▸ HEAD-TO-HEAD

ASANGA VS KUMARAJILA

Asanga
~4th c.
At the edge of what language can hold.
Kumarajila
344–413
At the edge of what language can hold.

▸ WHERE THEY SHARPLY DISAGREED

The three dimensions on which Asanga and Kumarajila are farthest apart on Mull's 0–10 scale.

  • Universalist ImpulseΔ 2 / 10
    Asanga: 8/10
    Kumarajila: 6/10

    somewhat (2/10): Asanga reaches for universal moral principles; Kumarajila weighs particular contexts more heavily.

  • Trust in ReasonΔ 1 / 10
    Asanga: 7/10
    Kumarajila: 6/10

    somewhat (1/10): Asanga trusts reasoned argument more strongly than Kumarajila does.

  • Reverence for TraditionΔ 1 / 10
    Asanga: 6/10
    Kumarajila: 7/10

    somewhat (1/10): Kumarajila treats inherited tradition as a source of wisdom; Asanga is readier to question it.

▸ WHERE THEY OVERLAPPED

Where the gap is smallest — both with meaningful presence on the dimension (not "neither cared").

  • Self as Illusiongap 0 / 10
    Asanga: 9/10
    Kumarajila: 9/10

    Both lean strongly into self as illusion.

  • Ascetic Tendencygap 0 / 10
    Asanga: 7/10
    Kumarajila: 7/10

    Both lean strongly into ascetic tendency.

  • Practical Orientationgap 0 / 10
    Asanga: 6/10
    Kumarajila: 6/10

    Both register moderate practical orientation.

▸ ALL 16 DIMENSIONS

The full vector comparison. Bars show their 0–10 scores side-by-side.

  • Ascetic TendencyΔ 0
  • Communal EmbeddednessΔ 0
  • Embodied SensibilityΔ 0
  • Mystical ReceptivityΔ 0
  • Practical OrientationΔ 0
  • Reverence for TraditionΔ 1
  • Self as IllusionΔ 0
  • Skeptical ReflexΔ 0
  • Sovereign SelfΔ 0
  • Theoretical DriveΔ 1
  • Trust in ExperienceΔ 0
  • Trust in ReasonΔ 1
  • Tragic VisionΔ 0
  • Universalist ImpulseΔ 2
  • Vital AffirmationΔ 0
  • Will to PowerΔ 0
ASANGAKUMARAJILA
What to do next

Where do you sit between Asanga and Kumarajila?

  1. 01 · QUIZ
    The Inheritor
    Take the quiz — see which of them you sit closer to on the map.
    CONTINUE ▶
  2. 02 · PROFILE
    Vasubandhu
    A third thinker who sits between them — useful for triangulating.
    CONTINUE ▶
  3. 03 · ARENA
    Argue Asanga
    Face Asanga in a 5-minute single-turn debate, judged on rigor.
    CONTINUE ▶