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Weishi ershi lun 唯識二十論

Mar 19, 2026 © Ulrich Theobald

Weishi ershi lun 唯識二十論 "Twenty [verses] on Consciousness-Only" is a Buddhist treatise of the Yogācāra or "Consciousness-Only" School (Ch. Yuejia xing pai 瑜伽行派) of the Mahāyāna tradition in India. It is one of the principal foundational texts of the Chinese Faxiang School (Faxiang Zong 法相宗). It is also called Ershi weishi lun 二十唯識論 or Cuipo xieshan lun 摧破邪山論.

The work with the Sanskrit title Viṃśatikā-vijñaptimātratā was authored by Vasubandhu (Ch. Shiqin 世親, c. 400) and translated into Chinese in one juan by Xuanzang 玄奘 (602-664) during the Tang period 唐 (618-907). Other Chinese translations are Bodhiruci's (Ch. Putiliuzhi 菩提流支, 6th cent.), titled Weishi lun 唯識論 or Po sexin lun 破色心論, and Paramārtha's (Ch. Zhendi 真諦, 499-569) Dasheng weixin lun 大乘唯識論.

The treatise comprises twenty-two verses and centres on the theory of "consciousness-only, no external objects" (weishi wujing 唯識無境). According to Vasubandhu, the eight consciousnesses (bashi 八識), rooted in the ālaya-vijñāna or "storehouse consciousness" (Chinese rendering alaiye shi 阿賴耶識), are simultaneously the subject of cognition and the objective content (the "objects") of cognition. When consciousness arises, it can split into two, transforming part of itself into the object it perceives. Therefore, all phenomena in the world are essentially expressions of consciousness – they do not exist as truly objective entities.

Compared with the Weishi sanshi song 唯識三十頌, which systematically presents the "Consciousness-Only" doctrine in a positive manner, the Twenty Verses emphasises more on refuting the criticisms from other schools against the Consciousness-Only theory.

Sources:
Fang Guangchang 方廣錩. 1986. "Weishi ershi lun 唯識二十論." In Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, part Zhexue 哲學, vol. 2, 905. Beijing and Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.
Fang Guangchang 方廣錩. 1992. "Weishi ershi lun 唯識二十論." In Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, part Zongjiao 宗教, 413. Beijing and Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.
Ren Jiyu 任繼愈, ed. 2002. Fojiao da cidian 佛教大辭典, 1103. Nanjing: Jiangsu guji chubanshe.
Su Jun 蘇君. 1993. "Weishi ershi lun 唯識二十論." In Shijie baike zhuzuo cidian 世界百科著作辭典, edited by Ru Xin 汝信, 141. Beijing: Zhongguo gongren chubanshe.