Pancaskandhaprakarana of Vasubandhu
By Shanti Bhikshu Shastri
Summary
This paper explains that Vasubandhu's Pancaskandhaprakarana (Treatise on the Five Aggregates) is one of three works introducing the Yogacara school. The Sanskrit original is lost, but it survives in Tibetan and Chinese versions. The treatise analyses the five skandhas—form, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness—and lists numerous mental factors (caitta‑dharmas) such as contact, attention, sensation, volition, faith, shame and othersfile:///home/oai/share/563032_compressed-391-518.pdffile:///home/oai/share/563032_compressed-391-518.pdf#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20Caittadbarmas%20%E2%80%98Mental%20States%E2%80%99%20,violence%E2%80%99. The author notes that Pancaskandhaprakarana alone cannot expound Yogacara doctrine; it must be read alongside Vasubandhu's Trimsika and Vimsatika, which argue the unreality of the external world and elaborate on vijñapti‑mātra (cognition‑only). The paper summarises different lists of virtuous and unwholesome mental states across Buddhist texts and discusses how the treatise classifies them. It concludes that the work serves as an introduction to Yogacara, offering a systematic analysis of the skandhas while pointing to the need for complementary texts.
Conclusion
The article concludes that the Pancaskandhaprakarana provides a basic framework for understanding Yogacara psychology by analysing the five aggregates and enumerating mental factors. However, its doctrinal scope is limited, and a full appreciation of Yogacara philosophy requires consultation of Vasubandhu's other works. The treatise remains important as an early expository text for the school and for comparative studies of Buddhist psychology.