'Asanga' (also called Aryasanga), born around 300 CE, was an exponent of the
yogācāra school of Buddhist philosophy. Traditionally, he and his half-brother
Vasubandhu are regarded as the founders of this school.
Born the son of a
Kshatriya father in Puruspura (
Peshawar) in northernwestern
India, Asanga was perhaps originally a member of the
Mahīśāsaka or the
Mūlasarvāstivāda school but later converted to
Mahāyāna;
[1] after many years of intense meditation, during which time some traditions say that he often visited Tushita Heaven to receive teachings from
Maitreya-nātha. He went on to write many of the key
Yogācāra treatises such as the
Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, the
Mahāyāna-samgraha and the
Abhidharma-samuccaya (refer
Abhidharma) as well as other works, although there are discrepancies between the Chinese and Tibetan traditions concerning which works are attributed to him and which to Maitreya-nātha.
[2]
References
1. 'Doctrinal Affiliation of the Buddhist Master Asanga' - Alex Wayman in ''Untying the Knots in Buddhism''ISBN 81-208-1321-9
2. ''On Some Aspects of the Doctrines of Maitreya (natha) and the Asanga'' - Giuseppe Tucci, Calcutta, 1930.
External links
★
Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (type in "guest" as userID)
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