Lengjiajing 楞伽經

Lengjiajing 楞伽經, or Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra, is Buddhist canonical scripture. Its full title is Laṅkāvatāra-bodhi-sūtra, or simply the "Sutra of Entering Lanka" (Ru Lengjia jing 入楞伽經). The term Lanka refers to the island of Sri Lanka in ancient times, and vatāra means "entering" or "manifesting". Hence, the title indicates a scripture delivered by the Buddha in Sri Lanka.

The Sanskrit original was a mid-period Mahāyāna text that appeared during the Gupta period (c. 320-550 CE) in India. Along with the Guhyasamāja-sūtra (Jieshen mijing 解深密經), it is an important scripture expounding the Yogācāra or Consciousness-Only philosophy (Ch. Yuejiaxing Pai 瑜伽行派). The Lankavatara Sutra is generally thought to have been composed after the time of Asaṅga (300-370 CE). Unlike early Mahāyāna texts, which emphasise faith and have a strong literary quality, the Lankavatara Sutra emphasises theoretical study and philosophical exposition. After its composition, the sutra quickly reached China. The earliest Chinese translation, produced in 443 by Guṇabhadra (Ch. Qiunabatuoluo 求那跋陀羅, 394-468), is the Laṅkāvatāra-bodhi-sūtra (Lengjia abaduoluo baojing 楞伽阿跋多羅寶經 (T0670). Later translations include Bodhiruci's (Ch. Putiliuzhi 菩提流支, d. 535) Ru Lengjia jing and Śikṣānanda's (Ch. Shichanantuo 實叉難陀, 652-710) Dasheng ru Lengjia jing 大乘入楞伽經 (T0672).

The main content of the Lankavatara Sutra includes the doctrine of "All Three Realms are Mind-Only" (tri-loka-vijñaptimātra, Ch. sanjie weixin 三界唯心), which asserts that all dharmas are "perceived by the mind itself", "manifested by the mind itself", and "verified from within"; an explanation of the conditions for truth and delusion, clarifying how true and false phenomena arise through causes and conditions; a delineation of right and wrong causality, expounding the purpose of abandoning delusion and returning to truth, including a discussion of the Five Dharmas (wufa 五法: name, form, conceptualization, correct wisdom, suchness), the Three Natures of the Buddha (sanxing 三性), the Eight Consciousnesses (bashi 八識: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, awareness, consciousness), and the two types of non-self (non-self of dharmas, non-self of persons). The sutra teaches that the two anātman ("not-identity", wuwo 無我: no dharma-self, no personal self) are like waves arising from the ocean of ālaya-vijñāna (Ch. alaiye shi 阿賴耶識); the ālaya is the "cause" and the "root consciousness", the fundamental reality existing since beginningless time. The ālaya consciousness is also identified as the Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature, Ch. Rulai zang 如來藏); clarification of the permanence of the Dharmakāya (fashen 法身, the absolute body), demonstrating the equality of birth and death and of nirvāṇa (Ch. niepan 涅槃); exposition of the nature of the mind, revealing the characteristics of truth and delusion, arising and cessation, and equality; a comprehensive teaching of the Six Pāramitās (liu boluomiduo 六波羅蜜多), illustrating the wondrous conduct of one's own nature; resolution of various doubts arising among practitioners; and guidance on the ethical discipline of one’s own nature, elucidating the principle of equality between sentient beings and Buddhas.

The Lankavatara Sutra takes as its central principle the Ultimate Mind (liming juexiang 離名絕相, or paramārtha-citta, Ch. di yi yi xin 第一義心), which is beyond name and form, and regards the insubstantiality of conceptual thought as its primary aim. Its doctrinal framework is based on the Five Dharmas, the Three Natures, the Eight Consciousnesses, and the two kinds of non-self. Its essential nature is self-aware sacred wisdom, and its practical function is to refute minor views and discern errors, thereby laying the theoretical foundation for the Mahāyāna Yogācāra school.

The scripture had a profound influence on Chinese Buddhism. It advocates a meditation practice centred on "exclusive contemplation of wisdom" (zhuan wei nian hui 專唯念慧), without reliance on verbal discourse, emphasising the principles of forgetting words, forgetting conceptual thought, and attaining non-grasping correct insight. Over time, this approach developed into a distinct sect, known as the Laṅkā Masters (Lengjia shi 楞伽師), who became forerunners of the later Chan (Zen) school (Chanzong 禪宗).

The most important commentaries on the Lankavatara Sutra include Fazang's 法藏 Ru Lengjia jing xin xuan yi 入楞伽經心玄義, Zhiyan's 智儼 Lengjiajing zhu 楞伽經注, Shanyue's 善月 Lengjiajing tongyi 楞伽經通義, Zhengshou's 正受 Lengjiajing jizhu 楞伽經集注, Baochen's 寶臣 Dasheng ru Lengjia jing zhu 大乘入楞伽經注, Yang Yanguo's 楊彥國 Lengjiajing zuan 楞伽經纂, Deqing's 德清 Guan Lengjiajing ji 觀楞伽經記 and Lengjia buyi 楞伽補遺, Zhixu's 智旭 Lengjiajing xuanyi 楞伽經玄義 and Lengjiajing yishu 楞伽經義疏, Tongrun's 通潤 Lengjiajing hezhe 楞伽經合轍 (X0331), the Lengjiajing zhujie 楞伽經注解 by Zongle 宗泐 and Ruqi 如玘, Guangmo's 廣莫 Lengjiajing canding shu 楞伽經參訂疏, Zeng Fengyi's 曾鳳儀 Lengjiajing zongtong 楞伽經宗通 and Jiao Hong's 焦竑 Lengjiajing jingjie pinglin 楞伽經精解評林, as well as, in Japan, Kōken's 光謙 Lengjiajing jiangyi (Japanese reading Rengakukyō kōyoku) 楞伽經講翼 and Yōzon's 養存 Lengjiajing lunshu zhezhong (Rengakukyō ronsho secchū) 楞伽經論疏折衷.