Vasubandhu

Vasubandhu wrote as a monk and scholar in fourth- to fifth-century India, first from within the Sarvastivada and Sautrāntika schools, producing his Abhidharmakośakārikā, a commentary on the Treasury of the Abhidharma that became the go-to text for non-Mahayana Abhidharma philosophy across Tibet and East Asia. After converting to Mahayana Buddhism alongside his half-brother Asanga, he co-founded the Yogacara school and developed the doctrine of vijñapti-mātra - "appearance only" - a metaphysical stance on perception and reality. He also wrote commentaries, works on logic and argumentation, and devotional poetry. His association with Nalanda University earned him a place among the Seventeen Nalanda Masters, and later traditions claimed him as Second Patriarch in Jōdo Shinshū and twenty-first in Chan Buddhism.