The introduction of Yogacara texts into China in the early sixth century had led to the formation of the so-called Ti-lun School 地論宗 and She-lun 攝論宗. Ching-ying Hui-yuan 淨影慧遠(523-592) was a leading figure of the Ti-lun School, and had come under the influence of She-lun teaching. His thought demonstrated many of the key features of early Chinese Yogacara teaching. This article analyses Hui-yuan's teaching of consciousness basing on the chapter on the eight consciousnesses in the Ta-ch'eng I-chang 大乗義章, Hui-yuan's most important writing. It relates the various taxomonies of conscious states constructed by Hui-yuan, examines Hui-yuan's descriptions of different consciousnesses, and shows how Hui-yuan's analysis of consciousness provides a conceptual framework to explain the facts of transmigration and liberation. The main aim of the discussion is to demonstrate the synthesis of alaya teaching and tathagatagarbha teaching typical of early Chinese Yogacara.
