Chengshi school

Chengshi School, called Jōjitsu-shū in Japanese, was one of the Thirteen Schools of Chinese Buddhism and one of the Six Nara Schools of Nara-period Japan—alongside the Kegon-shu, Hosso-shu, Ritsu-shū, Sanron-shū, and Kusha-shū. Centered on the study of the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra, it was known as the “Hīnayāna school of emptiness” and was closely related to the “Mahāyāna school of emptiness,” the Sanlun school. Traditionally classified as Hīnayāna under the influence of the Sanlun school, it in fact represents a synthesis between Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna thought.

Author and School Affiliation

The Tattvasiddhi Śāstra was authored by Harivarman, who is placed by Chinese sources between 250 and 350 CE. According to Xuanzang’s biography, Harivarman was born a Brahmin, ordained within the Sarvāstivāda order, and studied under the Sarvāstivādin teacher Kumāralāta—possibly the same figure who influenced the Sautrāntika school—learning the “great Abhidharma of Kātyāyana with thousands of verses,” likely the Jñānaprasthāna. Dissatisfied with Abhidharma scholasticism, Harivarman turned to the Sutras to resolve doctrinal disputes and eventually composed the Tattvasiddhi in Pataliputra, aiming “to eliminate confusion and abandon later developments, with the hope of returning to the origin.”
The affiliation of both Harivarman and his text has long been debated. Jizang recorded that Chinese teachers variously regarded him as a Dharmaguptaka, Sautrāntika, Dārṣṭāntika, eclectic teacher, Bahuśrutīya, or even a Mahāyānist. Zhiyi, Jizang, and Jingying considered the school Hīnayāna, while Daoxuan was the first to classify it as Sautrāntika. Modern scholars such as Katsura Shōryu, Fukuhara Ryōgon, and A. K. Warder argue that Harivarman’s doctrines are closest to the Bahuśrutīya school. Harivarman’s rejection of Abhidharma theories—explicitly seven times in the text—further underscores his divergence from the mainstream Abhidharma schools. Qian Lin cautiously places him among the Dārṣṭāntika–Sautrāntika tradition.

Historical Development

The Chengshi school traces its origin to the translator Kumārajīva. In Chang’an, assisted by Sengrui and Tanying, Kumārajīva rendered the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra into Chinese. His disciples Sengdao and Daoliang promoted the text, giving rise to a distinct Chengshi lineage. Sengdao established a monastery in Shouchun and authored the Commentary on the Meaning of the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra. His disciples Sengwei and Sengyin, also proficient in the text, founded the “Shouchun lineage” of Chengshi masters.
Another disciple, Sengsong, transmitted the teachings in northern China to Daoyuan, who then instructed Daodeng and Daoji. Since they resided at the White Horse Temple in Xuzhou, their tradition became known as the “Pengcheng lineage”.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, Master Fayun of Guangzhai Temple composed a Commentary on the Meaning of the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra. Sengmin of Zhuangyan Temple wrote a ten-volume commentary, while Zhizang of Kaishan Temple produced a fourteen-volume Commentary on the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra and a Record of Its Essential Doctrines. Together, they were known as the “Three Great Masters of the Liang dynasty” and made the Chengshi school a leading Buddhist current of the era.
During the Chen dynasty, Master Falang of Xinghuang composed the Treatise on the Profound Meaning of the Mountain School, criticizing the Chengshi school from a Sanlun standpoint and deeming it a Hīnayāna interpretation inconsistent with the Madhyamaka. His disciple Jizang continued this critique in the Profound Meaning of the Three Treatises. Due to the influence of Sanlun thought and the rise of the Huayan and Tiantai traditions, the Chengshi school gradually lost prominence during the Sui dynasty and early Tang dynasty. Nevertheless, it continued to be studied, notably by the great translator Xuanzang.
While still in China, Xuanzang studied the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra under Master Daoshen of Zhaozhou. During his stay at Nalanda Monastery in India, he continued his research on the text. After returning to China, he taught at Daci'en Temple, where the Chengshi school became incorporated into the Faxiang school.

Chinese and Japanese Transmission

In China, the Tattvasiddhi tradition remained active through the early Tang dynasty, inspiring at least 24 commentaries, though all are now lost. With the decline of the Chengshi lineage, the school’s influence persisted through Japanese Buddhism.
The Chengshi teachings were transmitted to Japan as the Jōjitsu-shū in 625 CE by the Korean monk Hyegwan of Goguryeo. In Japan, it was considered part of the Sanron tradition rather than an independent lineage. As such, the Jōjitsu-shū was counted among the Nanto Rokushū of early Japanese Buddhism.