Significance of Feeling aggregate
The Feeling aggregate, known as vedanaskandha in Mahayana, pertains to the aspect of experience associated with sensations and feelings. In Theravada, it is seen as a collection of feelings arising from conditions like ignorance and craving. This aggregate includes all types of feelings, both pleasant and unpleasant, and represents experiences of pleasure, pain, and emotional states. Ultimately, the Feeling aggregate consists of sensations linked with consciousness, highlighting its role in sensory perception and individual experience.
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Buddhist concept of 'Feeling aggregate'
The Feeling aggregate in Buddhism, or vedanaskandha, encompasses all sensations—pleasure, pain, joy, and grief—arising from conditions like ignorance and craving, representing the individual's experiential relationship with feelings within the broader context of consciousness.
From: Visuddhimagga (the pah of purification)
(1) A group of feelings that arise and cease based on conditions such as ignorance, craving, and contact.[1] (2) All feeling, which is understood as a collection characterized by being felt, parallel to the materiality and consciousness aggregates.[2] (3) The collection of feelings experienced by an individual, which arise in association with consciousness.[3] (4) The aggregate that encompasses all states associated with feeling in sensory perception.[4] (5) The second aggregate encompassing all types of feelings, both pleasant and unpleasant.[5]
From: Introducing Buddhist Abhidhamma
(1) The Feeling Aggregate (vedana) involves the experiences of sensations, which can be classified as pleasant, painful, or neutral.[6] (2) Referred to as vedana, this aggregate encompasses the feelings associated with experiences.[7]
From: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
(1) The feeling aggregate (vedanaskandha) represents the aspect of experience related to feelings or sensations within the dhyanas.[8]