Summary
Vasumitra was a Buddhist monk of the Sarvastivada school who flourished in the 2nd century CE. A native of Gandhāra, he presided over the 4th Buddhist council in Kashmir, administered by Kanishka I. He is credited as contributing to the Mahāvibhāṣā.[1]
| Translations of Vasumitra | |
|---|---|
 Vasumitra statue, Tây Phương Temple, Vietnam, 1794 AD | |
| Sanskrit | Vasumitra |
| Chinese | 世友 or 婆須蜜多 |
| Japanese | 世友 (Rōmaji: Seu) |
| Vietnamese | Bà Tu Mật |
| Glossary of Buddhism | |
Contribution edit
Vasumitra put forward a thesis to defend the tenet of the Sarvastivada school that dharmas exist in the past and future as well as the present. According to this argument, dharmas exist in a noumenal or latent state in the future until they attain a moment of causal efficacy (karitra) in the present. This marks their entry into a functional relationship with other phenomena. When this moment is past, they reenter into a noumenal state that is understood as "past." Vasumitra's theory of temporality was accepted in preference to the views posited by other monks such as Dharmatrāta, Ghoṣa, and Buddhadeva.[2]
Ancestor edit
Vasumitra is the eighth zen ancestor. According to Soto Zen tradition, Vasumitra "always wore clean clothing. He used to wander around the villages carrying a wine vessel, whistling and singing. People thought he was crazy."[3]