'Ideas'  about the object mingle  with the awareness
　　   of its mere sensible presence, we name it, class it,
　　   compare it, utter propositions concerning it....  In
　　   general, this higher  consciousness  about things is
　　   called  Perception, [while]  the  mere  inarticulate
　　   feeling of their presence is Sensation.(21)

　　　　  James describes the unity that characterizes the
　　   stage of sensation or immediate awareness, using the
　　   example of looking at a piece of paper. In the first
　　   moment of experience, the paper and the observer are
　　   unitary:

　　　　　　　　　　　　  P.228

　　   There is no context of intermediaries  or associates
　　   to stand between and separate  the thought and thing
　　   ... but rather an allround embracing of the paper by
　　   the thought.(22)

　　   To say  "This  is a piece  of  paper, at which  I am
　　   looking"   involves   interpretation,  which   is  a
　　   constructive or intellectual  process.  Indeed, what
　　   is experienced  is not an external  piece  of paper,
　　   but "the immediate  results  upon  consciousness  of
　　   nerve-currents  as they  enter  the  brain."(23) All
　　   that  one  can  really  say is that  a sensation  or
　　   experience has occurred:

　　   The paper  seen  and the seeing  of it are only  two
　　   names  for  one  indivisible  fact  which,  properly
　　   named,  is  the   datum,  the   phenomenon,  or  the
　　   experience.(24)

　　　　  The   Yogaacaara   (and   indeed   pan-Buddhist)
　　   equivalents  of  James'  "sensation"   are  spar`sa,
　　   literally "contact" between sense-organ  and object,
　　   and vij~naana, the "consciousness" that results from
　　   their contact.  The Madhyaantavibhaaga  commentaters
　　   echo James' description  of the prereflective  phase
　　   of experience:

　　   Consciousness  (vij~naana) is the cognizance  of the
　　   mere thing (arthamaatrad.r.s.ti).  'Mere' means that
　　   particular  attributes  (vi`se.sa) are not cognized;
　　   there  is  only  the  perception  (upalabdhi) of the
　　   thing itself (vastusvaruupa). (Y31)

　　   After the nondichotomous  and direct  experience  of
　　   the datum or mere thing, the sensations are digested
　　   or re-presented, as it were, and their  significance
　　   establsihed.　　 It　　 is　　 in　　 this　　 reflective
　　   phase--perception,　　  conceptualization,　　  or
　　   classification  in James'  terminology, and vikalpa,