The six sense bases/faculties are: your eyes (vision), ears (hearing), nose (smell), tongue (taste), body (touch), and mind (thoughts). Each time we experience something through one of our senses, it is because one of these sense bases is connecting with a matching outer object: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, physical sensations, and mental objects like thoughts or memories. This moment of contact gives rise to an experience. Together, the six senses and their objects are called the twelve ayatanas.

Sensory perception is dependent on our own sense organs, sense consciousnesses, and their objects.

According to Buddhist psychology (Abhidharma), after images, sounds, tastes, smells, and sensations enter our minds through the senses, we label everything with concepts and categories, reacting with liking, disliking, or indifference. We often develop habits of reacting in the same way each time we encounter a similar object. We are frequently swept away by these filters and reactions, preventing us from truly perceiving the objects of our senses. This process occurs continuously and helps explain how you experience the world. These experiences can trigger various reactions—some pleasant, some unpleasant, and some neutral. By learning about the six sense faculties and becoming more aware of how contact occurs, you can begin to notice your reactions more clearly. This awareness can help you pause and choose how to respond, rather than react automatically.

According to the Buddha, the senses are limited instruments to perceive reality. Deepening our understanding of the senses opens up our perception. When we think the senses belong to us, we are limiting our understanding. Sensations come and go without us doing anything. Through meditation, we can come to recognize how sensations pass through our consciousness but are not part of us.

Practice focusing their attention on an object and describe the sensory details they observe and the factors that might obstruct their direct perception.

Notice what is pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral in the experiences of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. Reflect on the interplay between sensing something and judging or evaluating it.

• In what ways do our five senses influence our perception of reality?
• When we perceive something as pleasant or unpleasant, where do these judgments come from?
• Are they inherent in the object, in our sense receptors, or where are they found?

Identify the six sense faculties and twelve ayatanas and connect them to our experience of conditioned perception. Evaluate how habitual reactions to pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral sensations can limit our perceptions. Implement mindfulness practices utilizing awareness of sensory processes.