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Work #1656 · Mature

Triṃśikā

Vasubandhu
c. 4th-5th century · Sanskrit
Sanskrit verse treatise · Yogācāra Buddhism / Mahāyāna philosophical idealism

Vasubandhu's 'Thirty Verses on Vijñaptimātra' — systematic Yogācāra exposition of consciousness, the three natures, and the eight consciousnesses

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute Triṃśikā (Mature)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Emergent
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Deterministic
Time · Traversability Cyclical
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Finite
Space · Ontological Status Emergent
Space · Curvature Undefined
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Non-local
Matter · Extent Finite
Matter · Ontological Status Emergent
Matter · Conservation Non-conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Non-local
Observer · Time Instance Multiple
Observer · Space Instance Multiple
Observer · Knowledge Extent Immediate
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Disembodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Impersonal
Observer · Moral Authority Revelation
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Finite
Energy · Ontological Status Emergent
Energy · Conservation Non-conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Reversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

Triṃśikā

c. 4th-5th century. Vasubandhu's mature Yogācāra period, post-conversion from Sarvāstivāda.

Space

Triṃśikā

Gandhāra / north India.

Matter

Triṃśikā

Sanskrit verse treatise (30 verses, ~3 pages of Sanskrit text — but vast commentary tradition).

Observer

Triṃśikā

Mature post-conversion Vasubandhu. The observer is the Yogācāra philosopher articulating the school's mature systematic philosophical-psychological position.

Energy

Triṃśikā

Yogācāra-systematic energies. The thirty verses compress an entire philosophical system into extraordinarily condensed form.

Information

Triṃśikā

Thirty verses (no surviving auto-commentary). The commentary tradition (Sthiramati, Dharmapāla, Xuanzang's compilation 'Vijñaptimātratā-siddhi-śāstra') extends the philosophical apparatus enormously.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

Triṃśikā

Principal classical Yogācāra source; foundational for the East Asian Faxiang / Hossō schools. Through Xuanzang's translation and his magnum-opus compilation 'Vijñaptimātratā-siddhi-śāstra' (Chéng Wéishí Lùn, 659), the Triṃśikā became the central text of the East Asian Yogācāra-Buddhist tradition; the Trimśikā remains the foundational classical Yogācāra source.