Perception aggregate (Buddhism)

In Hinayana Buddhism, perception is considered as anything that is perceived as being perception, whether past, present or future, internal or external, subjective or objective, gross or refined, superior or inferior, far or near. It is also considered as follows:< It is of one kind in that all that its intrinsic nature or essence is perceiving.

It is threefold in that it is: good (profitable or moral) and associated with profitable consciousness; bad (unprofitable or immoral) and associated with unprofitable consciousness; or indeterminate and associated with indeterminate consciousness.

There are 89 divisions, since there is no consciousness dissociated from perception and consciousness has 89 divisions.

The characteristic of perception is perceiving; its function is signalling similarity - perceiving or recognizing that something is similar to what was perceived before; its manifestation is interpreting using the sign that was apprehended; its proximate cause is an objective field as it appears (in the mind).

One of the five interacting aggregates that produce the illusory ego. This group, in southern Buddhism, is classified according to six objects, perceptions of: form, sound, odour, taste, bodily impression and mental impression.