HOW TO ERADICATE VEDANA FEELINGS ? (Lesson 31)

HOW TO ERADICATE VEDANA FEELINGS ? (Lesson 31)

By contemplating the feeling process you can eradicate the citta sankharas and thereby disassociate yourself with craving (tanha) from that consciousness. The feeling process is merely the mental formation of the four dhatus; namely the physical brain and its activities.

Why we say the Vedana will stop at Vedana stage without moving forward to the craving stage (tanha) ? You may recall that Vedana feelings arise as a result of the interaction of the four Dhatus. Normally you would assume that YOU are aching, paining, and so on. You are under mental pressure to feel stiffness, aching etc… Due to the wrong views of identity with which you have been laboring, the feeling process moves onto the craving and clinging stages thereby generating “mental formations”.

Why are you acting under such wrong perception (ditthi)?. The answer is simple. It is due to the lack of knowledge (avijja) of the consequences of the four Dhatus interaction and the inherited feeling process. If you with full understanding (samaditthi) realize and appropriate the true causes of the interaction of the four Dhatus and the inherited interaction process you can eradicate the non-existence mental perception. Buddha said if vedana (not YOU) cannot stop at the Vedana stage it will move onto craving, clinging, karma, bhava and rebirth.  If Vedana is stopped, Craving and Clinging is destructed. Paticca samuppada is destroyed, and  there will be no more birth or rebirth.

Now, we will examine the physical interaction of Nama and Rupa. Rupa always operates in its own way and take its own course to its own destination. The nature law of evolution is that birth, mature, death or existence, activities and disappearing. No one can interfere or amend this natural evolutionary process. But the Nama created by the physical brain shall lead you to misbelieving the identity and non-existent superficial perception. You would wrongly assume the position that you are aching, you are paining etc… Once the identity however illusionary is accumulated with the feelings then Vedana is transformed immediately into craving (tanha). The evolutionary cycle continues its endless course of journey. The identity is the main source of Paticca samuppada.

What is left over after the contemplation of Rupa and Nama ? There will be consciousness of the feeling process (not the actual feelings). Sukkha and Dukkha continue to arise as a result of interaction of the four Dhatus. But at this stage you would contemplate the arising and vanishing process of feelings.  

Later through gradual development of such contemplation, you can eradicate the rising and vanishing  of citta sankharas. There will be only a portion of shattered Nama remains. It will leave the clean part of consciousness.

 Only when you can contemplate on the Nama (feelings) characteristics and its operations without being identified or attached to Dukkha and Sukkha, the cycle of paticca samuppada will be broken. Seeing, hearing will become merely a feeling process. Sensation arising out of the seeing, hearing etc.. shall also become the feeling process. In every instance or moment you can grasp the characteristic process of Nama. That is called the cessation of the arising and vanishing of mental formation.

Whatever you may become conscious/ aware of, you only contemplate the characteristic process of Nama (ie. the feeling process). All feeling processes are subject to the natural laws of arising and vanishing.

You now achieve Eko Dhamma single mindedness of the arising and vanishing. Hearing , seeing , smelling etc… shall be contemplated as arising and vanishing process which is Impermanence. This is one of key stages to attain Sotapanna.

Sotapanna Puggala now has attained both Vedana Satipatthana and Vedana Nupassana. When he sees or hears something, he contemplates only on the Nama (feeling process). He achieves Vedana satipatthana and also becomes conscious of the vanishing stage of the feeling process (Vedana nupassana). Contemplation of feelings turns out to be contemplation of arising and vanishing: Impermanence Appreciation.

(to be continued)