When Attentional Training May Leave Self-Grasping Intact: A Yogācāra Account of the Manas Layer with Implications for Theorizing Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Mindfulness-based interventions often assume that training attention reduces self-grasping, but a Yogācāra Buddhist analysis suggests that a deep, subtle layer of self-grasping called manas may remain untouched by attentional training alone. This theoretical paper argues that manas operates as a pre-reflective, continuous sense of self that persists even when attention is well-regulated. The authors contend that effectively addressing this layer requires practices that directly target self-grasping, not just attention. This account has implications for how mindfulness-based interventions are theorized and designed, suggesting that without explicit deconstructive practices, self-grasping may remain intact.

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Abstract

When Attentional Training May Leave Self-Grasping Intact: A Yogācāra Account of the Manas Layer with Implications for Theorizing Mindfulness-Based Interventions