Deepening Insight: Teachings on vedanā in the Early Buddhist Discourses

by Bhikkhu Anālayo

The ensuing pages present a selection of passages from the early Buddhist discourses that provide perspectives on the cultivation of liberating insight into vedanā , “sensation,” “feeling,” or “feeling tone.” For meditators, such passages can be of considerable help as a reference point for deepening insight. A metaphor that can offer considerable help when facing vedanā s describes bubbles arising on the surface of a pond during rain...they arise and soon enough burst and disappear. Contemplation of the changing nature of vedanā provides a firm foundation for the growth of insight into not self. Such insight proceeds through successive layers of the mind’s ingrained habit of self-referentiality. Based on relinquishing the explicit view of affirming the existence of a permanent self, increasingly subtler traces of conceit and possessiveness need to be successively overcome until with full awakening all selfing in any form will be removed for good. Deepening Insight is based on textual sources that reflect “early Buddhism,” which stands for the development of thought and practices during roughly the first two centuries in the history of Buddhism, from about the fifth to the third century BCE. These sources are the Pāli discourses and their parallels, mostly extant in Chinese translation, which go back to instructions and teachings given orally by the Buddha and his disciples. In those times in India, writing was not employed for such purposes, and for centuries these teachings were transmitted orally. The final results of such oral transmission are available to us nowadays in the form of written texts. Bhikkhu Anālayo's presentation is meant to provide direct access, through the medium of translation, to the Chinese Āgama parallels to relevant Pāli discourses. In commenting on such passages, his chief concern throughout is to bring out practical aspects that are relevant to actual insight meditation.
Endorsements In spring 1990 S.N. Goenka initiated an international seminar named The Importance of Vedanā and Sampajañña. It had the purpose to disseminate the prominence of sensations ( vedanā ) as a core object of meditation to recognize the intrinsic nature of change and impermanence. Venerable Bhikkhu Anālayo now provides a thorough, comprehensive and well selected collection on vedanā as maintained in the original early Pāli Canon. Along with the comparison to the Chinese Āgama, otherwise hardly available, this collection if adapted and applied to practice may indeed serve as an inspiring source for deepening insight . —Klaus Nothnagel, Pāli teacher and Center Teacher for Dhamma Pallava in Poland

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality

119 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2021

Reviews

[Aurelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bhikkhu Analayo is a German born Buddhist monk trained and ordained in Sri Lanka. In addition to being a meditation practitioner and teacher, he is one of the most influential scholars in Buddhist academia in the last few years. He published numerous articles and books about an area of study called Early Buddhism. In fact, during the few centuries following the Buddha’s death, his teaching was transmitted orally, therefore, in its journey from India to China, Sri Lanka and Tibet, Buddhist texts and practices had different lines of transmissions in different languages and interpretations, which resulted in the emergence of different schools of thought. Early Buddhism is an academic research area where these different texts are compared in order to isolate what is the common core between them, supposing that what is most common is the closest to what the Buddha really taught. As simple as it might sound, this was not possible due to the language barrier, as the texts are preserved in different ancient languages, namely Pali, Chinese and Tibetan. The contribution of Bhikkhu Analayo is that he learned all of these languages and was able to perform a cross examination of these texts, which is the concept behind all his academic research.

In the case of this small volume, he tackles the concept of feeling in Early Buddhist thought, by providing multiple essays examining Buddhist texts in Pali, and comparing them to the Chinese and Tibetan counterparts. Then he comes out with a conclusion that highlights the most essential understanding and the kind of practical training that should be followed.

Feeling, or Vedana as it is called in Pali, is pivotal in the Buddhist understanding of the human experience. According to Buddhist analysis, our experience of the world is a series of fragmented events that rises, lasts for a while then ceases, giving place to another event. It starts with a stimulus and ends up with a response. Although these events are somehow fragmented, they can be dependent on each other. The most obvious link is that of habituation, as when we react with anger towards something we are more likely to react identically to a similar stimulus. If those events are examined closely, which is one of the aims of meditation practice, what comes out is not a monolithic event, but a series of elements that constitute what we are deluded into thinking its one experience. Every event from its rise to its disappearance can be thus broken down into a chain of elements called the twelve links of depending arising that goes as follows: ignorance, volitional formations, consciousness, name and form, six sense spheres, contact, Vedana, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging and death.

Each one of these links is a subject of investigation on its own in the Buddhist practice, but the focus of this little volume is restricted to the link of feeling. Due to its position after contact and before craving, it is a perfect tool to investigate the nature of human experience. On occasions of bodily pain or intense pleasure, it is easy to be aware of feeling, however, there is no experience that exists on its own without feelings, the mental formations are also accompanied by feelings that we are most of the time unaware of.

The emphasis on feeling in the Buddhist texts in this volume shows that the meditation on feeling tone is an excellent tool to unlock the subjective experience, break it down and have an insight of its true nature. As a result, it enables the breaking of the ever-continuous chain of dependent arising that leads to continuous suffering and rebirth. Certain aspects of feeling are an easy target and can be practiced not only during sitting meditation but in everyday life.

