Cognitive awareness is not something that someone does but instead it is something that occurs, arising from specific causes and conditions. This is one of the key features of early Buddhist thought. Consciousness, according to Buddhists, is constantly occurring and flowing. This stream of consciousness that goes uninterrupted is called vijñāna. It is noted as the “background consciousness” and exists with another type of consciousness that is a result of processing certain individual moments. Vijñāna stays constant from lifetime to lifetime and only ends when samsara ends which is when someone reaches nirvana.
The layers of consciousness are all dependent upon each other. According to the Buddha, this interconnectedness and the feedback between
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samskara, vijñāna and the feelings, actions or emotional responses that these cause is what creates habit-formation. Often, one responds to a pleasurable feeling with greed as they desire more of that feeling. This response then feeds back and strengthens samskara, mental dispositions, which is what had influenced the response in the beginning of this feedback loop. Thus, tendencies are formed. These tendencies lead people to pursue certain actions and it is peoples’ actions that contribute to their karma. The process of analyzing the mind as such brought about the time period that is referred to as Abhidharma scholasticism.
This era had a very strong influence on Buddhist thought and it was during this time that the concept of ālaya-vijñāna developed. One of the most problematic concepts to come out of this time was the concept of dharmas. Dharmas are what influence each moment experienced by the mind. Buddhists aim to discern dharmas that cause affliction. A dharmic analysis of experiences is characterized by which each element of a given experience is distinguished from others. It suggests that reality is made up exclusively of what we are consciously aware. However, problems arose from this type of analysis of the …show more content…
mind. Afflictions were thought to have arose in the mind in a stream of consciousness and to remain in that stream until nirvana which, as stated earlier, is reached when samsara ends which is also the consequential end of the constant vijñāna. This notion brought about questions regarding the dharmic analysis of mind because if the only real factors of one’s reality must be accounted for and present then how can afflictions exist in each moment within one’s mind? The same type of question arose regarding karma. If someone commits an action that has karmic potential but that potential has not yet become real, then based on dharmic analysis, it is not reality because it is not present and accounted for. It exists only in the future until it happens. To respond to these questions, Abhidarmists postulated that one could possess a certain dharma that exists in the past, present and future of one’s mental stream. Another solution to this problem was the ālaya-vijñāna model. It was a systematic approach to redefining the Buddhist model of the mind. The ālaya consciousness is a base consciousness or awareness. Our perception of the world arises from our inner base of consciousness which is ālaya-vijñāna. These two types of cognitive processes exist simultaneously. If they were to be compared to an ocean, the perception that we have of our outer world would be the waves on the surface of the ocean. These waves rise due to the subliminal currents of the ocean. The subliminal currents are analogous to the base consciousness. Since the ālaya awareness is the most consistent of our consciences and since it continues with us moment after moment, it is often the awareness with which we identify most and consider to be who we are, our “self.” This is interesting and somewhat problematic because as someone is to say “I am [this or that]” it takes ālaya to be an object. Considering the continuous ālaya awareness to be “self” is something that causes suffering, an affliction. Afflictive emotions, known as klista-manas, are stored as seeds, bijas. If we view the ālaya consciousness as our self, then we will never be freed from a self view as long as ālaya-vijñāna stays constant which it is as the base consciousness. This is also similar to the problems associated with material things in Yogacara Buddhist thought. It is not the materiality of certain things that causes the problem but the problem arises when we cling, grasp or attach ourselves to material things. Alaya arises with the senses and predispositions made toward a multitude of different things.
