Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s1.t3.8

v1.c7.s1.t3.8

this relationship nothing on earth can originate. *Parinispanna-svabhava* identifies that after getting to know the two misunderstandings of cognitions of sentient beings on *parikalpitah-svabhava* and *paratantra-svabhava*, practitioners will know that natures of all things on earth are empty and will achieve satisfactory *sunyata* cognition which is also called *asthusness*, *bhuta-samjna*, *dharmadhatu*, *dharma* nature, *nirvana* and so on and is the supreme valid cognition. There are progressive relationships among the three, with *parikalpitah-svabhava* as the universal phenomena of people’s cognition, *paratantra-svabhava* as relationships founding in people’s cognition and *parinispanna-svabhava* as the ultimate completeness of the cognition. Faxian School believes there are four kinds of cognitions including division of characteristics, division of seeing, self-witnessing aspect and re-witnessing aspect. Division of characteristics refers to external matters which can be perceived by eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and consciousness, that is, objective existing matters. Division of seeing refers to the reaction on external matters generating from six cognitions, that is, the objective knowledge of people. Self-witnessing aspect refers to further cognition based on division of seeing, that is, subjective cognizance. Re-witnessing aspect refers to the ultimate and absolute correctness of cognition. *Vij¤aptimātratā* School had a metaphor on four kinds of cognitions, division of characteristics like the cloth, division of seeing like the scale, self-witnessing aspect like counting the size of the measured cloth and re-witnessing aspect like proving the correctness of the result. The theory of four kinds of cognition is the unique proposition of Yogacara and one of precise theories of Yogacara masters. Pancagotrāni theory includes Shravakayana caste, pacceka caste, Buddha caste, indefinite caste and outcasts. These five caste theories are the basis to demonstrate the enlightenment. The former four castes can achieve the buddhahood of arhat, Bodhisattva and Buddha, however the last one can not become Buddha. Besides, Faxian School made contributions to the development of Buddhism tsema by the need of debates. The Yogacara theory has played an important role in promoting the altitude of Buddhism on philosophising, therefore, it is emphasised and studied by intellectuals fond of thinking in successive dynasties.