Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

The Six Characteristics Theory (六相說) underwent significant changes from Daśabhūmikasūtra to East Asian Dilun School and Huayan School, which means the theory is not a homogeneous one at all. From this viewpoint, this article tries to figure out the changes of the interrelation between the six characteristics from Daśabhūmikasūtra to the Dilun School. Daśabhūmikasūtra does not show any conceptualization of ‘Six Characteristics (六相)’ but the structure of the six items can be understood as ‘[the whole: parts] - [sameness: difference: formation: disintegration]’ ([總別]-[同異成壞]). Daśabhūmikasūtraśāstra uses the concept of ‘Six kinds of characteristics (六種相)’ for the first time and explains its structure as ‘{[the whole: parts] ← [sameness: difference: formation: disintegration]}’ ({[總別] ← [同異成塊]}. As this theory was transmitted to East Asia, it underwent great changes. Fashang(法上)’s Shidilunyishu (十地論義疏) has two kinds of understanding; one is the same as Daśabhūmikasūtraśāstra, and the other is very different from the Indian tradition. Stein 4303 and Stein 613 from Dunhuang manuscripts take their own way far away from Daśabhūmikasūtraśāstra, and this tendency is held by Huiyuan (慧遠), who is known as the compiler of the Dilun doctrines. With these facts, we can find that the Six Characteristics Theory (六相說) had structural changes depending on the situation and the needs at every stage of its transmission.