Seven Works of Vasubandhu: The Buddhist Psychological Doctor

Vasubandhu one of the most famous Mahayana Buddhist philosophers wrote works on a vast variety of subjects. this collection of translations includes the Vadavidhi a work on logic the Panca-skandhaka-prakarana which deals with the aggregates making up ‘Personality’; the Karmasiddhi prakarana, which in explaining psychic continuity, also attacks many features of earlier Buddhist psychology; the famous Vimsalika and Trimsika, which take Buddhist psychology into hitherto unexplored areas; the Madhyanta-Vibhaga-bhasya, one of the most profound books for Mahayana realization; and the Tri-svabhava-nirdesa which shows a way for ridding consciousness of ensnaring mental constructions. A glossary of key words is included, as are the texts of those works which survive in Sanskrit. Each translation is prefaced by an explanatory introduction and is followed by notes. These include also references to other Indian philosophical systems and occasional comparisons with modern Western psychological systems, particularly where the latter seem inadequate in comparison with Vasubandhu’s Yogacara.

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About the Author(s)

Stefan Anacker, born in the USA of Swiss parents, received his doctorate at the Univ. of Wisconsin (Madison, Wis., USA) in Buddhist Studies. He has also studied Sanskrit and Old Kannada at the Univ. of Mysore. At present he is a research scholar living in Lausanne, Switzerland.