Mahāyāna Dharma Garden Forest of Meanings Treatise (大乘法苑義林章)

About 大乘法苑義林章

Tang · by 窺基撰

178,181 · about 594 min

Kuiji, a renowned monk of the Tang Dynasty, was the direct disciple of Xuanzang, the de facto founder of the Consciousness‑Only School, and authored *The Forest of Meanings in the Mahayana Garden*. Composed during the flourishing Buddhist era of the Tang Dynasty, this work stands as a pivotal treatise of the Consciousness‑Only School. The text systematically expounds the teachings of Consciousness‑Only, with chapters analyzing core doctrines such as dharmalakṣaṇa (characteristics of dharmas), vijñapti‑mātratā (consciousness‑only), and the three natures. Its structure is rigorous and its principles profound. Hailed as an encyclopedic compendium of Mahayana Buddhist doctrine, it remains an indispensable authoritative classic for the study of Consciousness‑Only philosophy and has exerted a profound influence on the development of Chinese Buddhist thought.