The eight consciousnesses （as!t!a-vijn~a^na^ni）， the articulation of which forms one of the most seminal and distinctive aspects of the doctrine of the Yoga^ca^ra 瑜伽行派 school of Buddhism， known in East Asia as Dharma-character 法相 school and Consciousness-only 唯识 school. According to this doctrine， sentient beings possess eight distinct layers of consciousness， the first five 五识 corresponding the sense perceptions， the sixth 意识 to the thinking mind， the seventh 末那识 to the notion of ego， and the eighth 阿赖耶识 as repository of all the impressions from one's experiences. As the first seven of these arise based on the eighth， they are called the transformed consciousnesses 转识. In contrast， the eighth is known as the base consciousness 本识， store consciousness 藏识， or seed consciousness 种子识. ［成唯识论 T 1585.31.］