The schools of Mahayana Buddhism developed several different schemes of doctrinal classification (Chinese: 判教, pinyin: pànjiào, Japanese: 教判 kyōhan, Korean:교판, RR: gyopan).
[1][2] The classification of Buddha teachings is discussed very early by Mahayana Buddhists in China.
[9][10] Zhiyi of the Tiantai school categorized the Buddha's teachings in the Mohe Zhiguan (摩訶止觀) and Fahua Xuanyi (法華玄義).
The Five Periods are as follows: The Eight Teachings are subdivided into two groups: Tiantai followed this classification.
Fazang wrote Huayan Yisheng Jiaoyi Fenqi Zhang (華嚴一乘教義分齊章)[12] in which he classified Buddhist teachings into Five Divisions and Ten Schools (五教十宗).