Philosophy of mind in the Yogacara Buddhist idealistic school
Fernando Tola, Carmen Dragonetti
History of Psychiatry December 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1177/0957154x05059213 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIn Yogacara Buddhist idealism, the mind has two parts: receptacle consciousness, which holds unconscious traces (vasanas) from past experiences, and function consciousness, where those traces become conscious ideas of a self and objects. These vasanas have been produced since beginningless time without any real basis, in a fantasmagorical process.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 9 |
| Key finding | Proposes that mind in Yogacara Buddhism consists of receptacle consciousness (unconscious vasanas) and function consciousness (conscious representations), with vasanas produced without real correspondence in a fantasmagorical process. |
Abstract
After some general introductory remarks on Indian philosophy, this essay deals with the structure of mind in the Yogacara Buddhist idealist school. Mind can be conceived as having two ‘parts’: the receptacle consciousness, constituted by the vasanas, or ‘marks’ left by any individual experience, which ‘remains’ in the mind in an unconscious state; and the function consciousness, constituted by these same vasanas transforming themselves into conscious ideas and representations, which are either of a cognizing ego or of congnized objects and beings and similar to the experiences that gave rise to them. Since a beginningless eternity, vasanas have been produced without anything real corresponding to them, in a fantasmagorical process.