Yogācāra Buddhism proposes a moderate ontology that grants a degree of reality to manifestation, rejecting both substantialist and nihilist extremes. The cosmos is unified not by a single substance but by the organic-functional interrelation of all components, with unity residing in the manifesting pattern of plurality. The store-house consciousness (ālayavijñāna) functions as a cosmic consciousness that unifies all experience—actual factors (dharma) and potential karmic seeds (bīja)—into a single causal flow. Its continuity is not substantial but consists in the regularity of succession, as all factors are momentary flashes. This consciousness represents a middle way between permanence and destruction, providing continuity without a persistent entity.
In Yogācāra, the Idealistic school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, human existence is not a fixed being but a mere experience projected by the cosmic store-house consciousness (ālayavijñāna). This experience is an alteration of reality's normal, peaceful, and homogenous state. The alteration occurs when the human mind develops experiences of self-elevation (unnatti) and pride (māna) toward what it appropriates as its own identity. This disturbs reality's natural calm, making the projected experience afflicted (kliṣṭa), which marks the beginning of suffering (duḥkha) and bondage (saṃsāra). Projecting individuality onto the calm cosmic level is thus considered the 'fall' in Yogācāra Buddhism.