THEORY OF PERCEPTION

According to the Abhidhamma, the cetasikas can be classified into three: 1. Aññasamāna (ethically variable factors) - 30 2. Akusala - (unwholesome) - 14 3. Sobhana - (wholesome) - 25 Aññasman cetasika are grouped under two names: 1. Sabbasita sadhāraṇa (universal) 2. Prakirṇaka (occasionals) Sabbacitta sadharana cetasikas are 7 in number. These 7 mental factors are common to all consciousness. These perform the most fundamental functions. The 7 mental factors are: 1. Phassa (contact) 2. Vedanā (feeling) 3. Saññā (perception) 4. Cetanā (volition) 5. Ekaggatā (one-pointedness) 6. Jīvitindriya (mental life faculty) 7. Manasikāra (attention) accordingly to the 3rd is the Saññā (perception) common to all wholesome (kusala) and unwholesome (akusala) consciousness.

The process of consciousness is not governed by an external agent or authority. It exists according to it's own natural order (citta niyāma). In the early Buddhism the five sense organs are eye, ear, nose, tongue and body and the mind has been added as the sixth. Mind operates as the basis of all mental activities. Therefore, the perception also can be clasified under six headings:

1. Perception of form (rūpa saññā)

2. Perception of sound (sadda saññā)

3. Perception of odour (gandha saññā)

4. Perception of taste (rasa saññā)

5. Perception of tangible objects (phoṭṭhabba saññā)

6. Perception of mental object (Dhamma saññā)

Saññā is the cognition of an object as blue color etc.“ Identification of different object is made with the help of perception. The perception (saññā) is arisen in every citta. Once an object has been perceived perception??? Certain sign or mark. Therefore in future the object could be recognized very easily. The function of perception is to recognize what has been perceived in the past There is a three-fold analysis of knowledge such as saññā, viññāṇa and paññā. Saññā is mere perception as mentioned above. Viññāṇa knows further than the perception. »Vijjānātiti viññāṇṅ. « That means what is specially known is viññāṇa (ekkha, viññāṇa... etc.) paññā is the highest knowledge. One could achieve the highest knowledge if he is able to understand the real nature of everything Perception (saññā) is like the knowledge a child has about a golden pond. The child observes it's roundness but he doesn't know it's value. Viññāṇa would be an lederly person, who comes across a gold coin. He would understand it's value and he would be happy to possess it. Paññā is like goldsmith, who receives a gold coin. He would know the exact value together with all the properties.

Ahilahenoma presents a kind of consciousness called bhavanga, citta (stream consciousness) as the basis of all mental process. Accordingly the process of sense perception hangs together with bhavanga. The process continues through out the existences like a stream until it is annihilated with the realization of Nibbāna. The process of sense perception hanging together with bhavanga. The different function of the consciousness are as follows:

1. Paṭisandhi (rebirth linking)

2. Bhavanga (life-continuum)

3. Āvajjana (adverting to)

4. Dassana (seeing)

5. Savana (hearing)

6. Ghāyana (smelling)

7. Sāyana (tasting)

8. Phassanā (touching)

9. Sampaṭiccana (receiving)

10. Santiraṇa (investigating)

11. (Determining)

12. Javana (experiencing)

13. Tadārammana (registration)

14. Cuki (death)