Important Buddhist Scholars – Period, Philosophy, and Works
Scholar → School/Idea → Work → Why important (single-glance UPSC table).
| Scholar | Period | School / Idea | Major Work(s) | Why Important |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nagasena | 2nd BCE | Early Buddhism (Anatta logic) | Milinda Panho | Dialogue with Menander; chariot example |
| Ashvaghosha | 1st–2nd CE | Early Mahayana literary phase | Buddhacharita, Saundarananda | First great Sanskrit Buddhist poet |
| Nagarjuna | 2nd–3rd CE | Madhyamaka (Shunyata) | Mulamadhyamakakarika | Founder of emptiness philosophy |
| Aryadeva | 3rd CE | Madhyamaka | Catusshataka | Expanded Nagarjuna’s ideas |
| Asanga | 4th CE | Yogachara (Mind-only) | Yogacharabhumi Shastra | Founded Yogachara school |
| Vasubandhu | 4th–5th CE | Yogachara; earlier Sarvastivada | Abhidharmakosha, Vimsatika | Systematized Buddhist psychology |
| Buddhaghosa | 5th CE | Theravada | Visuddhimagga | Standard Theravada manual |
| Dignaga | 5th–6th CE | Buddhist Logic | Pramanasamuccaya | Founder of Buddhist epistemology |
| Dharmakirti | 7th CE | Logic & Epistemology | Pramanavarttika | Advanced theory of knowledge |
| Shantideva | 8th CE | Mahayana ethics | Bodhicaryavatara | Bodhisattva path, compassion |
| Padmasambhava | 8th CE | Vajrayana | Tantric teachings (oral) | Took Buddhism to Tibet; Nyingma |
| Atisha Dipankara | 11th CE | Tibetan reform | Lamp for the Path | Reformed Tibetan Buddhism |
| Kumarajiva | 4th–5th CE | Mahayana transmission | Chinese translations | Spread Buddhism to China |
| Xuanzang (Hsuan Tsang) | 7th CE | Scholar-monk | Great Tang Records | Nalanda scholar; source on India |
| Yijing (I-tsing) | 7th CE | Monastic practices | Travel records | Info on Indian monasteries |
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