A research on the synergy between Buddhist Vijnana-Only Doctrine and hypnosis counseling

摘要

The eighth vijnana, also known as the Alayavijnana, is the crux of the Buddhist Vijnana-Only Doctrine, whose central tenet "All three realms are manifestation of citta and all dharmas are vijnana-only" is founded on the existence and functions of the eighth vijnana. It exists primordially; it is immutable, and is the everlasting entity that transcends the three realms. The permanent nature of the eighth vijnana and its ability to store karmic seeds enable the process of reincarnation and the maturation of karmic retribution (vipaka) in terms of cause and condition (hetu-pratyaya). In recent decades, hypnotherapy and hypnosis counseling have become widely used as psychotherapeutic treatment and their clinical effectiveness have been recognized by therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. In view that the medical field of cognitive science has not seen any breakthrough for years in its study of mental functions, this paper explores the subject of mental functions from the perspective of the Buddhist Vijnana-Only Doctrine, which proposes the existence of the eighth vijnana that can store karmic seeds of past deeds. It also suggests possible solutions to overcome the research bottleneck, which could possibly diversify psychotherapeutic treatment options and hopefully transform cognitive science into an interdisciplinary study.