Yogācāra and Deliberated Modern Politics: On the Possibility of Non-Egoic Politics

Modern political life is marked less by the absence of critique than by its endless repetition. Ideological conflicts persist, yet public suffering remains largely unchanged. This paper argues that the core problem of modern politics lies not merely in institutional failure or deliberate deception, but in ego-centered rationalization embedded in political deliberation itself. Drawing on Yogācāra philosophy, particularly the concept of manas, this study interprets ideological hypocrisy as a structural outcome of ignorance (avidyā), rather than as a product of malicious intent. Political elites often articulate policies through language that appears reasonable and morally justified, yet this language functions primarily to preserve authority, coherence, and identity. As a result, political speech becomes increasingly detached from lived experience. The paper further examines how this ego-centered structure extends beyond political elites to shape public participation. Citizens recognize hypocrisy but experience powerlessness, leading to fatigue, cynicism, and the fragmentation of political discourse. Awareness without efficacy reproduces the very logic it seeks to oppose. Against this backdrop, the paper proposes the idea of non-egoic politics—not as a new ideology or moral ideal, but as a practical shift in political awareness. Non-egoic politics begins with the deconstruction of manas: the loosening of rigid self–other distinctions and the exposure of rationalized self-preservation in political language. This shift enables public articulation of structural connections among power, ideology, and suffering, opening space for more responsive and accountable deliberation. Rather than offering a utopian solution, this study presents non-egoic politics as an ongoing practice of awareness. It suggests that meaningful political transformation depends less on replacing ideologies than on transforming the cognitive habits through which political meaning is produced and sustained.