For this reason,  James  likens  consciousness  to a
　　   stream in which

　　   every definite image in the mind is steeped and dyed
　　   in the free water that flows  round it...  the sense
　　   of its relations.... The significance, the value, of
　　   the  image  is all  in this  halo  or penumbra  that
　　   surrounds  and escorts  it,--or rather that is fused
　　   into one with it.(31)

　　　　  On this point, Yogaacaara agrees with James that
　　   the stream of consciousness  conditions itself.  For
　　   James, each  image  in the  stream  is "steeped  and
　　   dyed"  by the  surrounding  images, that  is, by the
　　   interreferential context provided by

　　　　　　　　　　　　  P.230

　　   experience  itself.  For  Yogaacaara, too,  previous
　　   moments  in the  stream  of consciousness  condition
　　   later ones (Y25):

　　   Dualistic thought (vikalpa) is constructed  by other
　　   dualistic thought (Y23)

　　   and

　　   Consciousness  arises with the appearance of objects
　　   through the ripening of its own seeds. (Y11)

　　   These seeds (biija) incubate in the aalayavij~naana,
　　   a "store  consciousness"  that  functions  to  shape
　　   future  actions, perceptions, and  feelings  on  the
　　   basis of past ones through the action of "perfuming"
　　   (vaasanaa).  The aalayavij~naana is an integral part
　　   of abhuutaparikalpa  and, as its  underlying  causal
　　   basis  (hetupratyaya), is its  fundamental  or basal
　　   structure(Y33).

　　　　  Because of their strong emphasis on the unity of
　　   subject  and object  in the prereflective  phase  of
　　   experience  and the active  role  of the subject  in
　　   constructing  the  reflective  phase  of experience,
　　   both  James  and  Yogaacaara   have  at  times  been
　　   characterized  as  propounding  forms  of  idealism.
　　   James has been characterized as a Berkelian idealist
　　   by E. C. Moore and A. O.  Lovejoy.(32) Although some
　　   current　　 studies　　 are　　 disputing　　 this
　　   interpretation,(33) Yogaacaara consistently has been
　　   interpreted   as  idealism.   For   instance,  Ashok
　　   Chatterjee  says  that for Yogaacaara  the world  is
　　   unreal and "consciousness  is the sole reality."(34)
　　   Surendranath  Dasgupta claims that Yogaacaara  is an
　　   "uncompromising  idealism"  for which  the  external
　　   world   does  not  exist,  but  is  constructed   by
　　   "ignorant  minds."(35)  T. R. V.  Murti  calls  it