Alaya-consciousness

The eighth tier encompasses alaya-consciousness, denoted by the Sanskrit term "Alaya" meaning "storehouse." This realm serves as the repository of karmic imprints from myriad thoughts, words, and actions across time. How you respond to your friend's anger bears the influence of your cumulative past causes and effects. The initial seven levels of consciousness wane upon death, while the eighth endures ceaselessly, perpetuating the distinctive essence of one's existence throughout the cycles of birth and rebirth.

Alaya-consciousness is considered the fundamental underpinning or bedrock of consciousness within specific Buddhist doctrines. It functions as a reservoir where previous experiences, deeds, and inclinations are etched and conserved, merging into a depository housing karmic imprints accrued over innumerable lifetimes.

Within Alaya-consciousness lie the potential for both constructive and adverse inclinations. These propensities mold our current and future thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Through the discernment and alteration of these predispositions, practitioners pave the way toward liberation.

The Yogacara tradition systematically classifies Alaya-consciousness into three distinct dimensions: Parikalpita (illusory), Paratantra (interdependent), and Parinispanna (fully perfected). The purification and transformation of Alaya-consciousness become imperative to grasp the genuine essence of reality and achieve emancipation from the relentless cycle of suffering.