To date, research on the history of Chinese Buddhist doctrine has little explored the development of the concept of the Mind-made body （Sanskrit: manomayakāya; Chinese: yisheng shen 意生身）. In this essay, I intend to delve into the evolution of the Mind-made body concept during the Northern and Southern dynasties in China, based on an analysis of two texts: the Shengman yiji 勝鬘義記 （T. 2761） and the Shengman jingshu 勝鬘経疏 （擬題: S.6388, BD02346）.
First, I will analyze the theory of the Mind-made body at the eighth stage as found in the Shengman yiji. It is evident that in this text, the Mind-made body at the eighth stage is considered synonymous with the dharma-body （Sanskrit: dharmakāya; Chinese: fashen 法身）. Next, I discuss the theory of the Mind-made body at the first stage as found in the Shengman jingshu. This text establishes a correspondence between three types of Mind-made bodies and ten stages.
Furthermore, in the Shengman jingshu, it is clear that the author intends to differentiate between two types of beings from two vehicles: those before the first stage and those between the first stage and the sixth stage. The latter beings are referred as sage bodhisattvas.
