The Five Aggregates
The Sutra
#7 FEELINGS/VEDANA
Again, one, dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging. And how does one dwell contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging?
Here, one knows: Such is material form, such its origin, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origin, such its disappearance; such is perception, such its origin, such its disappearance; such are the mental formations, such their origin, such their disappearance; such is consciousness, such its origin, such its disappearance.
Insights (three insights)
1.“In this way, one dwells contemplating (feelings; pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral) mind-objects as mind-objects internally (our self), or dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects externally (others), or dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind both internally and externally.
2. Or else one dwells contemplating in (feelings) mind-objects their arising factors, or dwells contemplating in mind-objects their vanishing factors, or dwells contemplating in mind-objects both their arising and vanishing factors.
3. Or else mindfulness that there are (feelings)“ mind-objects” is simply established in one to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and continuous mindfulness. And one abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
That is how one abides contemplating (feelings as feelings) mind-objects as mind-objects in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging.
Feeling Aggregate
As we discussed in the Second Foundation of Mindfulness, in the context of this practice, feelings are not emotions. Feelings reflect the quality of sense experiences as being pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
Further, they are not “our” feelings or “my” feelings – they are merely feelings.
During each conscious moment we are having sense experiences that arise based upon one of the six sense organs coming into contact with a corresponding sense object. (e.g., eyes with forms, ears with sounds, etc.) As you know, in Buddhist psychology the mind is considered the sixth sense organ and its objects are cognitive processes (thoughts).
Sometimes these sense experiences are pleasant (such as when we hear music that we enjoy, when someone we do not dislike gently rubs our back, or when we think about an upcoming vacation, etc.). When underlying craving is present then we may tend to grasp at what is pleasant.
Sometimes the feelings are unpleasant (such as when we hear a loud irritating noise, when we stub our toe, when we think about an argument we had, etc.). When underlying aversion is present then unpleasant feelings cause us to resist or reject unpleasant sense experiences (anger or resentment may arise).
Sometimes the feelings are neutral or neither-painful-nor-pleasant (such as when we hear a weather report for a place we do not plan on visiting, when we look at the same billboard every day on the way to work, etc.). Sometimes we tend to ignore those things we regard as neutral or those that do not affect “me”.
As we noted, feelings hold a very important position in the realization of freedom. Dependent Origination is a cycle of mental events that perpetuates the view of having an independent self that is in control of our lives. The Buddha says that there are two ways to break this cycle.
The first is to root out the underlying ignorance (not seeing) by seeing the selfless nature of all experience. We will first work with this perspective when we discuss perceptions, the third aggregate of clinging (next month).
The second is to work directly with feelings. In the cycle of Dependent Origination, when a sense object comes into contact with a corresponding sense organ (e.g., the eye with form, the ear with sound, etc.), and there is consciousness of that experience, a feeling arises. There is no control over what type of feeling will arise. It is influenced by many things such as our past experience, memories, etc.
If we aren’t mindful then when a “feeling” arises, craving and other passions may follow. It can be craving to perpetuate the pleasant feeling or the object that is responsible for the arising of that pleasant feeling, or it can be craving to end the unpleasant feeling or the object that is responsible for the arising of that unpleasant feeling. Craving becomes intensified and we begin to cling to the experience that is occurring. This can lead to a distorted view of a situation and as the mind fixates on these distortions we often act out in very unskillful ways. Has this ever happened?
By not recognizing “feelings as feelings” when they arise, we do not question the distorted values that we attach to persons, events, memories, etc, and it is difficult to admit that other evaluations of the same sense object are possible.
While this is all happening, there is an underlying and subtle perception of a self that is experiencing the present feeling, a self that craves to perpetuate or end that feeling, and a self that is “in control” of the consequences of that craving. In other words, feelings are quite “self-centered.”
By placing a “wedge of mindful awareness” between the feeling and craving, we are able to recognize the impermanent and selfless nature of each feeling. This interrupts the Dependent Origination cycle that reifies and reinforces a sense of self.
Here, one knows: Such is the origin (of feelings), such its disappearance…
For this contemplation we want to experience the selfless nature of both sense experiences and their corresponding feelings. We accomplish this by seeing or realizing the impersonality of our experiences.
Whenever a sense experience arises (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, or cognizing), observe the object of the experience as just being sight, sound, taste, odor, sensation, or thinking. Further, whenever you notice a feeling that arises based upon the sense experience, just notice whether it is pleasant unpleasant or neutral. Simply notice this without any judgment.
We want to simply notice the presence of these sense experiences and feelings without judgment, mental proliferation, or internal conversation. These sense experiences and feelings arise impersonally, have nothing to do with who we are, do not care how we react to them, and will disappear without any intentional mental intervention.
All things arise and pass away. If we can give impermanence some time to work its magic we can watch pleasant, and unpleasant feelings arise in the mind space, manifest, and fall away without clinging or aversion or unskillful reaction.
The only time that craving (to maintain pleasant experiences or to reject unpleasant ones) arises is if we personalize the experiences (they are happening to “me”), or if we want things to be other than they are because we believe that life should be other than it is.
We might ask our self this question ”should life be other than it is?”
What does our simple observation of “feelings as feelings” tell us about this? Please work with these contemplations this month!
