Liuzulun 六足論

The "Six Foot Treatises" (Liuzulun 六足論) is a collective term for six treatises of the Sarvāstivāda School (Ch. Shuo yiqie you bu 說一切有部) of early Buddhism and the Hinayana (Xiaosheng 小乘) or Theravada tradition. The foundational texts of this group are often referred to as the "One Body with Six Legs" (yi shen liu zu 一身六足). The term "One Body" refers to the text Pratītyasamutpāda-vibhāṣā (Chinese version Fazhilun 發智論), authored by Kātyāyanīputra (also translated as Aṣṭa-śāstra or "Eightfold Treatise"). Through these six works, the Sarvāstivāda School began to establish its own worldview, cosmology, and theories of practice, thereby forming a distinctive theoretical system.

The six treatises are:

Jiyimen zu lun 集異門足論 (Sa. Saṃgītiparyāya-pāda-śāstra), allegedly written by Śāriputra (Ch. Shelifu 舍利弗), one of the Buddha's disciples, and translated into Chinese by Xuanzang 玄奘 (602-664), this work comprises 20 juan. Fragments of a Sanskrit version were once discovered in Bamyan, Afghanistan. This treatise primarily functions as a commentary on the Saṃyuktāgama (Ch. Zhongjijing 眾集經) found within the Dīrghāgama (Ch. Chang ahan jing 長阿含經). It elucidates various Buddhist technical terms appearing in the Saṃyuktāgama, thereby representing an extension of the Āgama literature of the Sarvāstivāda School. As the Buddhist Canon developed, treatises (śāstras) began to differentiate from the Āgama (sutra) texts, with this work serving as one of the earliest examples of that process. The emergence of this treatise helped the Sarvāstivāda gradually establish itself as an independent school of Buddhism.

Fayun zu lun 法蘊足論 (Sa. Dharmaskandha-pāda-śāstra), authored by Maudgalyāyana (Ct. Da Muqianlian 大目犍連 or Dacaishu shi 大采菽氏), also a disciple of the Buddha, and translated into Chinese by Xuanzang, this work comprises 12 juan. The original Sanskrit text has been lost, although fragments have been discovered. This treatise selects 22 major teachings from the Āgama sutra texts and offers detailed explanations for each, with each teaching presented as an independent section. The chapter Zashi pin 雜事品, for example, explains the 78 kinds of defilements (fannao 煩惱) listed in the Sarvāstivāda Āgamas, and the chapter Gen pin 根品 explains the 22 faculties or roots (gen 根). The structure and approach of this treatise bear similarities to the Vibhaṅga text (Ch. Fenbielun 分別論) of the Pali Canon

Sheshi zu lun 施設足論 (Sa. Prajñapti-pāda-śāstra), authored by Mahākātyāyanī (Ch. Da Jiaduoyanna 大迦多衍那), a further disciple of the Buddha, and translated into Chinese by Dharmarakṣa (Ch. Fahu 法護, 233–310) and others, this work consists of 7 juan. This treatise follows the thought of the Saṃvṛta-sūtra (Shiqijing 世起經) in the Chang ahan jing and provides a detailed analytical exposition of the cosmology and worldview of the "higher teaching" abhidharma (Ch. apitanmo 阿毗達磨). It represents a mid-period Sarvāstivāda treatise and reflects the school's evolving systematic approach to Buddhist philosophy.

Shishen zu lun 識身足論 (Sa. Vijñānakāya-pāda-śāstra), authored by Devakṣema (Ch. Tiposhemo 提婆設摩) and translated into Chinese by Xuanzang, this work comprises 10 juan. Its primary focus is an analysis of human mental and cognitive activities. Its approach is comparable to the Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Ch. Fajilun 法集論) or Jāti-vibhanga, classifications of mental and material phenomena, in Theravada Buddhism, exhibiting notable overlap with the Sarvāstivāda's discussion of mental factors.

Jieshen zu lun 界身足論 (Sa. Dhātukāya-pāda-śāstra), authored by Vasumitra (Ch. Shiyou Pusa 世友菩薩 or transcribed as Fasumiduoluo 筏蘇蜜多羅) and translated into Chinese by Xuanzang, this work comprises 3 juan. Its primary focus is an analysis of the mind and its functions. It provides a theoretical foundation for the Sarvāstivāda School and bears conceptual similarities to the Paṭṭhāna (Faqulun 發趣論) of the Pali Canon, particularly in its systematic approach to causal relationships in mental and physical phenomena.

Pinlei zu lun 品類足論 (Sa. Prakaraṇapāda-śāstra), authored by Vasumitra and translated into Chinese by Xuanzang, this work comprises 18 juan. Another version, translated by Guṇabhadra (Ch. Qiunabatuoluo 求那跋陀羅, 394-468), is known as Zhongshi fen apitan lun 眾事分阿毗曇論 (T1541). Scholars generally believe that this text was not composed by a single author but rather a compilation of various writings. Concepts mentioned in the treatise, such as the Five Positions (wuwei 五位) and 98 latent tendencies (jiushiba suimin 九十八隨眠), reflect the distinctive theoretical framework of the Sarvāstivāda School. Some scholars suggest that this work emerged after the compilation of the Mahāvibhāṣā/Fazhilun and was probably revised between approximately 160 and 320 CE.