In the Huayan wushi yaowenda華厳五十要問答, Zhiyan智儼 （602-668） applies the consciousness theory to the Lesser Vehicle, the Three Vehicles and the Great Vehicle. The focus of his argument is the consciousness theory of the Three Vehicles. The Three Vehicles are further classified into the Initial Teaching初教 and the Final Teaching終教. The Initial Teaching is distinguished into the teaching for converts from the Lesser Vehicle迴心教 and the teaching for persons who advance directly to the Great Vehicle直進教.
Where and how was the consciousness theory seen in the translations by Xuanzang玄奘 （602-664） positioned in respect to those? The main points of Zhiyan’s interpretations are as follows;
1. Zhiyan places much of the consciousness theory of the Yogācārabhūmi 瑜伽師地論and the Cheng weishi lun成唯識論 translated by Xuanzang in the Initial Teaching for converts from the Lesser Vehicle, based on Asvabhāva’s Mahāyānasaṃgrahabhāṣya攝大乗論釋 translated by Xuanzang.
2. Zhiyan bifurcates the ālayavijñāna 阿頼耶識translated by Xuanzang into vipākavijñāna異熟頼耶 and dharmatāvijñāna法性頼耶. The former belongs to the Initial Teaching for converts. The latter is considered tathāgatagarbhavijñāna 如來藏識and belongs to the Initial Teaching for people who advance directly.
3. Zhiyan insists that manas末那識 does not arise subsequent to the darśanamārga見道 and the single manovijñāna意識 is transformed into four kinds of cognition （jñāna） 四智. He develops the theory of a single manovijñāna based on Paramārtha’s translation of Vasubandhu’s Mahāyānasaṃgrahabhāṣya.
In this way, Zhiyan avails himself of the consciousness theory translated by Xuanzang, using some parts directly, and criticizes other parts to build his original consciousness theory. It can be characterized as a process of rationalizing the old consciousness theory of the Dilun地論 and Shelun攝論 schools with the new consciousness theory in Xuangzang’s translations.
