We just finished up a study group focusing on the book Understanding Our Mind by Thich Nhat Hahn. It is based on the teachings of, Vasubandhu, a fourth to fifth century Indian Buddhist associated with the founding of the Yogacara school. Why is it potentially beneficial to understand the facets of the mind? From this mystic’s perspective it is helpful in the context of seeing how mindfulness, meditation and our mental states give us clues about how we can see things more clearly and consequently how we can lessen suffering for ourselves and others. Western psychology has plenty to say about the mind, even before Freud. Currently, a very interesting and promising area related to study of the mind are advances in neuroscience. Among therapists and even the public at large there is a growing appreciation and practice of mindfulness — in this case, a secular practice to relieve stress and anxiety with potential to improve creativity, concentration and development of more positive state of mind. The Netflix series, Mindfulness Manual is kind of a cute, Korean-authored, short series on the current state of increasing secular acceptance of mindfulness and meditation for relief of suffering. But in this mystics case, looking at the mind is also a method that provides glimpses into the ultimate nature of reality and an opportunity to better understand how mindfulness and various meditation practices work.
Vasubandhu proposed that the mind has eight aspects, thus the term “eight consciousnesses” was coined. These are the base consciousness, called storehouse consciousness and also called alaya, manas, or the energy of the “self,” mind, and the five sense consciousnesses, namely eye, ear, smell, taste and touch. So in summary, alaya, manas, mind and the five senses. We don’t have to get to “heady” to have an intuitive feel for these eight consciousnesses. The base consciousness is the foundation and source of all the other consciousnesses; as such, it would fall into the basket of such western concepts as subconscious but also could be simply viewed as the mystery and “substrate” of existence. Manas is like ego, and besides serving as a survival mechanism (yes, manas is necessary,) is the instigator of much suffering as we “struggle,” seemingly isolated individuals, through this world. Mind stems from manas and it seems clear that cognitive and emotional functions are closely related to the brain, thus a plug for neuroscience. An important point to note is that mind consciousness is considered a sense consciousness, as we reason with our minds regarding phenomena and in effect sense the world with our minds as well as the physical sense organs. Just as the mind stems or has its base as manas, the five sense consciousnesses stem or have their base from mind. Intuitively, the brain interprets our world based on physical inputs. The senses work with various energies of our world.
The yogacara school is also known as the mind only or manifestation only school. As this mystic has noted many times, whatever is out there, or even one’s own body is “sensed.” We put a picture together based on our consciousness, based on our limitations of our sense organs. The true essence, for example, of a table is an approximation, a model, a simulation.
So scholars write lengthy books on these eight aspects. Here are a few fundamental points about each of the consciousnesses. Store consciousness is called that because it contains, or stores infinite potential of the cosmos. In verse 11 of Thich Nhat Hahn’s interpretation of Vasubandhu, Hahn states: “Although impermanent and without a separate self, store consciousness contains [has the potential] all phenomena in the cosmos, both conditioned and unconditioned, in the form of seeds.” Now along comes manas. Hahn explains the presence of manas by noting that our habit energies, delusions and craving come together and create a tremendous source of energy that condition our actions, speech and thinking. This energy is called manas. Here is an important point: Somehow the very apparent existence and life in this realm and we as living beings originate from the fact that a complex energy field clings to a certain aspect of alaya. In effect it is the manifestation of a separate self, often tied up in knots, living in a big, big world. While alaya, by definition, can “see” things as they are, manas always sees things only as mere representations and always erroneously because manas is always in dual mode, craving after the perceiver aspect of alaya, making it into an object and thus manifesting a “self.”
Here are a few more important points regarding manas.: The activity of manas is thinking, cognizing, measuring, reasoning, grasping and clinging. The objects of mind (thoughts, cognition) do not arise from the external world as the objects of our senses do. Instead, they come from the working of manas with the seeds in our storehouse consciousness. Thus, the dilemma of not seeing things as they truly are and the potential therefore for unwholesome states that do not lead to happiness.
The beauty and the promise of the five sense consciousnesses is that they can see things directly if the mind or manas stays out of the way. Thus the impetus for mindfulness of the body and phenomenon. But even when sense consciousness is fully engaged it can only be focused on a very limited scale or aspect of reality. Think of it as the physical limitation of, e.g. eye consciousness. We can only see a certain spectrum of EM radiation. Further, we are limited by our location, and the very limits of our brain’s and (now) external computational power’s capacity. This seemingly limited ability to see takes us to the edge of the Buddhist concept of emptiness, and its flip side, interdependence. Yet, our very presence in this realm is also very precise, meaningful and, well, here!
While mind stems from manas, it has the capability of seeing things directly, without coloring them and adding a self. This takes practice, so enter meditation as well as mindfulness of mental aspects (feeling and formations). Mind acts as the observer during meditation or mindfulness practice. Mind also can “tame” manas and when we meditate it is possible to set manas aside.
Circling back to storehouse consciousness or alaya. In his book Vasubandhus Three Natures, Ben Connelly points out that alaya is the “cause” and the rest of the consciousness aspects are the “effect.” What he is referring to are all the seeds in the storehouse, collectively called karma, that perpetuate the cycle of samsara (cycle of birth and death.) It is not this mystic’s place or ability to intuitively go much further right now to explain or ponder how karma drives the cycle of perpetual birth and death or how karma actually works from a scientific, technical, perspective. Let’s just say it is a very cosmic energy dance. It is worthy to note that the cycle originates from alaya, which is way mysterious and that act of liberation or nirvana is the circling back, by the mind, to the roots within alaya, without the attachment of manas. And none of the eight consciousnesses are permanent.
We can look at the three natures another time but suffice to say we do have a choice to move outside the lane, peer around a corner and venture into the possibility of something past this normal world which ends up in only one seemingly inevitable way, death and birth. I’ll admit there are times when the ride is enjoyable. What is that?
Little Known Mystic 