The Problem of the Unity of Consciousness: A Buddhist Solution

Presented here is the Yogācāra account of unity of consciousness, showing how it relates to contemporary philosophical accounts. Section 1 briefly charts the relevant Abhidharma background and the reasons that led the Yogācāra to the postulation of ālaya-vijñāna. Section 2 explains the contemporary formulation of the “unity of consciousness” problem and its significance in the search for neural correlates of consciousness. Section 3 shows that the Yogācāra notion of basic consciousness and neuroscientific research on Open Monitoring meditation offer useful insights for establishing a coherent philosophical account of unity of consciousness.