CONTEMPLATION OF FEELING
(VEDANANUPASSANA)

Another one of the four foundations of mindfulness is being mindful of feeling. Let me cover this
field of resort now. It is a important area, since one must come to understand feeling.

Fundamentally, feeling is of three types. There is pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling and 
neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant (neutral) feeling. Where there is gladness, joy or happiness 
there is also pleasant feeling. Where there is sorrow, lamentation, despair, restlessness etc. 
there is also unpleasant feeling. Where there is neither of the two, there is neutral feeling. 
If no pleasant or unpleasant feeling arises in the mind, there arises neutral feeling in the 
mind. With any single experience, there will arise one of these three feelings along with the 
relevant perception.

We can also classify feeling into feeling born of material and feeling free of material. Feeling 
born of material is through the five sense bases namely, the eye, ear, nose, tongue and body. 
Then there is feeling free of material. Such feeling is not dependent on contact through the 
five senses. It is dependent only on the mind base. 

One must be able to identify feelings in this manner. When a feeling arises, one must know  
and see it as either associated with material or free of material, one must know and see it as 
pleasant unpleasant or neutral. This is acquired by being mindful of feeling, when a feeling 
arises, one must know it has arisen. When a feeling ceases, one must know it ceases. When  
these feelings cease, one must know it has ceased. All these feelings, whatever they are, come 
and go.Arise and fade away. They are all of the nature to arise and cease. Being mindful of the 
arising  and ceasing nature of all feelings is the essence of this practice. Any posture can be 
utilized  to observe feeling. As you keep noting the rise and fall of all feelings, the knowledge of 
impermanence of feelings arise. The perception of impermanence arise.

Now there is another important and vital thing to realize. Normally, with the arising of a feeling 
there will also arise a reaction to feeling. If the feeling is pleasant, there arises the inherent 
tendency to cling to this pleasant feeling. To delight in it. Similarly, if the feeling is 
unpleasant, there will arise a resentment to this feeling. This process of delighting and resenting 
are distinct functions. Feeling is also a function, and delighting and resenting are also functions. 
All are functions. You may call them behaviors or elements. Delighting and resenting are mental 
functions. The subtle difference between feeling and delighting or resenting feeling must be 
known, realized. 

Whatever perception and feeling will find residence in the mind, will be a source of burden, 
harassment or torment, will be a source of mental pain or suffering, will be a source of dukkha, 
only if one delights in or resents that perception and feeling. For dukkha to arise, there must 
arise both feeling and delighting or resenting in that feeling. It is this process of clinging 
and resenting that brings about all the misery. For instance, whatever painful feeling that may 
arise in your body, if there arises no resentment to that feeling, then that painful feeling finds 
no residence in the mind, it is not a burden. Then there is no dukkha.

So we develop this Path, in order to destroy clinging and resenting to feeling. To uproot this 
tendency completely. This is the meaning of cessation of feeling. This is fully realized at 
Arahantship .

The wheel of knowledge that dawns when one contemplates on feeling, is identical to the  
knowledge that dawns when one contemplates on body. One sees the true nature of things in  
all aspects, culminating in the knowledge of the four noble truths, realization of nibbana.

Every meditator must identify one’s main object of meditation. It may be the breath or something 
else. Always commence your formal practice with the main object and if feeling is not that main 
object, then proceed to contemplate on feeling too, so that this field of mindfulness too will 
develop leading to a complete understanding of feeling.


A Being is a doer of eighteen mental discriminations

Knowledge of rise and fall

Feeling is a mere function

Knowledge of disenchantment and equanimity