San lun zong

San lun zong (J. Sanron shū; K. Sam non chong 三論宗). Literally, "Three Treatises School." A Chinese form of the Indian Madhyamaka school, based on three texts translated by Kumārajīva in the early 5th century. The three texts are The Middle Treatise (Zhong lun), The Twelve Gate Treatise (Shi'ermen lun), and The Hundred Treatise (Bai lun). The school and its texts were later transmitted to Korea and Japan.

This school is also known as "East Asian Madhyamaka."

The three treatises

The San lun zong ("Three Treatises school") is based on three texts attributed to Nagarjuna and Aryadeva, which were then translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva. These three texts are:

• Zhong lun ("The Middle Treatise"), Kumarajiva's translation of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, along with Kumarajiva's own notes and a commentary by Piṅgala.
• Shi'ermenlun ("The Treatise on the Twelve Gates"), attributed to Nāgārjuna
• Bai lun ("The Hundred[-Verse] Treatise"), attributed to Aryadeva

Sometimes a fourth text is added, changing the collection's title to the "Four Treatises" (C. Silun 四論). The fourth text is:

• Dazhidu lun ("Commentary on the Great Perfection of Wisdom")

History in China

Kumārajīva and Sengzhao

Nāgārjuna is traditionally regarded as the Indian founder of the Madhyamaka school in India, while Kumārajīva is traditionally regarded as the founder of Sanlun school in China. Kumārajīva's disciple Sengzhao then continued to promote Madhyamaka teachings, and wrote several works from this standpoint.

Popularization under Jizang

The Three Treatise teachings were first propagated widely by Jizang, a prolific writer who composed commentaries on the three treatises. One of his most famous works is the Erdi Yi (二諦意), or "Meaning of the Two Truths", referring to the conventional and ultimate truths. In one passage of the Erdi Yi, Jizang cites his own teacher, Falang:

"My teacher [Falang] said: Although those four treatises (i.e. the Three Treatises and the [Mahāprajñāpāramitā Śāstra]) have different names, all of them have the same goal, which is to explain the two truths and manifest the doctrine of non-duality. If one can understand the two truths, then the four treatises may be understood completely. If one cannot understand the two truths, then the four treatises cannot be understood. For this reason, it is necessary to understand the two truths. Again, if one understand the two truths, not only may the four treatises be understood, but also all the sutras may be understood."

In addition to popularizing Madhyamaka, Jizang also wrote commentaries on the Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Lotus Sūtra and the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra. In addition to Madhyamaka, Jizang also wrote favorably about the Tathāgatagarbha teachings. In all, Jizang wrote nearly fifty books in his lifetime. A selection of his Madhyamaka works is the following:

• Zhongguanlun Shu (中觀論疏; "Commentary on the Madhyamaka Śastra")
• Erdi Zhang (二諦章; "Essay on the Two Truths")
• Bailun Shu (百論疏; "Commentary on the Śatakaśāstra")
• Shi Er Men Lun Shu (十二門論疏; "Commentary on the Twelve Gates Treatise")
• Sanlun Xuanyi (三論玄義; "Profound Meaning of the Three Treatises")
• Erdi Yi (二諦意; "Meaning of the Two Truths")
• Dasheng Xuanlun (大乘玄論; "Treatise on the Mystery of the Mahāyāna")

Modern Chinese traditions

In the early part of the 20th century, the laymen Yang Wenhui and Ouyang Jian (Ch. 歐陽漸) (1871–1943) promoted Buddhist learning in China, and the general trend was for an increase in studies of Buddhist traditions such as Yogācāra, Madhyamaka, and the Huayan school.

In the 20th century, while the great monk scholar Venerable Yin Shun was often associated with this school, he himself did not claim such direct affiliation:

In Zhōngguān jīnlùn (中觀今論 Modern Discussion on the Madhyamaka) [pg. 18, 24], I stated: “Amongst my teachers and friends, I am seen as a scholar of either the Three Treatise (三論 sanlun) or the Emptiness schools”, although I “certainly do have great affinities with the fundamental and essential doctrines of the emptiness school”, however, “I do not belong to any particular school of thought within the emptiness schools”.

Sanron shū (Madhyamaka in Japan)

In 625, the Korean monk Hyegwan brought the Sanlun school to Japan, where it was known as Sanron shū. In Japan, Sanron shū was one of the six Nara schools. It was absorbed by later sects such as Shingon Buddhism and Tendai.

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Ven. Yin Shun (1998). The Way to Buddhahood: Instructions from a Modern Chinese Master. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-133-5. 
• Liu, Ming-Wood (1994), Madhyamaka Thought in China, Sinica Leidensia, 30, Brill Academic Pub. 
• Nan, Huai-Chin (1997), Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen, Samuel Weiser 
• Shih, Chang-Qing (2004), The Two Truths in Chinese Buddhism, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass 

Further reading

• Bocking, Brian (1995). Nagarjuna in China: A Translation of the Middle Treatise (The Edwin Mellon Press).
• Gard, Richard (1957). Why did the Madhyamika decline?, Indogaku Bukkyogaku Kenkyu 5 (2), 10-14
• Magliola, Robert (2004). "Nagarjuna and Chi-tsang on the Value of 'This World': A Reply to Kuang-ming Wu's Critique of Indian and Chinese Madhyamika Buddhism." Journal of Chinese Philosophy 31 (4), 505–516.
• Takakusu Junjirō. 1949. The Essentials of Buddhist Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975. (Reprint; first published by the University of Hawaii.)

  A concise presentation of the various schools of Buddhist philosophy as they are reckoned in East Asian traditions. The presentation of Madhyamaka (“Sanron,” the “Three Treatise” school) is at pp.99-111.