HOW TO ERADICATE THE FEELINGS - VEDANA ? (lesson 27)

HOW TO ERADICATE THE FEELINGS - VEDANA ? (lesson 27)

What are the differences between causes and effects.

The Buddha advised you to catch a snake by its head, otherwise it will bite you deadly. Likewise, if you wish to eliminate the Feelings you must understand the causes, not the effects. Otherwise you are unable to eradicate the feelings (vedana) because you are acting under the Ditthi (wrong perception).

So, what is/are the cause/s of feelings ?

Buddha clearly specifies that if one cannot stop at feelings (vedana), the feelings will be translated into craving and moving into Tanha. The process occurs within our body and takes initial root in the cycle Samsara.  There is no such thing as I, Mine, Me in this mental process. You don’t understand it and therefore develop the false ideas or beliefs that  “I am suffering pains, aching…etc…” Such identity process enhances the illusionary concept of existence. It affords moving into the (tanha) craving stage. Where there is existence of I, Me, Mine, there will be craving (Tanha) (emotional reactions).

The causes of feelings are not the physical pains or aching, but it is your wrong perception (ditthi) about your own identity. When feelings arise, you contemplate as the bodily disagreeable feelings generated by the interaction of the four Dhatus. That is called Vedana satipatthana. In doing so, you stop at vedana stage and not moving to the Tanha (craving and clinging stages). The mental process of vedana is terminated here. The existence of Tanha is the mental process and the interaction of the four Dhatus. That is the proper contemplation which will eradicate the formation of Tanha or transforming vedana to Tanha.

What are the feeling categories that can be identified and recognized ?

According to the Nikaya, Buddha taught us there are three kinds of feelings: 1-. Pleasant (Sukha), 2. unpleasant (dukha) and 3. neither pleasing nor unpleasant feelings. In the case of pleasant feeling as example, you are developing more liking feeling and then increase the level of greed. You just want more and more such feelings. Firstly, the more you want, the less likely you will be satisfied with the kind and degree of pleasantness. Secondly, the pleasantness will not stay the same forever. It will change as a natural rule. Every thing operates in dynamic fashions. Finally, your liking perception will change in terms of degrees and kinds. That is the impermanence rule of the universe.

The Nikaya sutta categorically specifies there are only three kinds of feelings and at each point in time you experience only one kind of feelings, but not all 3. This issue can be subject to adversary debate. By analogy if you drink a cup of milky coffee, would you be able to discern which is which in your coffee. Actually you can discern only the most attractive or strongest feeling that you experience. Either it is sweet because the sugar is plenty in your cup of coffee, or it is milky because you pour too much milk in it. However, for this exercise it is not intellectually benefited to such debate.

So, three kinds of feelings will subject yourself to three fundamental elements in Buddhism, which are Greed, Anger and Delusion. When you have a good feeling you want more. When you are not satisfied with the increased desire you develop anger even with same object and the same feelings. The revolving feelings from pleasantness to unpleasantness and vice versa continue to dominate you until the final point of time in your life. You will voluntarily surrender yourself to the feelings (vedana) and craving (tanha) cycle; paticca vedana tanha. Rebirth or desire to be born again exists at your last breath will take you to another cycle of birth and death again and again.

Only when you recognize it is the Dhamma process of feelings, feelings will stop and paticca samupadda will terminate at this point.

(to be continued)

Ashin MT