Ālaya-vijñāna
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Ālaya-vijñāna (Sanskrit). The eighth consciousness, being the substratum or ‘storehouse’ consciousness according to the philosophy of the Yogācāra school. The ālaya-vijñāna acts as the receptacle in which the impressions (known as vāsanā or bīja) of past experience and karmic actions are stored. From it the remaining seven consciousnesses arise and produce all present and future modes of experience in saṃsāra.
At the moment of enlightenment (bodhi), the ālaya-vijñāna is transformed into the Mirror-like Awareness or perfect discrimination of a Buddha.
