Kuiji (窺基;Kuījī; 632–682), also known asJi (Chinese:基),[2] an exponent ofYogācāra, was a Chinese monk and a prominent disciple ofXuanzang.[3] His posthumous name was Ci'en Dashi (慈恩大師; 'Master Ci'en'), the Great Teacher of Cien Monastery, after the Daci'en Temple or Great Monastery of Compassionate Grace, which was located inChang'an, the main capital of the Tang Dynasty. TheGiant Wild Goose Pagoda was built inDaci'en Temple in 652. According to biographies, he was sent to the imperial translation bureau headed by Xuanzang, from whom he later would learnSanskrit,Abhidharma, and Yogācāra.[4]
Kuiji collaborated closely with Xuanzang on theCheng weishi lun, a redacted translation of commentaries onVasubandhu'sTriṃśikā-vijñaptimātratā.[4] Kuiji's commentaries on the former text, theCheng weishi lun shuji, along with his original treatise on Yogācāra, theDasheng Fayuan yilin chang (大乘法苑義林章; "Essays on the Forest of Meanings in the Mahāyāna Dharma Garden") became foundations of theFaxiang School, the dominant school of Yogācāra thought in East Asia.[3] He is accordingly considered the founder of this school which differed notably fromParamārtha's earlier Chinese Yogācāra system. Kuiji is also known for his commentaries onDharmapāla's Yogācāra philosophy.[4]
Shih, Heng-Ching & Lusthaus, Dan. (2006)A Comprehensive Commentary on the Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita-hyrdaya-sutra). Numata Center for Buddhist Translation & Research.
Lusthaus, Dan (undated).Quick Overview of the Faxiang School (法相宗). Source:[2] (accessed: December 12, 2007)
Katsura, Shoryu (2014).The Theory of Apoha in Kuiji’s "Cheng weishi lun Shuji" (Katsura, Shoryu). In Lin, Chen-kuo , Radich, Michael (eds), A Distant Mirror - Articulating Indic Ideas in Sixth and Seventh Century Chinese Buddhism, Hamburg Buddhist Studies vol. 3, Hamburg University Press. pp. 101-120
