Wuliangyi ling 無量義經

Wuliang yijing 無量義經, the Sutra of the Innumerable Meanings, is a Buddhist scripture. It was first translated from the Sanskrit original, the Ananta-nirdeśa-sūtra, in the Northern Qi empire 北齊 (550-577) by Dharmagatayas (Ch. Tanmojiatuoyeshe 曇摩伽陀耶舍, fl. 481), with a length of 1 juan.

The scripture is divided into three chapters. The first, "Virtuous deeds" (Dexing pin 德行品), praises the merits and virtues of the bodhisattvas and explains the circumstances and causes that led to the preaching of this scripture. The second, "Teaching the Dharma" (Shuofa pin 說法品), expounds the method of cultivating the Dharma gate (famen 法門) of "innumerable meanings" (wuliangyi 無量義), asserting that practice of this method enables bodhisattvas to swiftly attain unsurpassed bodhi (supreme enlightenment). The third chapter, "Ten merits" (Shi gongde pin 十功德品), extols the merits and benefits of this scripture itself.

The central doctrine of the text holds that sentient beings possess "infinite desires", and therefore the Buddha teaches "infinite teachings, whose meanings are likewise infinite". These infinite meanings arise from a single Dharma (wuliangyi zhe, cong yi fa sheng 無量義者從一法生). This single Dharma is formlessness (non-characteristic, wu xiang 無相). Such formlessness is neither form nor non-form; neither non-form nor form—this is called the true reality (shi xiang 實相). All the innumerable teachings expounded by the Buddha are skillful means devised for the salvation of sentient beings; in essence, they all point to the formless true reality. The myriad phenomena of the world are, by nature, empty and quiescent. Realising this truth enables one to swiftly transcend saṃsāra (huilun 輪回, the circle of rebirth), attain awakening, and achieve liberation.

This scripture exerted a notable influence on the history of Buddhist thought. Together with the Lotus Sutra (Miaofa lianhua jing 妙法蓮花經) and the Sutra of Meditation on Samantabhadra (Guan Puxian jing 觀普賢經), it is known as the "Threefold Lotus Sutras" (Fahua sanbu jing 法華三部經).