The Anatomy of Phenomena

The Shadow of Phenomena

When we are simply relaxed in sensory awareness, without recognising any single thing, we are aware of Alaya — the eighth consciousness. The Alaya is closely related to, but distinct from, the fundamental ground of awareness. Alaya is likened to a haziness of true, non-conceptual awareness, while perception — the seventh consciousness — is likened to a reflection of this Alaya.

When we see an object we recognise, or hear a familiar sound, we are no longer directly aware of Alaya, only of our perception of it. This is why we are susceptible to optical illusions: the unenlightened mind sees what it thinks it sees, not what actually exists.

There is an obvious shift in being when awareness moves from the dull, universal Alaya to the specificity of perception. In the moment of perception, object and subject arise simultaneously, creating the sense of a perceiver.

The Shadow of Phenomena refers to what we experience as basic phenomena — a curated experience shaped by our comprehension. As adults, we often become blind to phenomena we have not yet encountered or learned. Learning new languages, for instance, can challenge us to retrain how we perceive unfamiliar sounds or letters.

We live in a conceptual world of things, people, and places, dwelling primarily within perceptions shaped solipsistically by our past experiences. This is why uncategorised experience feels peaceful — we find comfort in stepping away from this web of meaning.

Arahants, through insight, recognise that all phenomena lack self and are ultimately meaningless. They still experience phenomena as shadows — but only as shadows. For non-enlightened beings, there is not only the shadow but also another layer called the Reflection of Phenomena.

The Reflection of Phenomena

Conditioned existence is not what it seems. We experience reality through eight broad categories of consciousness, which seamlessly blend into a single experience. Despite this blending, we mistakenly believe there is a single central experiencer behind them all.

Consciousness arises when awareness of an object becomes intertwined with that object. Awareness itself is the common, unifying principle, but we forget this, dividing ourselves into eight often competing aspects of self:

  1. The five sense consciousnesses — sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
  2. The sixth consciousness — discursive mind, awareness of thoughts (what most call “mind”).
  3. The seventh consciousness — perception, recognising patterns in phenomena, creating an illusion of the observer and thus the mental space for ego.
  4. The eighth consciousness — Alaya or storehouse consciousness, the subtle, all-pervading basis from which the others arise, holding both personal and universal memory (Akasha).

Perceiving the eighth consciousness directly is only possible once distortions from the lower seven are suspended — specifically through suspending cognition (sixth consciousness), interrupting the habitual tendency of fully perceiving objects.

When we relax and drift toward sleep, we enter Alaya — a dull, unthinking awareness lacking distinction. Our attentions toward inner and outer worlds fade, leaving only a dim awareness. The mind still generates perceptions in all the other consciousnesses, but attention has withdrawn uniformly. This is our arena of being: Alaya forms the backdrop, while perceptions construct our sense of self, thoughts, and sensory consciousnesses — our entire experience of being.

When we perceive an object, our initial sensory detection (sense consciousness) is swiftly overwritten by a mental conception. This mental conception has two layers:

  • The Shadow of Phenomena — a translucent and opaque superimposition where awareness is eclipsed by the very act of perception.
  • The Reflection of Phenomena — the meaning we attribute to experience, a seamless blend of sixth consciousness (discursive thought) onto perception.

The Reflection of Phenomena shapes how we evaluate and reinterpret experiences, embedding meaning into our perceptions. Phobias, addictions, infatuations, and aversions all emerge as the object evolves under the weight of these attributions — we no longer experience things as they are, but rather as personal heavens or hells.

Until we sever the first five (gross) fetters, we remain enamoured by our minds. Unaware of the Reflection of Phenomena, we are doubly lost — trapped and beguiled by Samsara. Even when these fetters are cut and the enchantment exposed, the charm remains alluring until full enlightenment at arahantship, when it is largely transcended.

“All conditioned phenomena are like illusions; they arise, abide, and fade away — yet they have no true existence.”
— Avatamsaka Sutra