Vasubandhu

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/vasubandhu

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the period of activity?Circa 4th to 5th century CE
2. What is the place of origin?Gandhara (ancient region encompassing parts of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan)
3. Who was Vasubandhu?Vasubandhu was a very smart thinker from ancient India who lived about 1,600 years ago. He wrote many books that helped people understand how the mind works. He is famous for helping create the Yogacara school of Buddhism.
4. What is the Yogacara school?Yogacara is a Buddhist philosophy that says everything we see and feel comes from our own mind. It was built by Vasubandhu and his brother Asanga. The school teaches that by studying our thoughts, we can learn how to be peaceful and wise.

Mahayana Buddhism: A broad tradition of Buddhism emphasizing the Bodhisattva ideal and the potential for all beings to achieve enlightenment.
Yogacara (Consciousness-Only): A philosophical school asserting that reality is fundamentally constituted by consciousness, influencing perception and experience.
Ālaya-vijñāna: The 'storehouse consciousness,' a foundational level of mind that stores karmic imprints and projects phenomenal reality.
Abhidharma: Systematic philosophical and psychological analysis of Buddhist teachings, particularly concerning the nature of reality and consciousness.