Dhamma Letter No. 111

Satipatthana 35 : Vedanānupassanā (Observation of feeling) 느낌관찰 2

Digha Nikaya 22:

How, then, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu live observing feeling from feeling?

Bhikkhus, here are some bhikkhus.

While experiencing pleasurable feelings, we correctly know that “I experience pleasurable feelings”.

While experiencing a painful feeling, we know rightly, “I experience a painful feeling.”

As long as I experience neither pleasant nor painful feeling, “I experience neither pleasant nor painful feeling.”

While experiencing the pleasurable feeling of attachment, we rightly know that we “experience the pleasurable feeling of attachment.”

While experiencing a pleasurable feeling without attachment, one correctly knows that “I experience a pleasurable feeling without attachment”, and rightly knows that while experiencing a painful feeling with attachment, “I experience a painful feeling with attachment”.

While experiencing painful feelings without attachment, we correctly know that we “experience painful feelings without attachment”,

While experiencing the neither painful nor pleasurable feeling with attachment, one experiences the neither painful nor pleasurable feeling with attachment.”

While experiencing a non-painful, non-pleasant feeling without attachment, one experiences a non-painful, non-pleasant feeling without attachment.”

In this way he lives, observing feeling in feeling inside, observing feeling in feeling outside, and observing feeling in feeling inside and outside.

He lives observing the phenomena that arise in the feeling, he lives observing the phenomenon that disappears in the feeling, and he also spends observing the phenomena that arise and disappear simultaneously in the feeling.

The awareness that “this is a feeling” is established in him.

In this way he develops his awareness to a level where there is only wisdom and right awareness. In this way, he lives detachedly without attachment to anything in the world of mind and matter.

This, bhikkhus, is how a bhikkhu lives contemplating feeling from feeling.

Feelings can be said to be the medium through which the body and mind can be known. However, as the Buddha previously presented three types of feelings (pleasant, unpleasant, neither non-pleasant nor non-unpleasant feeling), feelings manifest themselves through the mind. 

In Pali, the language of the Buddha, ‘sukkha’ is a pleasant feeling for the body, and ‘somanassa’ is a term for a pleasant feeling for the mind. A painful feeling on the body is called ‘dukkha’, and a painful feeling on the mind is called ‘domanassa’. A feeling that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant is called ‘abyakata’ & ‘upekkha’.

The climax state of upekkha is one of the four holy minds (brahma mind) and can be said to be the supreme mind in the three realms of rebirth (Dhamma letter no. 35).

Through moment-by-moment awareness, one should be able to perceive the respective states of sukkha, dukkha, somanassa, domanassa, abyakata, and upekkha.

I hope that you can make the right effort to achieve the best state of upekkha with wisdom.

To be continued…

May you cultivate your Sati continuously (Samma-Viriya)!

May you achieve the Samma-Sati through Satipatthāna (vipassana meditation)!

May all practice well and reach to Magga (道, the path of enlightenment) and Phala(果, the fruit of enlightenment)!

With Metta,

Ayyā Kosallā Vipassinī
Edited by Euna Bonovich 

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If you have any questions related to dhamma & meditation, please feel free to ask. You can reach Ayya Kosalla directly at Bhikkhuni.Kosalla@gmail.com. 

법에 대한 질문이 있으신 분은 위의 이메일 주소로 질문을 남겨주세요.

위빠사나명상의 마음관찰에 대한 논문을 한글 원본으로 읽고 싶으신 분은 클릭해서 다운로드 받을 수 있습니다. (네이버에 PDF 첨부)

The Korean Dhamma Letter is here 담마레터.

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Buddha Sāsanaṁ Ciraṁ Tiṭṭhatu! 
May the Buddha’s teachings last a long time!

​Bhavatu Sabba Sotiṁ ca Maṅgalaṁ ca!!  
May everyone be led on the path of peace and blessing!!

Sādhu Sādhu Sādhu !