Ego Consciousness | Sanskrit: मनस् | IAST: manas | Framed Zen Art | 12 inch x 12 inch

Manas consciousness, called manas-vijñāna in Sanskrit or ego consciousness in English, occupies a very important position and has far-reaching significance in Buddhist philosophy. 

It is one of the eight consciousnesses of Consciousness-Only Theory and is often called the "seventh consciousness". Consciousness-only theory, also known as Yogācāra, is an important school of Mahayana Buddhism. Its core idea is "consciousness-only without boundary", that is, all external things are manifestations of inner consciousness.

The unique position of manas consciousness is that it is the bridge that transforms the potential information in alaya consciousness into self-knowledge and self-awareness. It is closely attached to Alaya consciousness and continuously carries out the activity of "I-view" (that is, self-concept). 

Manas consciousness is the root cause of self-grasping (attachment to "I") and therefore plays a key role in the eight consciousnesses.

Read our meditation blog to understand more about Manas Consciousness: Mana Consciousness - the understanding of "self-grasping".

*** Meditate with Every View 🖼️ ***