Chos mṅon blo gsal rab gsal

by Gedun Tharchin Geshe

INTRODUCTION ***** GATEWAY TO ABHIDHARMA Illuminating the Treasure of Knowledge Background In the golden age of Indian civilization, a great part of India was united under the prosperous rule of the national dynasty of the Guptas. Arts and sciences flourished and the Buddhists took a prominent part in this revival. Thus, after the first millennium of the history of Buddhism in India, a further important change, a new direction was given to Buddhist philosophy by two brothers, Arya Asanga and Acharya Vasubandhu. Evidently, in accordance with the spirit of the new age, the condemnation of all logic which characterized the preceding period was forsaken and Buddhists began to take a very keen interest in logical problems. The first outstanding feature of that period is a keen interest in logic, which towards the end of the period becomes overwhelming and supersedes the former theoretical part of Buddhism. As a religion Buddhism remained in this period much the same as it had been in the pr