What does the Pali word vedanā translate to in English?
The Pali word vedanā translates simply as feeling or sensation. It refers to the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations that occur when internal sense organs meet external objects.
Questions about Vedanā
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How does Bhikkhu Bodhi define vedanā compared to emotions?
Bhikkhu Bodhi states that vedanā does not signify emotion which appears to be a complex phenomenon involving various mental factors. Instead it represents the bare affective quality of an experience.
What are the three categories of feelings according to the aggregate of sensations?
The aggregate of sensations divides into three categories: pleasant, painful and neutral. Alternatively there exist five types including pleasure and mental pleasure pain and mental pain plus neutral sensation.
Which text identifies six classes corresponding to sensations arising from contact between internal sense organs and external objects?
Six classes correspond to sensations arising from contact between internal sense organs and external objects. These include feelings from eye form and eye-consciousness ear sound and ear-consciousness nose smell and nose-consciousness tongue taste and tongue-consciousness body touch and body-consciousness mind thoughts and mind-consciousness.
What role does vedanā play in the Chain of Conditioned Arising within Buddhist philosophy?
Vedanā functions as one of the five aggregates of clinging within Buddhist philosophy. It acts as a condition for craving within the Chain of Conditioned Arising.