Nine Buddhist Consciousnesses and Four Psychological Forces: A Review
John Z. G. Ma *
California Institute of Integral Studies, 1453 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This article reviews the ancient Buddhist doctrine of consciousness and its concordance with the psychological heritage of modern science. Firstly, it introduces the nine consciousnesses of Buddhist philosophy, namely, five sensory consciousnesses, plus Mano, Manas, Alaya, and Amala consciousnesses. Secondly, it summarizes the development of the four psychological forces, i.e., Watson’s behaviorism, Freudian psychoanalysis, Jung’s unconscious, and Grof’s transpersonal psychology. Finally, it suggests that the last four consciousnesses are equivalent to the four forces, respectively.
Keywords: Buddhist consciousness, Mano, Manas, Alaya, Amala, psychological force