Seven Works of Vasubandhu (Anacker ed.)

The volume contains the Vādavidhi (a work on logic), the Pañcaskandhaka-prakaraṇa (on the aggregates), the Karmasiddhi-prakaraṇa (on action and psychic continuity), the Viṃśatikā-kārikā-vṛtti and Triṃśikā-kārikā (the core Yogācāra treatises on consciousness-only), the Madhyānta-vibhāga-bhāṣya (a commentary on the distinction between the middle and extremes), and the Tri-svabhāva-nirdeśa (on the three natures) . Anacker's principle of selection was to present complete works that, though a 'minuscule portion' of Vasubandhu's output, display the range of his interests and his consistent therapeutic motivation: to alleviate the unnecessary suffering that arises from 'constricted and constructed mental activity' [citation:7][citation:9]. The selection is not a greatest-hits collection but a deliberate introduction to Vasubandhu as a 'Buddhist psychological doctor.'

Anacker translated from the extant Sanskrit where available, and from Tibetan and Chinese versions for works whose Sanskrit originals are lost. The volume includes the Sanskrit texts of four of the works: the Vādavidhi, the Viṃśatikā, the Triṃśikā, and the Trisvabhāvanirdeśa (or a subset thereof) . This makes the volume valuable for scholars who want to consult the original alongside the translation. The translations are accompanied by Anacker's introductions to each work and a glossary of technical terms [citation:4]. However, reviewers have noted that the Sanskrit texts contain some errors, and the volume has more typographical errors than one would hope for in a scholarly edition [citation:4]. Readers should consult more recent critical editions for the individual texts where precision matters.

The reception has been mixed but generally positive. Reviewers praise the volume as an 'excellent source' for English readers, noting that the translations are 'crisp and well-explained' and that the introductory materials provide helpful background, including the traditional biographical stories of Vasubandhu [citation:4]. The selection is valued for giving a sense of the scope of Vasubandhu's work beyond the Abhidharmakośa. The main criticisms are that Anacker's commentary tends to be 'overly contentious' and that he 'spends too much ink demonstrating how much and how deeply he's researched' rather than simply informing the reader [citation:4]. Some scholars have also expressed reservations about the translations themselves, with one Indology list contributor stating they were 'not very impressed' and recommending Thomas Wood's alternative translations where available [citation:12]. The volume remains useful as an introduction but is not the final word on any of the texts it contains.

The Abhidharmakośa is Vasubandhu's monumental Abhidharma summa, but Anacker's volume deliberately selects works that show other dimensions of his thought. The Pañcaskandhaka and Karmasiddhiprakaraṇa are Abhidharma-adjacent works that develop analyses of experience and action in new directions, with the Karmasiddhiprakaraṇa attacking features of earlier Buddhist psychology . The Viṃśatikā, Triṃśikā, Madhyāntavibhāga-bhāṣya, and Trisvabhāvanirdeśa represent his mature Yogācāra period. Anacker's introduction argues that reading only a few of Vasubandhu's works leads to misunderstanding, because he uses multiple methods and constantly unfolding outlooks; the collection is designed to correct the misrepresentation that arises from privileging the Yogācāra works alone or the Abhidharma works alone [citation:7][citation:9]. The volume thus presents a more complete Vasubandhu than any single text can.

The most common misunderstanding is that it is a 'greatest hits' collection of Vasubandhu's most important works, a convenient substitute for reading the Abhidharmakośa or the full Yogācāra corpus. It is not. Anacker explicitly describes the seven treatises as 'only a minuscule portion of what he wrote,' selected not because they are the most important but because they are complete works that display the range of his therapeutic methods [citation:7][citation:9]. The volume is an introduction, not a comprehensive edition. A related misunderstanding is that it presents Vasubandhu's 'final' or 'definitive' positions. Anacker's introduction argues the opposite: Vasubandhu does not dogmatically rely on any one method, and his works contain multiple, constantly unfolding outlooks on the same problems [citation:7]. Readers should approach the volume as a gateway to Vasubandhu's thought, not as its summation.