Vasubandhu Quotes
Vasubandhu was an Indian Buddhist philosopher, one of the most important systematic thinkers in the Mahayana tradition. He first composed the Abhidharmakosha, an encyclopedic treatment of Buddhist scholastic metaphysics from a Sarvastivada perspective, before, according to tradition, being converted by his half-brother Asanga to the Yogacara, or Consciousness-Only school. The quotes below are attributed to Vasubandhu, organized by topic.
Vasubandhu on Knowledge
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Attributed to Vasubandhu:
“Knowing arises in dependence upon the known; without the known, no knowing.”
Vasubandhu on Mind
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Attributed to Vasubandhu:
“All this is consciousness only, since there is the appearance of non-existent objects.”
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Attributed to Vasubandhu:
“What is called the world is nothing other than the transformations of consciousness.”
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Attributed to Vasubandhu:
“Defilement and purification are simply different states of the same consciousness.”
Vasubandhu on Truth
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Attributed to Vasubandhu:
“When all imagined natures are abandoned, the perfected nature reveals itself.”