Formations

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"Formations" (Saṅkhāra) is a technical term from Buddhist meditation practice referring to the interpretation process of raw sensory data that eventually leads to an internal representation of the perceived objects in the mind. Experienced meditators can observe this process introspectively as detailed in [Ingram 2007] page 207.

Have you ever had one of those experiences when you saw something -- whether a photograph or an assemblage of things or a close-up of a particular body part from an unusual angle or whatever -- that your mind wasn't able to immediately recognize? And then as you looked more closely at whatever it was, you suddenly figured out what it was? Something "clicked" and you got it? That clicking is an experience of a formation arising. The mind shifts from experiencing unconceptualized sensory information flows to experiencing the concept.
(Sean Lindsay on Dharma Overground)


In Scene Based Reasoning, this "click" would correspond to the successful construction of a Scene based on the raw sensory data.

Following the Self-Model Theory, the insight into this process is of no particular value to the individual and may distract attention in the worst case. This would explain why this phenomena is hidden to the normal consciousness. The process is easier to observe when there is a notable delay between the sensor data and the recognition "click". In this case, the recognition leads to an Event.