According to the teachings of the Buddha the human personality comprises five
“aggregates of grasping,”. They are also called the skandhas in Sanskrit or
khandhas in Pali. They are:
the aggregate of body (rupa);
the aggregate of feelings or sensation (vedana);
the aggregate of perception (samjna);
the aggregate of volitional activities (samskara);
the aggregate of consciousness (vinnana)
It's interesting to see what Buddhism's perspective might be and how it might
relate to the MoQ. So what does Buddhism have to say about feelings (vedana):
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The aggregate of feelings
Feelings demarcate the body from the rest of the environment and give the body
the sense of self. The Khandhasaµyutta (SN XXII.47; S iii.46) says that the
uninstructed man, being impressed by feelings which are produced through
contact with ignorance, thinks “I am this (body).” The body is strewn with an
intricately woven network of nerve fibers, and there is no part of the body
which is not sensitive to touch. The entire sensitive volume constitutes the I,
the self, the ego.
When we say: “I am comfortable or happy or sad,” we identify ourselves with
feelings. Statements such as: “He does not care for my happiness, he hurt my
feelings,” also show how we establish a sense of possession for our feelings.
There are three kinds of feelings, namely, pleasurable or happy feelings,
unpleasant or painful feelings, and neutral feelings. No two types ever occur
concurrently at any single moment. When pleasurable feelings are present the
other two are absent; when painful feelings are there pleasant and neutral
feelings are absent; similarly with neutral feelings. The Mahånidåna Sutta asks
the question: when feelings are so complex in this manner, which feeling would
one accept as one’s self?
According to the Vedanåsaµyutta, innumerable feelings arise in the body just as
all kinds of winds blow in different directions in the atmosphere. We are
hardly aware of these feelings for the simple reason that we do not pay enough
attention to them. If we observe, for a couple of minutes, how often we adjust
our bodies and change the position of our limbs, we will be surprised to note
that we hardly keep still even for a few seconds. What is the reason for this
constant change of position and posture? Monotony of position causes discomfort
and we change position and posture in search for comfort. We react to feelings,
yearning for more and more pleasurable feelings, revolting against unpleasant
feelings, and being generally unaware of neutral feelings. Therefore
pleasurable feelings have desire as their latent tendency, unpleasant feelings
have aversion as their latent tendency, and neutral feelings have ignorance as
their latent tendency (MN 44; M i.303). Thus all feelings generate unskillful
motivational roots and they partake of the nature of suffering (yaµ kiñci
vedayitaµ taµ dukkhasmiµ, SN XXXVI.11; S iv.216). Though the search for comfort
and pleasure goes on constantly throughout life, pleasure always eludes us like
a mirage.
Our feelings are extremely private and personal. One may have a splitting
headache, but the one next to him may not know anything about his painful
sensations. We only infer the pain of another by his facial expressions,
behavior, and words, but we certainly do not know the feelings of another. We
are so unique in the experiences of feelings: one may be sensitive to heat;
another to cold, mosquitoes, or fleas; another to certain kinds of pollen. One
may have a low threshold for pain, another a high threshold. Thus each one is
so unique in the totality of his sensitivity that we are utterly and absolutely
alone in our private prison of feelings.
The Buddha defines feeling as the act of feeling. There is no “thing” called
feeling apart from the act of feeling. Therefore feelings are dynamic,
ever-changing, impermanent. They do not remain within our control either, for
we cannot say: “Let me have or not have such and such feelings.” They come and
go as they please, we have no control or right of ownership over them.
Therefore the Buddha exhorts us: “Give up that which does not belong to you.”
Trying to possess that which is fleeting and defies ownership causes grief.
Giving up spells the end of sorrow.
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