Simply speaking, perception is the process of collecting, compiling, and storing data and information, which is the raw material for thought. Perception is very helpful to people, but at the same time it can be detrimental. This is because people tend to attach to their perceptions, which end up acting as an obstruction, obscuring and eclipsing reality, and preventing one from penetrating a deeper, underlying truth. A useful and practical division of perception (saññā) is into two kinds: ordinary perceptions, which discern the attributes of sense objects as they naturally arise; and secondary or overlapping perceptions. The latter are sometimes referred to by specific terms, in particular as ‘proliferative perception’ (papañca-saññā): perception resulting from intricate and fanciful mental proliferation driven by the force of craving (taṇhā), conceit (māna), and views (diṭṭhi), which are at the vanguard of negative mental formations (negative saṅkhāra). This division highlights the active role of perception and shows the relationship between perception and other aggregates within mental processes.

(摘自 Buddhadhamma Natural Laws and Values for Life By Phra Prayudh Payutto)

(摘要)簡單來說，「想」就是收集、整理、儲存信息的歷程，這是思維的素材；

「想」對人們大有幫助，但同時也可能有害處，這是因為人們傾向於執著於自身的看法，最終成為障礙、模糊和障蔽事實，因此阻擋人們徹底理解更深層次的究竟真相。

想（saññā）分為兩種：一般性的「想」，辨別感官對象的自然地生起；其次為次級的或疊加的「想」；後者有時被稱為「戲論」（papañca-saññā）。錯綜複雜的貪愛(tanhā)驅使的妄想心滋長，妄想(māna)和邪見 (diṭṭhi)，它們是負面心念的先驅。

(讀後)古代大德曾經以木匠，透過自己在各種木材上所作的記號，而認出它們的種類為喻，比喻「想」的運作特徵；但是凡夫由於「我執」的根本錯誤，所以「想」也多是偏離本質，滋生出種種誤解與衝突，所以被稱為戲論。因為今天所看見的，已經不是之前所記憶的，但是凡夫就是看不破，所以尊者才說「想」可能也有害處。然而不是「想」的問題，問題是我們不了解它，不知道如何正確應用它!