Asanga (also called Aryasanga), born around 300 C.E., was a great exponent of Yogācāra. Traditionally he and his brother Vasubandhu are regarded as the founders of this schhol.

Born in Gandhara in north India as a Brahmin's son, he was perhaps originally a member of the Mahīśāsaka or the Mūlasarvāstivāda school but later converted to Mahāyāna; 'Doctrinal Affiliation of the Buddhist Master Asanga' - Alex Wayman in Untying the Knots in BuddhismISBN 8120813219 after many years of intense meditation, during which time some traditions say that he often visited Tushita Heaven to receive teachings from Maitreya-nātha. He went on to write many of the key Yogācāra treatises such as the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, the Mahāyāna-samgraha and the Abhidharma-samuccaya as well as other works, although there are discrepancies between the Chinese and Tibetan traditions concerning which works are attributed to him and which to Maitreya-nātha. On Some Aspects of the Doctrines of Maitreya (natha) and the Asanga - Giuseppe Tucci, Calcutta, 1930.

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