Vasubandhu · Theology

Karma Without a Self

Vasubandhu&rsquo;s <em>Karmasiddhiprakarana</em> (&lsquo;Establishing Action&rsquo;) faces the hardest puzzle of no-self Buddhism: if there is no enduring self and everything is momentary, how can a deed done now bear its fruit lifetimes later? His answer traces a line of seeds carried in the stream of consciousness.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Vasubandhu&rsquo;s Karmasiddhi asks how an action can bear fruit much later given no-self and momentariness, and answers that the deed &lsquo;perfumes&rsquo; the stream of consciousness with a seed (bija) that matures through the stream&rsquo;s transformations - a solution that eventually pointed towa…

Leads to Nagasena.

Begin this lesson →
← All lessons on Vasubandhu

epoché — a humanities education that remembers you.