However, predispositions form attachments as someone is using their own past experiences to define present moments. Due to this conditioning, we are thinking and seeing and feeling the world in terms of self. But if we perceive the world in terms of “self” then how is it that humans all experience the world similarly? This is because we all possess the commonality of ālaya awareness and have a similar karma to one another. We all have similar karma because all humans have a similar type of body so the rebirth was brought along by similar actions, karma. Thus, we experience a similar world which is specific to our
species. Karma is what results from our intentional actions. The consequences of these actions remain in the storehouse consciousness and build up over time. The past actions of karma are what drive us to do certain actions in the future. This theory explains how a personality and continue through death and into the next lifetime. Since karma is stored as seeds in ālaya-vijñāna, when the seeds germinate and develop into actions, ālaya-vijñāna is drawn into the six senses. The world that we perceive is a product of our present and our past. We see certain situations and objects through our senses which connect to our predispositions thus creating a perception of sorts. We are able to perceive in this way due to our existence as human beings. This existence is a product of our past lives and our karma. Connecting all is the underlying, base consciousness. All of these aspects combined create our perception of the world. The relationship between these concepts exist in one’s present lifetime but also hold true, according to Buddhists, throughout all of one’s lifetimes. The role of ālaya-vijñāna is simply to act as a base consciousness from which all other consciousness arises. Although ālaya-vijñāna is karmically neutral, the bija are stored within ālaya-vijñāna and one’s karma depends on one’s bija. Karma drives the cycle of life and rebirth. When all consciousness has come to an end, enlightenment occurs. Thus, on the path to liberation, ālaya-vijñāna is what must be purified and eliminated. Only then will one reach the ultimate state, nirvana.
This paper will explore the question of how to understand the nature of perceived ultimateity in Zen Buddhism. This will be achieved through providing a justification for why this question should be of any interest and then hypothesizing about possible implications of the results. Next, the framework that is to be used in categorizing the core beliefs in Zen will be explained and made clear. After this description is complete, the author will proceed to fit Zen Buddhism into this framework and will demonstrate that the Zen religion is no exception to the employed framework. Finally, the author will describe the perceived ultimacy of Zen Buddhism.
“In the West, we think of each human life as solid and discrete, beginning at conception and ending at death. The Buddhist view is of waves appearing and disappearing endlessly on a great ocean of life energy. When cause and effect combine in a certain way, a wave arises, appearing...
...e notion of interbeing provides a full picture of understanding connecting different Buddhist ideas such as emptiness, no-self and impermanence together using just one simple word. As Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the role of Buddhism as a liberating vehicle for the mass of its practitioners, the “heart” of the understanding of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra is emancipation from fear. Through the eyes of interbeing and skillful practice of penetration can one attain the “heart of the understanding.”
As there are many different schools of Buddhism, each with different principles, there are also many different views on consciousness. First, we'll turn to the "Consciousness-Only School" also known as Yogacara Buddhism. According to the Consciousness-Only school there are eight parts of the consciousness. The five sense-consciousnesses, those related to the senses. There is the sixth consciousness, called the sense-center consciousness, that which forms our conceptions. The seventh is called the thought-center, the consciousness related to will and reasoning. And the eighth consciousness, called the storehouse consciousness. The storehouse consciousness basically "stores" our past experiences. The consciousness are in a constant state of change, the seed is constantly being influenced by the inward flow of perceptions, and the seed itself influences the perceptions (Chan 371). This train of thought is most similar to the existing model of cognition and memory encoding.
Imagining a life of purity, thoughtfulness, and reflection may prove impossible for some individuals to accomplish; however, the way of the Buddha emphasizes the importance of an unmitigated mind, free from material desire and unnecessary passions. When one attempts to define Buddhism, he/she may cover the concepts of meditation and clearing the mind, yet actually practicing Buddhism yields a certain lifestyle, one that requires constant thought and effort. The Dhammapada, a sacred religious text, explains certain main themes of Buddhism such as Anitya, or the temporary nature of all beings, the necessary ability to master one’s mind, and the significance of overcoming outside desires and connects these overarching motifs to different cultural
The notion of Consciousness took various definitions through time and even today it still doesn’t have a general accepted definition. A more universal one would be that Consciousness is a state of awareness of one’s surroundings, of the external objects around, or being aware of oneself. From a more psychological perspective, Consciousness represents a state characterized by perceptions, sensations, emotions, thoughts, where the individual is aware of what he sees, feels, thinks and observes himself, those around him and the environment.
