在儒家經學確立之後，易學的發展往往和歷代的思想潮流一致，例如漢易是卦氣，魏晉是玄學易而宋明則是理學易。但佛家易是很特別的一支，它並不隨著傳統儒家易的變遷而起伏。它穩定的順著格義的路向，進一步以佛教自家宗派的思想來解易。明末智旭的《周易禪解》是以佛入易最完整、最具代表性的著作。智旭用天台學的教理，以「一念三千」取代以理氣為主的天道論，而用「性具善惡」說超人性之善惡而言覺性，最後更從覺與不覺下開「流轉」與「還滅」的生命兩境，以此總攝各家天道性命相貫通之學。《周易禪解》可以說徹底改造了傳統儒家易的天人之學而歸之於佛。

After the Jingsyue (the study of classics) of Confucianism was established firmly, the development of the study of The Book of Change was usually consistent with the trend of thought of all the past dynasties. For examples, the study of The Book of Change in Han Dynasty emphasized Gua-ci, the one in Wei and Jin Dynasties stressed the metaphysics, and the one in Song and Ming Dynasties belonged to Neo-Confucianism. However, the Buddhist study of The Book of Change is a very special branch, which does not change with the transition and evolution of the traditional Confucian study of The Book of Change. It follows the way and direction of Ge-yi steadily to interpret The Book of Change further with the thoughts of Buddhist sects. Chih-Hsu's "Jhou-yi-chan-jie" at the end of Ming Dynasty was the most complete and the most representative work to enter the study of The Book of Change from the Buddhist view. Chih-Hsu adopted the doctrines and principles of Tian-tai-syue, and used "Yi-nian-san-cian (One-moment thought involves three thousand worlds)" to replace the noumenon theory that was mainly Li-ci, and used the theory "Sing-jyu-shan-e (Human beings have the nature of both good and bad)" to go beyond and transcend the argument about human nature, and emphasize the consciousness. Finally, he developed the two realms of life of "Liou-jhuan" and "Huan-mie" from being conscious or unconscious to sum up the study of linking the natural law and the life of each school. We can say that "Jhou-yi-chan-jie" had thoroughly reformed the study of the connection between the heaven and mankind of traditional Confucian study of The Book of Change to end in the Buddhism.