The basic disposition of human beings is to avoid unpleasant or painful feelings, and to seek more and more pleasant feelings, believing that doing so provides lasting happiness. Vedana, or feeling tone, arises in the moment of each sense contact and is experienced in one of three ways: as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Each of the ways is in the nature of a bare feeling with no associated emotional tones. However, based on the pleasant or unpleasant aspects of sense experience we form likes and dislikes. And based on the neutral aspects we form ‘overlooks’, the tendency to not even see people or things or events that don’t excite our passions.
This week Stephanie shared a talk by Carol Wilson in which she describes the vedana and the gratification and danger and escape from getting entranced by them.
You can listen to Carol’s talk here:
Burlington Buddhist Sangha 