential stages of practice. It is revered as the encyclopedia of Mahāyāna Buddhism. As the fundamental treatise of the Vijñānavāda (Consciousness-Only) school, the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* established the theoretical foundation for the Vijñānavāda tradition. It has exerted a profound influence on both Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism and holds a lofty position in the history of Buddhist thought. It is an essential text for the study of Vijñānavāda and the Yogācāra school.