The Cessation or Non-Cessation of Ālayavijñāna in Nirvāṇa

Abstract This study addresses doctrinal inconsistencies arising from inconsistent statements within Yogācāra literature regarding the cessation or non-cessation of ālayavijñāna upon achieving nirvāṇa . In Yogācārabhūmi , ālayavijñāna is defined as a type of consciousness that supports and conceals itself within the practitioner’s body, serving as a foundational consciousness for the continuity of life during nirodhasamāpatti . As the doctrine evolves, ālayavijñāna is understood as inherently polluted, and it is proposed that arhatship, signifying the eradication of all defilements, leads to its cessation. However, two key doctrinal inconsistencies arise: the first concerns how an arhat, whose ālayavijñāna has ceased, can still possess a living body during nirodhasamāpatti in nirvāṇa with remainder ( sopadhiśeṣanirvāṇa ); the second pertains to how jñeyāvaraṇa (the hindrance regarding what is to be known) —which renders the nirvāṇa of arhats and pratyekabuddhas inferior to Buddhahood—can persist while they no longer possess either bodies nor minds in nirvāṇa without remainder ( nirupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa ) . This study examines these doctrinal challenges by analyzing various Yogācāra texts, including the Yogācārabhūmi , Mahāyānasaṃgraha , Triṃśikāvijñaptikārikā , as well as the commentaries of the latter two, and Laṅkāvatārasūtra , offering a comparative analysis of how these texts attempt to resolve the tensions surrounding nirvāṇa and the ontological implications of the cessation of ālayavijñāna .