She dasheng lun 攝大乘論

She dasheng lun 攝大乘論 (the Sanskrit version likely Mahāyāna-saṃgraha) is a fundamental treatise of the Yogācāra, or Consciousness-Only School (Ch. Yujia xing pai 瑜伽行派), of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It is often abbreviated as Shelun 攝論 (Saṃgraha-śāstra) and also called Guangcang dayi lun 廣倉大義論. The work was composed in India by Asaṅga (Ch. Wuzhu 無著, c. 300-c. 370). The original Sanskrit text has been lost. There are three Chinese translations: a 2-juan version by Buddhāśānta (Ch. Fotuoshanduo 佛陀扇多, 6th cent.) from the Northern Wei empire 北魏 (386-534), a 3-juan version by Paramārtha (Ch. Zhendi 真諦, 499-569), who lived during the Chen empire 陳 (557-589), and the translation by Xuanzang 玄奘 (602-664) from the Tang period 唐 (618-907).

The Saṃgraha is very closely connected to the Indian Mahāyāna-abhidharma-sūtra (potential Chinese title Dasheng apidamo jing 大乘阿毗達磨經), which has been lost and was never transmitted to China. According to Xuanzang's translation, this treatise clarifies the "Chapter on the summary of Mahāyāna" (She dasheng pin 攝大乘品) within that lost scripture. However, Buddhāśānta and Paramārtha assert that the Saṃgraha explains the entire Mahāyāna-abhidharma-sūtra.

The Shelun presents a relatively systematic exposition of the doctrines of the Yogācāra School. In particular, it offers detailed discussions on the reasoning for establishing Consciousness-Only (Sa. vijñaptimātra, Ch. weishi 唯識), the doctrine of the Three Natures (sanxing 三性), and the concept of the ālayavijñāna or "repository consciousness" (Chinese rendering alaiye shi 阿賴耶識, see Eight Consciousnesses). It also emphasises its distinctions from Hīnayāna (Theravada) Buddhism and other Mahāyāna schools, thereby laying the theoretical foundation of the Mahāyāna Yogācāra tradition.

The treatise explains the ālayavijñāna as the fundamental source of all phenomena, the doctrine of the Three Natures, the need for extensive learning (duowen 多聞), vāsanā or the continuity of the influences that bodily and mental actions exert upon consciousness (xunxi xiangxu 熏習相續), and the cultivation of wholesome roots (zengzhi shangen 增植善根). It discusses the pāramitās or Six Perfections (liudu 六度, liu boluomi 六波羅蜜), the Ten Bodhisattva Stages (bhūmis, 菩薩地), the ten levels of Bodhisattva practice (菩薩修行), the three types of moral discipline (jie 戒), the six distinctions within mental cultivation (xinxue 心學), the distinctions of non-discriminative wisdom (wu fenbie zhi chabie 無分別智差別), and the five characteristics to be abandoned (應離五相). It elucidates the six kinds of transformation of the basis (六轉依) and discusses the Buddha’s three bodies (trikaya) [[the essential body (svabhāva-kāya 自性), enjoyment body (saṃbhoga-kāya 受用), and transformation body (nirmāṇa-kāya 變化)]].

The Saṃgraha was already highly valued in India. Vasubandhu and Asvabhāva (Ch. Wuxing 無性) composed commentaries to elaborate its thought. In China, the number of the scripture's students steadily increased, and its transmission became ever more widespread. The most important teachers on the Shelun are Fatai 法泰 (6th cent.), Jingsong 靖嵩 (6th cent.), Cao Pi 曹毗 (6th cent.), Daoni 道尼 (6th cent.), Sengzong 僧宗 (d. 503), Huikuang 慧曠 (c. 600), and, in northern China, Tanqian 曇遷 (542–607). During the Sui period 隋 (581-618), the study of the Shelun became highly popular and reached its peak after the finalisation of Xuanzang's translation.

The most important commentaries are Paramārtha's Shelun yishu 攝論義疏, Huikai's 慧愷 (mid-6th century) Shelun shu 攝論疏, Daoji's 道基 (late 6th century) She dasheng yizhang 攝大乘義章 (fragment), Tanqian's Shelun shu 攝論疏, Bianxiang's 辨相 (c. 600) Shelun shu 攝論疏, Lingrun's 靈潤 (6th century) Shelun yishu 攝論義疏, Fachang's 法常 (late 6th century) Shelun yishu 攝論義疏 and Shelun lüezhang 攝論略章, Zhiyan's 智儼 (602–668) Wuxing shelun shishu 無性攝論釋疏, Kuiji's 窺基 (632–682) Shelun chao 攝論鈔, Kuo Fashi's 廓法師 (c. 600) Shelun shu 攝論疏, Shentai's 神泰 (7th century) Shelun shu 攝論疏, "Pibaluo's 毗跋羅" Shelun shu 攝論疏 and Xuanfan's 玄範 (7th cent.) Shelun shu 攝論疏.