Saṃjñā

Translations of Saṃjñā
English	perception, cognition, conceptualization, distinguishing
Sanskrit
Pali
Burmese
Chinese
Indonesian
Japanese	(Rōmaji: )
Khmer	(UNGEGN: )
Korean	(RR: )
Tibetan	()
Thai	(RTGS: )
Vietnamese
Glossary of Buddhism

Uses of samādhi (based on AN IV.41)

object of concentration	development
four jhānas	pleasant abiding (sukha-vihārāya) in this life (diţţhadhamma)
perception (sañña) of light (āloka)	knowing () and seeing (dassana)
arising, passing, fading of feelings (vedanā), perceptions (saññā) and thoughts (vitakkā)	mindfulness (sati) and clear comprehension (sampajaññā)
arising and fading of the five aggregates of clinging (pañc'upādāna-khandha)	extinction (khaya) of the taints (āsava) [Arahantship]

Saṃjñā (Sanskrit; Pali: sañña) is a Buddhist term that is typically translated as "perception" or "cognition." It can be defined as grasping at distinguishing features or characteristics. Samjñā has multiple meanings depending on religions. Although Samjñā means the five aggregates in Buddhism, in Hinduism, it refers to art traditions and in Jainism, it points to recognition distinct from cognition.

Saṃjñā is identified within the Buddhist teachings as follows:

• One of the five aggregates
• One of the seven universal mental factors in the Theravada Abhidharma.
• One of the five universal mental factors in the Mahayana Abhidharma

Definitions

Theravada

Bhikkhu Bodhi states:

According to the Theravada tradition, saññā experiences the same object as the citta it accompanies but it performs its own task: it 'perceives' or 'recognizes' the object and it 'marks' it so that it can be recognized again.

The Atthasālinī (I, Part IV, Chapter 1, 110) provides the following two definitions for saññā:

• ...It has the characteristic of noting and the function of recognizing what has been previously noted. There is no such thing as perception in the four planes of existence without the characteristic of noting. All perceptions have the characteristic of noting. Of them, that perceiving which knows by specialized knowledge has the function of recognizing what has been noted previously. We may see this procedure when the carpenter recognizes a piece of wood which he has marked by specialized knowledge...
• Perception has the characteristic of perceiving by an act of general inclusion, and the function of making marks as a condition for repeated perception (for recognizing or remembering), as when woodcutters 'perceive' logs and so forth. Its manifestation is the action of interpreting by means of the sign as apprehended, as in the case of blind persons who 'see' an elephant. Or, it has briefness as manifestation, like lightning, owing to its inability to penetrate the object. Its proximate cause is whatever object has appeared, like the perception which arises in young deer mistaking scarecrows for men.

Mahayana

The Abhidharma-samuccaya states:

Mipham Rinpoche states:

Alexander Berzin gives the following informal explanation:

Within the five aggregates

Saṃjñā is identified as one of the five aggregates, as shown in the following diagram:

The Five Aggregates (pañcakkhandha) according to the Pali Canon.
	form (rūpa)   4 elements (mahābhūta)         ↓     contact (phassa)     ↓ ↑   consciousness (viññāna)	→ ←       ←	mental factors (cetasika)     feeling (vedanā)       perception (sañña)       formation ()
Form is derived from the Four Great Elements. Consciousness arises from other aggregates. Mental Factors arise from the Contact of Consciousness and other aggregates. The five aggregates are no-self.
Source: MN 109 (Thanissaro, 2001)  |  diagram details

In the early Buddhist literature

In the early Buddhism Theravadin texts of the Nikāyas and Āgamas, saṃjñā/sañña is the third of the five aggregates (Skt.: skandha; Pali: khandha) which can be used to skillfully delineate phenomenological experiences during meditation. Whether as one of the Five Aggregates, meditative concentration (samādhi) on the passing and rising (P. vipassana, S. vipaśyanā) of sañña can lead to mindfulness (P.sati, S. smṛti), clear comprehension (P. sampajanna, S. samprajaña) enlightenment and Arhantship (see Table).

In the Pali Canon, sañña is frequently defined as:

In post-canonical Pali commentaries, the Visuddhimagga likens sañña to "a child without discretion."

References

Works cited

• Berzin, Alexander (June 2010). "Developing the Mind Based on Buddha-Nature, Session Two: Primary Consciousness and Mental Factors" (transcript). Moscow, Russia. Archived from the original on 2016-09-02.
• Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2003). A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma. Pariyatti Publishing.
• Buddhaghosa (1999). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga. Translated by Bhikkhu . Seattle: BPS Pariyatti Editions. ISBN 1-928706-00-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: translators list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: translators list (link)
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1975). Mind in Buddhist Psychology: A Translation of Ye-shes rgyal-mtshan's "The Necklace of Clear Understanding". Dharma Publishing.
• Kunsang, Erik Pema (2004). Gateway to Knowledge. Vol. 1. North Atlantic Books.
• Thanissaro Bhikkhu (tr.) (2001). "Khajjaniya Sutta: Chewed Up". Access to Insight. Retrieved 2006-06-22. (Samyutta Nikaya 22.79).
• Van Gorkom, Nina (2010). Cetasikas.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)