Sensations – Feelings – Emotions

Based on:

• The Book: Samyutta Nikaya – Connected Discourses
• Part 4: Salayatana Vagga – The Six Sense Bases Chapter
• Chapter: Vedanā Saṃyutta – Connected Discourses on Feelings (SN 36.1 – SN 36.31)

---

Are We Helpless Victims of Sensitivity?

This is a question posed by the renowned teacher Ajahn Sumedho (video link).
Everything we know, experience, think, feel, and live through—everything in the world—is accessible to us only through our six sense organs. The Buddha teaches that nothing exists for us beyond these six senses (see Sabba Sutta – The All, SN 35.23).

If all our joys and sorrows arise through these six “doors,” wouldn’t it make sense to study them closely? Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the universe’s complexity, it becomes more manageable to focus on six sense gates that generate our experiences.

During a personal retreat in December 2022 at the MABA monastery (maba-usa.org), I spent three weeks immersed in meditation and deep study of the Samyutta Nikaya. The section on the six sense organs was one of the most transformative revelations I’ve ever experienced.

There is so much wisdom to uncover, and you’re welcome to explore the texts yourself. (https://suttacentral.net/pitaka/sutta/linked/sn/sn-salayatanavaggasamyutta?lang=en) However, in this series, I will present the ideas incrementally to share the process of how I developed an insight into feelings and emotions through a Buddhist lens. 

---

Defining the Basics: Feelings and Emotions

In Buddhist texts, “feelings” (vedanā) arise through a process involving three elements:

1. A sense organ (e.g., the eye)
2. An object it perceives (e.g., a form or color)
3. Consciousness that attends to it

In modern language, we might call this process perception, but in the Buddhist tradition, it is often translated as feelings.These feelings have a distinct quality: they are either pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. From this simple triad arises the vast range of emotions and mental states we experience. For clarity, when I refer to “feelings” throughout this series, I’ll include both the initial perception and the emotions and mental states that follow.