Like all other aspects of human experience feelings are impermanent, but their impermanence is easy to spot, therefore, the mindfulness of their ever-changing nature from pleasant, to unpleasant and neutral is a basic yet effective exercise. Feelings can be broken down to mental feelings and bodily feelings, present feelings can be transposed to past and future feelings which occur with the same process. Moreover, when observed carefully, it is clear that feeling is conditioned to some sort of contact. This contact can be with a mental object, such as the mind coming into contact with some idea which provokes pleasure or displeasure; or a physical contact, which can be as simple as physical stimulus like cold and heat. On the other hand, feelings are the main drive for craving, as the pursuit of pleasure and aversion to displeasure is also an automatic reaction of the untrained mind. Even in the case of neutral feelings, they are perceived with an undertone of discomfort and a haste towards another stimulus that can replace them with a more pleasurable feeling.

Another interesting aspect of insight that contemplation of feeling can allow meditators, is the disengagement from feeling. We can experience feelings without completely identifying with them. Simply noting their presence and acknowledging their nature is an alternative to being completely carried away and overwhelmed by their strength. This practice aims to replace the automatic response with a much more reflected and learned one. Even if the stimulus is painful, the unwise reaction most of the time adds layers of suffering to it, which can be avoided through proper training and understanding, bringing us back to the importance of the share of self inflicted pain in the totality of the pain we really suffer due to external stimuli. Not identifying with feelings reduces the suffering which comes with the painful feelings, but also the unsatisfactoriness that comes with knowing that pleasurable feelings will change soon.

In the end, the purpose is to break the components of experience and understand how they depend on each other, therefore allowing the practitioner to stop the chain reaction that leads to continuous repetition of the same habits. This breaking apart also leads to insight into the real nature of the human experience and how if kept to itself it will lead only to perpetual bondage. Through this understanding one gains a certain degree of independence not only from the stimuli itself, but from his own way of reacting to it, progressing towards disenchantment, and letting go of all conditions which lead to suffering.

[Roberta Paccione · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read!

I would definitely recommend this book. Bhikkhu Analayo writes in such a way that not only can we understand the concepts he aptly describes but offers practical guidance on how to practice with vedanas. Guidance that weaves together conditionality and not-self (not limited to those two) leading to liberating insight into the three characteristics. Not theoretical or conceptually actual insight. He offers (another) wonderful teaching for those of us on the path to liberation. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vedana refers to the part of experience that is felt as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.

We generally assume that sense objects (sights, sounds, tastes, physical sensations, etc.) or physical objects (food, cars, people, etc.) cause pleasure or pain. But this is not quite right. Contact with various sense objects (including thoughts) triggers vedana. When we're not mindful we impute vedana to the objects themselves; with mindfulness, we see that vedana arises when consciousness meets (contacts) a sense object. In other words, vedana arises out of conditions.

With practice, we can learn to see vedana arise, change, and pass away, as the conditions of our life ceaselessly change. By watching vedana, we obsess less over the objects that trigger it. We also defuse the tendency to crave pleasant experience and fear painful experience. When we rest attention on vedana--calmly and repeatedly--we pacify the thoughts that typically follow pleasant or unpleasant experiences. This is a tremendous gift (possibly the greatest gift anyone could ever be given), which is why the teachings say that one who fully understands vedana has mastered the teachings.

Bhikku Analayo's book has lots of practical advice for working with vedana. I'll share some quotes below.

"In the series of specific conditions that lead to the manifestation of dukkha, vedana is the crucial point at which craving can, but does not have to manifest. At this juncture, the presence of mindfulness can make a world of difference. This can take the form of shining the light of awareness and understanding on a dimension of experience where ignorance usually holds sway, which is by way of immediate reaction to the affective quality of vedana with desire and aversion.

It all boils down to gaining increasing degrees of liberation from the tendency of the untrained mind to be in bondage to pleasure and pain, by reacting to them with defilements. This is the overarching purpose of the teachings and their practical implementation...

A particular contact will lead to the corresponding vedana. This clarification in a way directs attention away from attempts to change vedana itself, a common but misguided attempt. Instead, wise directing of attention to the absence of a self can make a world of difference when actually experiencing the three types of vedana.

Although there is a fairly widespread tendency among people to complain about the ups and downs of the weather, on proper reflection this turns out to be meaningless and simply a waste of one's time and energy. The same holds for complaining about the ups and downs of vedana."

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exposition of how to work with vedana (feeling tone) to develop mindfulness and later on cultivation of wisdom/ insight. Helpful to clarify things for both beginners and people further on the path, even if you develop the mind with wider scope such four limbs of satipattana, the five aggregates or the six sense doors.

[Vita Pires, Ph.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, Analayo (as always) clarifies a lot.

[Paul Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent explanation of Buddhist teaching on vedana (feelings)

Bhikku Anālayo provides another superb exposition on Buddhist teaching, this time on how Buddhist teaching can help people to understand, relate to and be freed from the different emotional states in which we ceaselessly find ourselves This book is both a sound product of scholarly investigation and a helpful practical guide for lay people, even those with little knowledge of Buddhist thought or practice. I strongly endorse this book (and other books on Buddhist practice by Anālayo).

[Jon Højlund Arnfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers a lot of relevant material for people meditating on vedana, e.g. in Goenka style vipassana.