Philosophy East and West

This article deals with the meaning and function of saññā in perception. “Recognition” seems to be the best translation for saññā, since this term conveys the sense of both cognizing and naming, which are the two main activities carried out by saññā. Saññā collects the not yet well-defined information provided by the senses and, also through its comparative function, organizes this information into a datum that is so made available to the consciousness (viññāṇa). Saññā processes both simple data like color, and complex phenomena like death or danger. Saññā can, however, fail in its task to recognize things. Key terms: Buddhist theory of mind, Buddhist theory of perception, Pāli Canon, phassa, recognition, saññā, vedanā, viññāṇa.