VASUBANDHU

flourished 5th century AD Indian Buddhist philosopher and logician, younger brother of the philosopher Asanga. His conversion from the Sarvastivada to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition is attributed to Asanga. Vasubandhu refined classical Indian syllogistic logic by distinguishing the procedure for reaching inferences in formal debate (five steps) from the method in personal thought (three steps). He wrote several sastras (treatises) holding that all seemingly external objects are only mental representations, and he is also reputed to be the author of the Abhidharmakosa, a systematization of Sarvastivada doctrine written before his conversion.