A nonstatic mental hologram, asserted by all Indian Buddhist tenet systems other than Vaibhashika, that is a likeness of an object of cognition, and which both conceptual and nonconceptual mental activity produces in order to cognize the object; the "mental shape" of the appearing object of a cognition. (1) According to Gelug, except in the case of Chittamatra and Yogachara Svatantrika, they are fully transparent so that through them, one directly cognizes external objects. (2) According to non-Gelug, they are opaque and thus allow only indirect cognition of external objects.
Tibetan: རྣམ་པ། rnam-pa
Sanskrit: ākāra
J. Hopkins: Aspect; Subjective aspect; Representation
Synonyms: Mental hologram; Mental semblance; Mental image
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