[This episode originally aired on November 15, 2022]  In Buddhism there is a lot of interest in the sense perceptions  •  traditionally, it is said that there are six senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and thinking  (in Buddhism, the way we perceive thoughts is similar to the way we hear sounds or see sights)  •  the sense perceptions can be compared to the windows of a house: if the windows are clean, you have a clear perception of your world; if the windows are dirty or distorted, the world that you see is also distorted  •  we often think we're just passive receivers through the senses of what is going on in the world around us, but actually that's not the case  •  in addition to the sense organ that comes in contact with a sense object, there is also what is called a sense consciousness  •  if you observe your perceptions closely, you can also see how the senses have little hooks on them: we continually try to capture the world through our senses  •  our sense perceptions can access so much of the power and beauty of our world; but at the same time, the early arising of subtle grasping that links to almost every perception we have is the seed of many of the obstacles and problems that make our life one of struggle rather than of ease.