Vedanā is an ancient term traditionally translated as either "feeling" or "sensation." In general, vedanā refers to the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations that occur when our internal sense organs come into contact with external sense objects and the associated consciousness. Vedanā is identified as valence or "hedonic tone" in psychology. Vedanā is identified within the Buddhist teaching as follows:
One of the seven universal mental factors in the Theravāda Abhidharma.
One of the five universal mental factors in the Mahāyāna Abhidharma.
Vedanā is the distinct valence or "hedonic tone" of emotional psychology, neurologically identified and isolated. Contemporary teachers Bhikkhu Bodhi and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche clarify the relationship between vedanā and Western notions of "emotions." Bhikkhu Bodhi writes: Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche writes:
Attributes
In general, the Pali canon describes vedanā in terms of three "modes" and six "classes." Some discourses discuss alternate enumerations including up to 108 kinds.
Three modes, six classes
Throughout canonical discourses, the Buddha teaches that there are three modes of vedanā: Elsewhere in the Pali canon it is stated that there are six classes of vedanā, corresponding to sensations arising from contact between an internal sense organ, an external sense object and the associated consciousness. In other words:
Two, three, five, six, 18, 36, 108 kinds
In a few discourses, a multitude of kinds of vedana are alluded to ranging from two to 108, as follows: In the wider Pali literature, of the above enumerations, the post-canonical Visuddhimagga highlights the five types of vedanā: physical pleasure ; physical displeasure ; mental happiness ; mental unhappiness ; and, equanimity.
Canonical frameworks
Vedanā is a pivotal phenomenon in the following frequently identified frameworks of the Pali canon:
the "five aggregates"
the twelve conditions of "dependent origination"
the four "foundations of mindfulness"
Mental aggregate
Vedanā is one of the five aggregates of clinging. In the canon, as indicated above, feeling arises from the contact of a sense organ, sense object and consciousness.
In the post-canonical 5th-century Visuddhimagga, feeling is identified as simultaneously and inseparably arising from consciousness and the mind-and-body. On the other hand, while this text identifies feeling as decisive to craving and its mental sequelae leading to suffering, the conditional relationship between feeling and craving is not identified as simultaneous nor as being karmically necessary.
Mindfulness base
Throughout the canon, there are references to the four "foundations of mindfulness" : the body, feelings, mind states and mental experiences. These four foundations are recognized among the seven sets of qualities conducive to enlightenment. The use of vedanā and the other satipaṭṭhāna in Buddhist meditationpractices can be found in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta and the Ānāpānasati Sutta.
Wisdom practices
Each mode of vedanā is accompanied by its corresponding underlyingtendency or obsession. The underlying tendency for pleasant vedanā is the tendency toward lust, for unpleasant, the tendency toward aversion, and for neither pleasant nor unpleasant, the tendency toward ignorance. In the Canon it is stated that meditating with concentration on vedanā can lead to deep mindfulness and clear comprehension . With this development, one can experience directly within oneself the reality of impermanence and the nature of attachment. This in turn can ultimately lead to liberation of the mind.
