Among the many currents of Buddhist philosophy, the Consciousness-Only school (yogâcāra-vijñāna-vāda) is known for its philosophically controversial and sophisticated theses, such as its main postulate – that everything is merely the contents of consciousness. In each of the many countries that it reached it subsequently held – for a time – a dominant position in the pantheon of thought systems. In Japan, which it reached last, it found a welcoming home, one it has occupied to the present day. 

Notes on hossō in two volumes is one of the texts of this Japanese branch of Consciousness-Only, composed in the XIIth century C.E., when this school, along with the whole of Japan was undergoing a time of fundamental change, triggered by political, societal and religious upheaval. Translated for the first time, the Notes are an introduction to the doctrine of the school of its author, the monk Ryōhen. In this book they have been prefaced with a two-part introduction that aims at facilitating comprehension of the complex philosophical doctrine and history of the Consciousness-Only tradition.