Woncheuk

Woncheuk (, c. 613–696) was a Korean Buddhist monk who worked in seventh century China. Woncheuk was a follower of Paramārtha (499–569) and the Shelun school of Yogacara. This school defended the view that there was a ninth consciousness called the "pure consciousness" (amalavijñāna), as opposed to just the eight consciousnesses of classical Yogacara. This position had been rejected by Xuanzang and Kuiji. Woncheuk later became a student of Xuanzang (c. 600–664) and worked in his translation team. Woncheuk's exegetical work also influenced Tibetan Buddhism and the greater Himalayan region.

Biography Woncheuk was born in Korea. The Zhengzhang Shangfang reconstruction of the Middle Chinese pronunciation of his name is 圓測 /ɦˠiuᴇnťʃʰɨk̚/. Woncheuk was also known as , which is a namesake attributed to the temple of the same name where he did his exegesis.

Woncheuk was initially a follower of Paramārtha's (499–569) Shelun school (攝論宗) and later lived at Xi Ming Temple as a student of Xuanzang. The Shelun school was known for its synthesis of Yogacara teachings with tathāgatagarbha thought and for its doctrine of a pure consciousness (amalavijñāna). Woncheuk also wrote a commentary to the Cheng weishi lun, but this has not survived.