Perception (saññā)
Parent topic: Aggregates
28 excerpts, 2:16:10 total duration

All excerpts (30) Questions about (15) Answers involving (9) Stories (1) Quotes (2) References (1)

Tudong Stories at Spirit Rock, Session 2 – Jun. 2, 2011

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7. “Is there a distinction between the awareness and the naming? Does naming bring intellect or self into play? Is confusion the nagging sense of self or self-consciousness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Knowing itself] [Perception] [Noting] [Self-identity view] [Delusion] // [Investigation of states] [Proliferation] [Relinquishment] [Equanimity] [Doubt] [Mindfulness of body] [Continuity of mindfulness]


Brightening the Mind, Session 1 – Aug. 19, 2012

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1. “Could you expand about the layers of understanding of thought, perception, and dukkha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Yatiko. [Discernment] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Perception] [Suffering] // [Proliferation] [Relinquishment]

Quote: “First you study the Dhamma, then you know the Dhamma, then you see the Dhamma, they you be the Dhamma.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma] [Progress of insight]

Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 631: The highest level of understanding is giving up.


Calming the Busy Mind, Session 2 – Aug. 11, 2013

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9. “What attitude should we take when observing things so we don’t objectify them or make it stressful?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Knowing itself] [Appropriate attention] [Suffering] [Tranquility] [Proliferation] // [Direct experience]


Abhayagiri Monastic Retreat 2013, Session 2 – Nov. 24, 2013

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2. “Could you clarify the difference between perception (sanna), mental formations (sankara) and conscousness (vinnana)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Consciousness]


Abhayagiri Monastic Retreat 2013, Session 4 – Nov. 26, 2013

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10. “Could you please explain again the differences between sanna, sankara, and vinnana? I’m still not getting it.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Consciousness]


Abhayagiri 2014 Winter Retreat, Session 13 – Jan. 22, 2014

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1. “Why is sañña often translated as perception?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Translation] // [Thai] [Recollection] [Aggregates]

Sutta: MN 43.5 Mahāvedalla Sutta: Conjoined not disjoined.


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2. “Have you heard of sañña and saṅkhara being translated as short-term and long-term memory?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Volitional formations] [Translation]


2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 5 – Nov. 26, 2014

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8. “Perception can be very slippery. I experience it as a veil, view, filter, or lens that colors a situation. The traditional Buddhist teaching of, “tinted glasses” and “bowls of water,” is very helpful. However, identification is strong. Do you have suggestions for how to see through perception? How to know when it is coloring my world view?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Self-identity view] [Delusion]


Abhayagiri 2015 Winter Retreat, Session 24 – Feb. 6, 2015

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1. “Why does the Buddha describe perception in terms of colors but consciousness in terms of tastes?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Perception] [Consciousness] [Sense bases] // [Bhikkhu Bodhi] [Commentaries] [Ven. Analayo] [Memory] [Feeling]

Sutta: SN 22.79: Being Devoured; footnote 114 in Bhikkhu Bodhi translation.

Follow-up: “Could you say that perception is identification whereas consciousness is more refined?” [Aggregates] [Not-self] [Self-identity view] [Rebirth] [Translation] [Similes]


Abhayagiri 2015 Winter Retreat, Session 49 – Mar. 22, 2015

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3. Comment: Dependent origination is not necessarily time-based. [Dependent origination] [Conditionality] [Proliferation] [Perception]

Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo.


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4. “Can one sense-bases that starts the proliferation process lead to different sense-bases?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Sense bases] [Conditionality] [Proliferation] [Perception] // [Feeling] [Heart/mind]


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5. Examples of signs and secondary characteristics of sense objects? Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Sense bases] [Proliferation] [Perception] // [Ven. Analayo] [Sensual desire] [Conditionality] [Food] [Appropriate attention]

Sutta: Thig 14.1: Subhā.

Comment about the feedback loop of perceptions looking for reinforcing perceptions. [Perception] [Views] [Clinging]

Quote: “The underlying tendency to aversion is like a search engine.” — Ajahn Sucitto. Quoted by Beth Steff. [Ajahn Sucitto] [Aversion] [Similes] [Perception]


2015 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 5 – Nov. 25, 2015

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6. “Could you talk about the role memory plays in perception?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Memory] [Perception]


Thanksgiving Retreat 2016, Session 3 – Nov. 21, 2016

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4. “Could you speak on working with sanna in meditation? Over these days there is an experience of heightened sensitivity to perception and the initial contact that gives rise to thought and feeling. In particular, I notice how an inaccurate perception, seen as inaccurate, gives rise to thought formations that move forward as if based on an accurate perception. This moves fast in the mind feels somewhat trippy and disorienting. How does one develop the skill of sensitivity and perception so as to have durability in daily life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Perception] [Dependent origination] [Everyday life]


Stanford Community Dhamma Discussion – Apr. 25, 2020

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7. “In what way are qualities and effects viral? Are right perception, right speech, right thought, and right action also viral?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Media] [Online community] [Perception] [Right View] [Right Speech] [Right Action] // [Abhayagiri] [History/Western Buddhism] [Mindfulness] [Skillful qualities] [Happiness] [Tranquility] [Trust] [Human]