The Image of Vasubandhu in Buddhist Tradition and Oriental Studies
Written heritage of Vasubandhu (4th-5th centuries AD), one of the most prominent Buddhist teachers of medieval India, is the source for studying the philosophy of Northern Hināyāna schools of Vaibhāùika and Sautrantika and of Mahāyāna school of Yogācāra. Traditional notions concerning his philosophical evolution, formed in Chinese and Tibetan cultures, were determined by the features peculiar to the development of Buddhist philosophical thought in Tibet and China. Marking the milestones of scholarly discussion on Vasubandhu, the author concentrates upon new outcomes of the study of his philosophical conception correcting the hagiographical legend about his transition to Mahāyāna.