Alaya-vijñāna
/ˌɑːləjə vɪdʒˈɲɑːnə/noun
In Yogācāra Buddhism, the foundational “storehouse consciousness” said to contain karmic impressions and latent tendencies.
Did you know?Yogācāra texts describe alaya-vijñāna not as an eternal soul, but as a continuously changing stream that carries karmic “seeds” from one experience to another.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵneh₃
“To know or recognize; the ancient root behind the vijñāna portion.”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
jñāna
“Knowledge, understanding, or awareness, formed from the root jñā, “to know.””
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
vijñāna
“Discriminating knowledge, consciousness, or cognition; vi- adds a sense of distinction or analysis.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
ālaya
“Abode, dwelling, or repository; literally a place in which something resides or is stored.”
4th–5th Century CE
Buddhist Sanskrit
ālaya-vijñāna
““Storehouse consciousness,” the Yogācāra concept of a foundational stream carrying latent karmic impressions.”
Modern English
English
alaya-vijñāna
“A technical Buddhist term used in English-language scholarship for storehouse consciousness.”