On Vedanā" The Real Nature of Sensations. -S.N. Goenka.

A) In the boundless sky different winds arise, blow and pass away: at times easterly winds, at times westerly, northerly, or southerly; at times warm winds or cool ones; at times dust-laden winds or winds free from dust; winds at times malodorous or fragrant; at times stormy gusts or gentle breezes. Whatever they may be, the sky is not affected by them. Winds come and may prevail for a time, but sooner or later they all pass away.

B) Different travellers come to a resthouse or inn: people from the east or west, from north or south; white-skinned or black, yellow-skinned or brown; people of all shapes and sizes; strong or weak people, beautiful or ugly. The resthouse is not affected by them. All these people come and stay for a time, but sooner or later they continue on their way. Whatever their caste, community, color, or creed, they are all transient, they come and go.

In the same way, different sensations arise within the body. They appear and may stay for a time, but sooner or later they pass away. They do not arise to stay forever.

Yet we allow ourselves to be affected by them; we react to them with craving and aversion.

Why is it so?

The reason is that our faculty of perception— sañña—evaluates these sensations, and evaluates them wrongly. It labels one type of sensation as pleasant, another as unpleasant, and still another as neutral.

And having assigned these labels, the mind now treats the sensations accordingly.

It begins liking a sensation labelled as pleasant and develops craving for it.

It begins disliking a sensation labelled as unpleasant and develops aversion towards it.

This habit of reacting has become our second nature.

When we encounter a pleasant sensation, we seek to prolong or intensify it.

When we encounter an unpleasant sensation, we seek to drive it away.

When we encounter a neutral sensation, we become bored and seek to replace it.

Actually we have developed aversion for the neutral sensation and craving for something more pleasant.

 If the sañña changes into pañña—that is, wisdom,insight—then it will stop making these mistaken evaluations.

Instead, sensations will be evaluated correctly, with the understanding gained from experience of their real nature.

And because sensations are given their right evaluation, now reactions or craving and aversion will cease.

1] The evaluation given by insight is that whatever sensation may arise—whether pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, whether gross or subtle—it has the nature of impermanence, of passing away, of changing, of dependence on the law of cause and effect. It has arisen in the body as a wind arises in the sky, or a traveller arrives at a resthouse, having come only to go away.

This is the truth of anicca.

2] We have no mastery over these sensations, no possession of them. If we seek a particular sensation, it escapes us. If we try to avoid a particular sensation, we fail. If we try to rid ourselves of a sensation, it stays. Everything happens not as we will it, but in accordance with the laws of nature.

This is the truth of anattā.

3] If we identify with something that is impermanent and beyond our control, reacting towards it with craving or aversion, surely the result will be misery.

This is the truth of dukkha.

This evaluation given by pañña is the right evaluation which establishes equanimity in the meditator and points to the way out of all misery.

This is Vipassana.

This is the Ganges of Dhamma which purifies and liberates the mind.

Come, oh meditators!

Let us immerse ourselves in this Ganges of Dhamma to find liberation from all suffering and to attain real peace, real happiness.

[ Vipassana international Newsletter. Sep'88]

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Yathapi vata akase, vayanti vividha puthu;
puratthima pacchima capi, uttara atha dakkhina.
Saraja araja capi, sita unha ca ekada;
adhimatta paritta ca, puthu vayanti maluta.
Tathevimasmim kayasmim, samuppajjanti vedana;
sukhadukkhasamuppatti, adukkhamasukha ca ya.
Yato ca bhikkhu atapi, sampajannam na rincati;
tato so vedana sabba, parijanati pandito.
So vedana parinnaya, ditthe dhamme anasavo;
kayassa bheda dhammattho, sankhyam nopeti vedagu'ti.


Through the sky blow many different winds, from east and west, from north and south, dust-laden and dustless, cold as well as hot, fierce gales and gentle breezes-many winds blow.

In the same way, in this body, sensations arise, pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral. When a bhikkhu, practising ardently, does not neglect his faculty of thorough understanding, then such a wise person fully comprehends all sensations. And having fully comprehended them, within this very life he becomes freed from all impurities. At his life's end, such a person, being established in Dhamma and understanding sensations perfectly, attains the indescribable stage.

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