I will commence by defining what makes a mental state conscious. This will be done aiming to distinguish what type of state we are addressing when we speak of a mental phenomenon and how is it, that can have a plausible explanation. By taking this first approach, we are able to build a base for our main argument to be clear enough and so that we can remain committed to.
There is no interminable, constant soul and self is only an accumulation of changing qualities or properties.
Siddhartha Gautama is famously known as Gautama Buddha and was the founder of the idea of Buddhism. The Buddha was known to possess supernatural powers and abilities. He was born in the holy land of Nepal and his journey began in India when he decided to travel and teach himself about life. In the midst of his journey, he discovered Buddhism after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. Buddhism became a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and since then Buddhism has been popular throughout many civilizations. Buddhism is now one of the most ancient religions in the world, where people follow Buddha, which stand for “awakened one,” and Buddhism which has gained popularity because of the teachings of the Buddha.
Western psychology is concerned with the investigation of understanding the negative aspects of human behavior, emotions and the mind, and to some extent, with changing them. The Buddhist approach to the investigation of the mind is unscientific, as defined by the science of Western Psychology. It is not concerned with laboratory conditions, control groups, or ‘objectivity’ in the sense of the experimenter being separate from and impartial to the subject (Nettle, 2005). In Buddhism, the person conducting the experiment and the subject are the same. Buddhists seek truth, as do scientists. Science, for the most part, sees the world as something external, which can be observed and understood as truth. Psychology involves understanding the human experience through the study of the mind and how perception governs behavior. Buddhism sees perception as internal and of one’s experience of the outside world as a fundamental part of understanding the truth within our self.
Buddhism, like most other religions, originated in a particular place at a particular time, and its roots are in forms and ideas that were part of the environment in which it developed. The most important of these areas at the time of the Buddha was the valley of the Ganges river which flows from west to east across most of northern India. It was here that the great religions of India first arose and flourished. Only later did they spread to the south. In the time of the Buddha, about 500 B.C.E., this area was undergoing a period of vigorous religious development.
“Consciousness is defined as everything of which we are aware at any given time - our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions of the external environment. Physiological researchers have returned to the study of consciousness, in examining physiological rhythms, sleep, and altered states of consciousness (changes in awareness produced by sleep, meditation, hypnosis, and drugs)” (Wood, 2011, 169). There are five levels of consciousness; Conscious (sensing, perceiving, and choosing), Preconscious (memories that we can access), Unconscious ( memories that we can not access), Non-conscious ( bodily functions without sensation), and Subconscious ( “inner child,” self image formed in early childhood).
"What is Buddhism? | The Buddhist Centre." What is Buddhism? | The Buddhist Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .
Maharishi (1986) clearly points out “The basis of stress in world consciousness is the violation of natural law by the people” (p. 83-84). Violation of natural law means that the individuals are not able to live harmoniously with the environment, because the thoughts and actions are disconnected from their basis due to the accumulation of stresses in the nervous system. Thus, the pure consciousness is remain hidden from individual awareness as the mind is only aware of the outward sensory world. In this state the mind is only object-referral. However, as Maharishi explains, during the practice of Transcendental Meditation, one transcends all the activities of the mind and experiences transcendental consciousness where the consciousness is only aware of its own unbounded nature. At this state the mind is Self-referral.
Eastern enlightenment religions have been gaining popularity throughout the western world for the past few decades, with many people attracted to a "different" way of experiencing religion. As with many other enlightenment religions, Buddhism requires disciples to understand concepts that are not readily explainable: one such concept is that of no-self. In this essay I shall discuss the no-self from a number of modern perspectives; however, as no-self is difficult to describe I shall focus on both the self and no-self. Beginning with psychological aspects, and neurophysiological research on transcendental meditation, I shall discuss the impact of modern brain science on our understanding of the self and transcendence. Next I will outline the relationship between quantum physics and non-locality, as this gives a western scientific explanation for no-self. Returning to the original source of Buddhism, I will briefly outline the discussion between Siddhartha and Vaccha regarding atman, then discuss the mind and no-self and their relationship to liberation. Finally I will summarize a few issues that the western mindset may face approaching this topic.