Biographies
Aryasanga Asanga, theosophy.wiki
Traditional Biographical Sources
The Life of Vasu-Bandhu by Paramartha, tr. by J. Takakusu
Works
Though none of the genunine Yogacharya books (the Narjol chodpa) have ever been made public or marketable, yet one finds in the Yogacharya Bhumi Shastra of the pseudo-Aryasangha a great deal from the older system, into the tenets of which he may have been initiated. It is, however, so mixed up with Sivaism and Tantrika magic and superstitions, that the work defeats its own end, notwithstanding its remarkable dialectical subtilty.—Theosophical Glossary
“According to traditional accounts, the Indian teacher Asanga was able to ascend to the Tuṣita Heaven where Maitreya dwells, and receive teachings from him. These teachings were then written down by Asanga. . . . The five treatises of Maitreya, written down by Asanga, are listed below. They are written in verse.
l. Mahāyāna-sūtrālaṃkāra, “Ornament to the Scriptures of the Great Vehicle”
2. Abhisamayālaṃkāra, “Ornament to the Realizations”
3. Madhyānta-vibhāga, “Analysis of the Middle and the Extremes”
4. Dharma-dharmatā-vibhāga, “Analysis of Phenomena and Their True Nature”
5. Ratna-gotra-vibhāga (or Mahāyāna Uttara-tantra Śāstra), “Analysis of the Lineage of the [Three] Jewels” (or “Treatise on the Later Doctrine of the Great Vehicle”)
Such is the Tibetan tradition. In Chinese tradition the works of Maitreya are, first and foremost, the great Yogācāra-Bhūmi, and two of the five treatises listed above, the Mahāyāna-sūtrālaṃkāra, and the Madhyānta-vibhāga. . . . The Yogācāra-Bhūmi, a massive work in seventeen sections, is also found in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. It is said in Tibetan tradition to be by Asanga rather than Maitreya, even though acknowledged to be based on Maitreya’s teachings.”
— David Reigle, Bibliographic Guide to the Works of Maitreya
Selected Articles related to Aryasanga and Yogacara
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