Consciousness (viññāṇa) is traditionally defined as ‘awareness of sense objects’. It refers to a prevailing or constant form of knowing. It is both the basis and the channel for the other mental aggregates, and it functions in association with them. It is both a primary and an accompanying form of knowledge.

It is primary in the sense that it is an initial form of knowledge. When one sees something (i.e. visual consciousness arises), one may feel pleasure or distress (= feeling – vedanā). One then identifies the object (perception – saññā), followed by various intentions and thoughts (volitional formations – saṅkhāra). For example, one sees the sky (= viññāṇa) and feels delighted (= vedanā). One knows the sky to be bright, beautiful, the colour of indigo, an afternoon sky (= saññā). One is delighted by the sky and wishes to admire it for a long, uninterrupted period of time. One resents the fact that one’s view is obstructed, and one wonders how one can find a place to watch the sky at one’s leisure (saṅkhāra).

意識 (viññāṇa)傳統上被定義為「對感官對象的覺知」，它是一種普遍或持續的認知形式，它是其名蘊(受、想、行)的基礎和通道，並與它們聯結運作，它既是一種主要的知識形式，也是一種伴隨的知識形式。

它是感知的初始狀態，當一個人看到某樣東西時（即視覺心識viññāṇa生起），一個人可能會感到快樂或痛苦（受/vedanā），當一個人識別對象（想/saññā），然後是各種意圖和思想（行/saṅkhāra）；例如當一個人看到天空（識/viññāṇa）時感到高興（受: vedanā）。知道天空明亮、美麗、靛藍色、午後的天空（想/saññā），一個人喜歡天空，並希望長期不間斷地欣賞它，一個人不悅所見受限，期待得閒可以觀看天空(行/saṅkhāra))。

Consciousness is an accompanying form of knowledge in that one knows in conjunction with the other aggregates. When one feels happy (= vedanā), one knows that one is happy (= viññāṇa). When one suffers (= vedanā), one knows that one is suffering (= viññāṇa). Perceiving something as pleasurable or painful (= saññā), one knows accordingly And when one engages in various thoughts and intentions (= saṅkhāra), there is a continual concomitant awareness of this activity. This prevailing stream of awareness, which is in a continual process of arising and ceasing, and which accompanies the other mental aggregates, or is part of every aspect of mental activity, is called ‘consciousness’ (viññāṇa).

識是一種伴隨的知識形式，它與其他蘊一起連結，當一個人感受快樂（受/ vedanā）時，他知覺自己是快樂的（識/viññāṇa），當一個人受苦（受/vedana）時，一個人知道自己在受苦（識/viññāṇa）；感知某事是愉快的還是痛苦的（想/saññā），一個人會相應理解。當一個人進行各種構思和意圖（行/saṅkhāra）時，覺知持續的伴隨各種活動，這種意識流不斷地生起滅去，伴隨著行蘊的活動，被稱為「識/viññāṇa」

**後記:

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

     透過Payutto尊者詳細的描述，對於「識」的細節有了更深刻的認知；這種認知好像拿著拭淨布，仔細的擦去觀念的盲點，更清楚的看見內心的機制；當我們看見、聽見對境時，內在的「喜惡」會自動導航做慣性的判斷與覺知，每個人都是受習慣的支配，而無法真正任運自主；但如果識別出慣性的反應，並知道習性本是性空，性空則可以轉動固著的觀念，多一點溫暖滋潤人際，鬆動原來的迴路。