Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s6.t1.5

v1.c7.s6.t1.5

In 1773, jam dbyangs bzhad pa II dkon mchog vjig med dbang po (1728～1791) finished the writing of Grub Mthav Rin Chen Vphring Ba on the basis of Extensive Discussion of Grub Mthav by jam dbyangs bzhad pa I dbal shul ngag dbang brtson grus. The book is concise and to the point, so is called *Brief Discussion of Grub Mthav* or *Introduction of Four Buddhist Factions*, and it has an outline feature of Grub Mthav. Firstly it expounded the viewpoints of other factions (lam) and doctrines of inner faction (Buddhism) from a comparative perspective and defined the essential difference between the two. Those who converted to the Tirana of Buddha-dharma-sangha were called inner faction; those who were converted to worldly divinity were called the outer faction. Secondly it focussed on discussion of the religious thoughts of four Buddhist factions, not only made summaries of the Buddhist viewpoints of all *Sarvāstivāda*, *Sautrāntika*, *Vijñāptimātratā* and *Madhyamika*, but also separately expounded the philosophical ideology of *Sauatantrika madhyamaka* and *Prasangika madhyamaka*.