This work is a substantially revised version of my doctoral dissertation completed at Columbia University under the direction of Alex Wayman and Hakeda Yoshito. I wish to thank Professor Wayman for his constant encouragement and instruction that first allowed me to appreciate the intricacies of Buddhist doctrine and led me through the completion of my dissertation. Professor Hakeda is gratefully remembered for the good humor and patience. with which he introduced me to Buddhist texts in Chinese.The initial research for my dissertation was conducted in India and Japan and was supported by grants from Fulbright Hays and the Social Science Research Council. In India, Satkari Mukhopadhyaya generously worked with me through sections of the Abhidharmakosabhaqya. In Japan, I studied at Tokyo University and Ryukoku University in Kyoto and received the encouragement, advice, and instruction of Takasaki Jikid6, Kajiyama Yuichi, Sasaki Genjun, and Mikogami EshO. Sakurabe Hajime and Kato J unsh6 were most generous in their detailed criticism of the translation and frequent clarification of doctrinal problems. I am especially indebted to Kat6 Hiromichi whose constant assistance and careful direction guided me through my translation efforts.I am grateful to Lambert Schmithausenfor his suggestions on the revised text, and would like to thank The International Institute for Buddhist Studies and Yuyama Akira for accepting this work in the Studia Philologica Buddhica Monograph Series. Finally, I would like to express my deepest thanks to Yuyama Akira for the encouragement that he has given me throughout the revision process and the patience with which he has waited for the final product.xv