Vijnanavada and the concept of Alaya vijnana.
The Vijnanavada was developed by Vasubandhu in aprrox.300-400A.D.After words this was further developed by Dignaga around 500 A.D.The concept of Dignaga that the word exists internally,'Yad antar jneya rupam tad bahirvat avabhasate"(In his "Alambana Pariksha book"Dignaga writes "Yadantar Jneya rupam tad bahiriva avabhasate"is quoted by Sri.Shankara in BSB under the topic ":Abhavadhikarana"Sri.Shankara criticises this concept of idealistic Mahayana Budhism in this topic.This quotation is quoted by Kumarila Bhatta also in his "Sloka vartikam".This concept was further developed by Dharmakeerthi,and later by Bhavya,Shantaraksita and Kamala shela .This is mentioned brriefly by Sri.Shankara in his BSB after this 'Abhavadhikarana"topic.This is one evidence to show that Sri.Shankara lived during this period.
Aforementioned view is the standard model of the vijnAnavAda which is refuted in the brihadAraNyaka bhAshya too.
The concept in Buddhism is more intricate and they strive to go further and further into idealism.In advaita the Maya is mere appearance on the substratum ,Brahman.
But,in Buddhism it is not merely an appearance but without any subsratum,a nullity.
The concept of the AlayavijnAna contradicts the aforementioned view. This view, as far as I know, is not mentioned by the bhAshkAra. Either it was not the mainstream vijnAnavAda which he didn't come across or this may be the conclusion of later buddhists.
Its an interesting concept and it has been criticized by the buddhists themselves since it comes close to the conclusion of the vedanta.
Here are some points culled from an article attributed to N.A. Sastri:
"Alaya, store-consciousness is the seed bed of all that exists. Every seed lies in the store-consciousness and when it sprouts out into objective world. This new seed lies latent in it and gets manifest when the seed becomes matured under favourable conditions.
Some criticisms from the buddhists:
"The great champion of the mAdhyamika school, Chandrakirti comments: The advocate of store-consciousness pleads that is the seat of all the seeds of all active consciousness and it produces the appearance of the world. This advocacy resembles the brahminical system pleading for God as a creator of the universe. One difference between them is that God is viewed permanent (apparent in advaita!) and the Alaya impermanent but in other respect they differ not much.
"The same accusation has been levelled by AchArya bhAvaviveka in his karatala-ratna: If dharma-kaya, Norm-body which is characterised by the yOgAchAra as Ashraya-paravritti, metamorphosis of the store-consciousness be admitted in an existing self-being, then it is hardly distinguishable from the soul, Atman of the brahmanical system because the soul also is described in their scripture as something existent but beyond the reach by word and mind..."
The author mentions that the Alaya-doctrine does not appeal so much to the Tibetan mystics as the doctrine of shunyata does.
