East Asian Mādhyamaka refers to the Buddhist traditions in East Asia which represent the Indian Mādhyamaka system of thought. In Chinese Buddhism, these are often referred to as the Sānlùn school (Ch. 三論宗), or "Three Treatise" school, known as Sanron in Japanese Buddhism. The Mādhyamaka texts that it was founded on were first transmitted to China in the early 5th century CE by the Buddhist monk Kumārajīva.

The name Sanlun derives from the fact that its doctrinal basis is formed by three principal Mādhyamaka texts composed by Nāgārjuna and Āryadeva, which were then translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva. These three foundational texts are:

Sometimes a fourth text is added

Nāgārjuna is traditionally regarded as the Indian founder of the Mādhyamaka school in India, while Kumārajīva is traditionally regarded as the founder of Sanlun school in China. Kumārajīva's disciple Sengzhao then continued to promote Mādhyamaka teachings, and wrote several works from this standpoint.

The Three Treatise teachings were first propagated widely by Jizang, a prolific writer who composed commentaries on these three treatises. One of his most famous works is the Erdi Yi (二諦意), or "Meaning of the Two Truths", referring to the conventional and ultimate truths. In one passage of the Erdi Yi, Jizang cites his own teacher, Falang: