-By Vipassana Research Institute
Although vedanā (sensations) are innumerable, they have been classified into three categories in the texts: sukha (pleasant), dukkha (unpleasant) and adukkhamasukha (neutral). The reason for this categorisation is obvious. These three vedanā are tools which a Vipassana meditator can easily use to perceive the truth of arising and passing away, aniccatā (impermanence). For this reason, in the Vedanānupassanā section of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, we find only these three vedanā.1
As stated above, the sensations are varied and diverse, just like winds which blow in the sky, or like visitors to a public rest house who come, stay for some time and then go away.2
On other occasions, the Buddha spoke of many more types of vedanā. These should be understood in relation to the context of the situation. For example, in the Pañcakaṅga Sutta of the Saṃyutta Nikāya,3 a talk between Pañcakaṅga, the carpenter, and Venerable Udāyi is recorded. Pañcakaṅga insists that the Buddha speaks of only two vedanā: sukha and dukkha. Whereas Venerable Udāyi says that the Buddha speaks of three: sukha, dukkha and adukkhamasukha. When the matter was brought to the attention of the Buddha by Ananda, he said that he had not only spoken of two or three vedanā but many more, sometimes as many as five, six, eighteen, thirty-six, and even one hundred and eight.4 However, we should bear in mind that numbers are always mentioned in a context or in the course of explaining a point. Otherwise, he said, it would be difficult to grasp the exact meaning of his discourse, and one might fall into illusion and futile discussions.
At times the Buddha spoke of only two vedanā: kāyika vedanā (bodily) and cetasika vedanā (mental). But without correctly understanding the context, a person may argue—how is it possible to experience a vedanā on the body without the application of mind? It is true that the vedanā arisen on the body is not felt by the body itself but by the mind. Thus, for feeling vedanā, both the kāya (body) and mana (mind) must be present. Then why has the Buddha spoken of kāyika (bodily) and cetasika (mental) separately? The Buddha says that whenever he has spoken of these two vedanā, his statement is related to a particular point occurring during the discourse. Although both mind and body must be present to feel a vedanā, it is called kāyika only when the kāya (body) is pre-eminent and the mind is not disturbed or agitated. This is the state of mind of an ariyasāvaka (noble disciple). Whereas, when an ordinary person encounters a vedanā on the body, he is utterly disturbed, and his mental state becomes agitated. Taking these factors into consideration, the Buddha has spoken of two vedanā: kāyika and cetasika. A well-trained ariyasāvaka who is aware of the aniccatā (impermanent nature) of the vedanā remains visaṃyutta (detached) from it. But the mind of the ordinary man is ignorant of the true nature of the vedana and becomes disturbed. He is saṃyutto (attached) to the vedanā. Therefore, the Buddha has described vedanā as both kāyika and cetasika. The distinction is simply between the mental disposition of an ordinary person and of an ariyasāvaka. The former is inferior and characterised by ignorance, whereas the latter is sato sampajāno—wise, vigilant, attentive and with constant thorough understanding of arising and passing away, the aniccatā of vedanā.5
In the Pañcakaṅga Sutta,6 the Buddha enumerated five sukhā vedanā by associating them with the contact of the pañca kāmaguṇā (five sense elements): eye, ear, nose, tongue and body. He says that although both an ordinary person and a meditator experience the same contact, there is a vast qualitative difference between their two experiences. The sukhā vedanā experienced by the ordinary person (kāmasukha) is inferior and can never be compared with the sukha that the meditator experiences in the paṭhama jhāna (first absorption), the dutiya jhāna (second absorption), the tatiya jhāna (third absorption) or the catuttha jhāna (fourth absorption). There are progressive qualitative differences in sukha in these jhānas as well. The sukha experienced in the ākāsānañcāyatana samādhi (fifth absorption) is superior to the above four jhānas. The sukha experienced in the viññāṇānañcāyatana samādhi (sixth absorption) and in the ākiñcaññāyatana (seventh absorption) is superior to the preceding one. Similarly, the sukha that a meditator experiences at the stage of nevasaññānāsaññāyatana (eighth absorption) is indeed far superior to the previous experiences of sukha. But the sukha experienced in this samādhi also cannot be regarded as paramaṃ sukhaṃ.
It is interesting to note that the Buddha, prior to his enlightenment while still a Bodhisatta, visited many saints, sages and meditators who were engaged in different types of penances or meditation practices. The most eminent were Āḷāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta. He approached Āḷāra Kālāma first and soon mastered the stage of ākiñcaññāyatana samādhi (seventh jhāna), which was the highest known to Āḷāra Kālāma. The Buddha, not finding this samādhi to be the final stage of liberation, left him and went to Uddaka Rāmaputta. There he quickly mastered the samādhi of nevasaññānāsaññāyatana (eighth jhāna), which was the highest he could learn from him. The Buddha also did not regard this stage of samādhi as the final liberation, and so he left Uddaka Rāmaputta as well.7 After spending a long time practising severe austerities and torturing the body, he came to present-day Bodh Gaya. He sat down under a tree and ultimately attained the highest stage of samādhi, which he called saññā-vedayita-nirodha samapātti. This is a stage beyond nāma-rūpa, beyond vedanā and saññā. There he experienced the highest sukha, which is beyond the sukha of the mundane sphere, a sukha that is eternal. At this stage of samādhi, a Vipassana meditator goes beyond the eighth jhāna, where the nirodha (cessation) of saññā and vedanā (perception and feeling) is reached. The Buddha says that a meditator, through realising the extinction of saññā and vedanā by the purifying wisdom of anicca, enters the stage of saññā-vedayita-nirodha and destroys his āsavas (cankers) and becomes free from the world.8
The Buddha taught his first five disciples (pañcavaggiyā-bhikkhu) that this very samādhi was the highest, beyond the realm of Māra.9 The attainment of saññā-vedayita-nirodha samapātti is the highest stage in which a meditator realises the stage of paramaṃ sukhaṃ, santi varapadaṃ, the supreme happiness and peace.
The Buddha frequently used the common term 'sukha' because the language of the time lacked a term capable of precisely describing the sukha-vedanā experienced at different levels of samādhi. These could only be experienced and understood by practice.
The Buddha enumerated five vedanā in describing the five controlling powers of indriyas:
- sukhindriya (pleasure)
- dukkhindriya (pain)
- somanassindriya (mental joy)
- domanassindriya (mental grief)
- upekkhindriya (equanimity)10
The vedanā are enumerated as six when describing their arising by the contact on the six sense-doors. These six vedanā through contact are:
- cakkhusamphassajā vedanā
- sotasamphassajā vedanā
- ghāṇasamphassajā vedanā
- jivhāsamphassajā vedanā
- kāyasamphassajā vedanā
- manosamphassajā vedanā
In each case, vedanā should be understood in the context in which they occur.11
The number of vedanā comes to eighteen when we combine each of the six above with somanassupavicāra (the mental application of joy), domanassupavicāra (the mental application of grief) and upekkhupavicāra (the mental application of indifference).
On certain occasions, the number of vedanā is thirty-six: cha gehasitāni somanassaṃ (six of mental joy concerning the household life); cha nekkhammasitāni somanassaṃ (six of mental joy concerning the life of renunciation); cha gehasitāni domanassaṃ (six of mental grief concerning the household life); cha nekkhammasitāni domanassaṃ (six of mental grief concerning the life of renunciation); cha gehasitāni upekkhā (six of mental indifference concerning the household life); cha nekkhammasitāni upekkhā (six of mental indifference concerning the life of renunciation). The reference to somanassasitāni, domanassasitāni, and upekkhāsitāni, which includes both household life and the life of renunciation, concerns the mental disposition of a person and not his outer dress or apparent condition. A householder may attain stages superior to a renunciate who has left the householder's life and has not developed in meditation. The Buddha stated in a gāthā in the Dhammapada:
Alaṅkato cepi samaṃ careyya, santo danto niyato brahmacārī;
Sabbesu bhūtesu nidhāya daṇḍaṃ, so brāhmaṇo so samaṇo sa bhikkhu.12
Though gaily decked, if he should live in peace, with passions subdued, sensations controlled, certain (of the four paths of sainthood), perfectly pure, laying aside the rod (in his relations), towards all living beings, a brāhmaṇa indeed is he, a samaṇa is he, a bhikkhu is he.
For example, Citta Gahapati remained a householder throughout his life. However, by undertaking the thorough understanding and practice of Dhamma, he attained the stage of ānāgamī, a higher stage than that reached by many of the monks of his time. He was therefore known as 'pre-eminent in expounding the Dhamma'.13 In the Acelakassapa Sutta of the Saṃyutta Nikāya,14 Citta Gahapati declares that he could practise the four jhānas and that if he died prior to the Buddha, he would be pronounced by him as one who had no fetters (saṃyojanā), which would bring him back to this world again.15 There are cases where monks, having renounced the household, remain as undeveloped at the mental level as an ordinary householder. This level of mental development cannot therefore be called nekkhammasitāni.
There is the example of Venerable Nanda, the Buddha's stepbrother, who, though ordained as a monk by the Buddha himself, was nevertheless tormented by thoughts of his former betrothed.16 His mental state did not reflect the calm of the true renunciate but rather the agitation of the householder.
The number of vedanā to be calculated varies with the situation and with the Dhamma that is being explained to the listener. The number of vedanā can be considered two, three, five, six, eighteen, thirty-six, or even one hundred and eight depending on the context. One can only understand them properly in relation to the specific discourse.
Notes: (All references are to the VRI edition.)
- Digha Nikaya 2.380; Majjhima Nikaya 1.113
- Samyutta Nikaya 2.4.260 Vedanāsaṃyuttaṃ Paṭhamaākāsasuttaṃ; 2.4.262 Agārasuttaṃ
- Ibid. 2.4.267
- Loc. cit
- Ibid. Salla Sutta 2.4.254
- Ibid. 2. 4. 267
- Majjhima-Nikāya, Pāsarāsi Sutta, 1.277, nāyaṃ dhammo nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṃvattati
- Ibid. 1.287, bhikkhu sabbaso nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ samatikkamma saññāvedayitanirodhaṃ upasampajja viharati, paññāya cassa disvā āsavā parikkhīṇā honti.
- Loc. cit
- Samyutta Nikaya 4.5.501-507 Indriyasaṃyuttaṃ, Sukhindriyavaggo
- Loc. cit
- Dhammapada Daṇḍavaggo142
- Aṅguttara Nikāya 1.1.175 - 186 Ekapuggalavaggo
- Samyutta Nikāya 7.4.351 Cittasaṃyuttaṃ, Acelakassapasuttaṃ
- Loc. cit
- Saṃyutta Nikāya 10.2.342 Bhikkhusaṃyuttaṃ, Nandasuttaṃ