Arya Vimuktisena

Arya Vimuktisena (Skt. Ārya Vimuktisena, Tib. འཕགས་པ་རྣམ་གྲོལ་སྡེ་, Pakpa Namdroldé; Wyl. ‘phags pa rnam grol sde) (6th C.) is the author of the earliest commentary on the Abhisamayalankara, which relates it to the text of the Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines.

According to the Tibetan tradition, Vasubandhu had four great disciples who were more learned in certain topics than himself. Of these, Arya Vimuktisena was more learned on the topic of the prajnaparamita.

It is said that Arya Vimuktisena reached the first bodhisattva ground and having received instructions on the prajnaparamita directly from the Buddha, composed his great commentary.

Vimuktisena was said to be the nephew of the great master Buddhadasa.

His foremost student was Bhadanta Vimuktisena.

Writings

• Commentary on the Abhisamayalankara (Skt. abhisamayālaṅkārakārikāvārttika)

Further Reading

• Abhisamayalamkara with Vritti by Arya Vimuktisena and Aloka by Haribhadra, translated by Gareth Sparham, 2005
• Lobsang N. Tsonawa, Indian Buddhist Pandits from The Jewel Garland of Buddhist History, Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1985.
• David Ruegg, 'Ārya and Bhadanta Vimuktisena on the Gotra-Theory of the Prajñāpāramitā', contained in: Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens, vols. 12-13 [Frauwallner Festschrift] (1968-1969), pp. 303-317.