5.3. Adukkham-asukha-vedanā
Because neutral vedanā are more difficult to discern, here's a simile to clarify.
When the room you are in is too hot, you notice it is hot. Or, if the room is too cold, you notice that it is cold. But if the temperature is just right, then you are not aware of the temperature in the room.
If asked, "Is it hot?", your answer would be "No."
If asked, "Is it cold?", your answer would also be "No."
If asked, "Does that mean there is no temperature?", again your answer would be "No."
The room has a temperature, but you don't notice it because it is exactly where it is comfortable for you. That doesn't mean there is no temperature.
In the same way, adukkham-asukha-vedanā does not mean there is no vedanā, it just means it's neither sukha nor dukkha. Not pleasant, not unpleasant, just neutral. When something makes no impact on the mind, there's no urgency to pay attention, so the tendency is to ignore it.
With that in mind, let's do a practical exercise to identify adukkham-asukkha-vedanā within experience.
Meditation on adukkham-asukkha-vedanā
Transcript
This is an exercise to learn to recognize adukkham-asukha-vedanā, the neutral feeling tone coming from experience of each of the six senses.
For this exercise, there is no need to get up and walk around, as neutral vedanā are available everywhere. They are by far the most common type of vedanā arising from experience.
What we are focusing on, adukkham-asukha-vedanā, is the neutral vedanā which occurs with any experience — the neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant quality of the experience itself. It comes so fast that it seems to be packaged together with the experience. It is immediate, experienceable, requires no thought or artificial analysis.
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Eye
Let's pay attention to adukkham-asukha-vedanā resulting from seeing.
Take a look around you and notice anything that you see that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, something that the sight of gives you no strong feeling either way.
Look around. You might see a wall, the floor, the ceiling, a door, a windowpane, usual everyday objects, a shoe, a stone, a plant, some grass, a power line, a piece of plastic, a stick, etc.
Find anything that, from the sight of it, gives you no pleasant or unpleasant feeling.
The neutral tone of seeing is very simple, it's something that we experience thousands of times a day. It is by far the most common types of response to experience. But it is very subtle—even more subtle than pleasant or unpleasant vedanā—and because it is so subtle, the tendency is to ignore it completely.
Normally we are focused on the objects of seeing. Now we're specifically zooming in and focusing on the neutral tone which occurs when seeing — not the sight itself.
As you recognize the neutral tone, note to yourself, adukkham-asukha-vedanā, or neva, or neither, or neutral, whatever language is natural for you.
Once you have identified the adukkham-asukha-vedanā from this sight, move on. Find another sight which gives the same neutral tone when seen.
Learn to identify this neutral tone that arises from seeing a sight.
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Ear
Now we're going to pay attention to adukkham-asukha-vedanā resulting from hearing.
Listen carefully to every sound. Notice anything that you hear that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, something that the sound of gives you no particular feeling.
Listen around. You might hear crickets, footsteps, a door closing, wind, passing traffic, distant voices, birds chirping, the hum of an appliance, an overhead fan, normal everyday sounds.
Find anything that, from the sound of it, gives you no pleasant or unpleasant feeling.
The neutral tone of hearing is very simple, it's something that we experience thousands of times a day. It is by far the most common types of response to experience. But it is very subtle—even more subtle than pleasant or unpleasant vedanā—and because it is so subtle, the tendency is to ignore it completely.
Normally we are focused on the objects of hearing. Now we're specifically zooming in and focusing on the neutral tone which occurs when hearing.
As you recognize the neutral tone, note to yourself, adukkham-asukha-vedanā, or neva, or neither, or neutral, whatever language is natural for you.
Once you have identified the adukkham-asukha-vedanā from this sound, move on. Find another sound which gives the same neutral tone when heard.
Learn to identify this neutral tone that arises from hearing a sound.
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Nose
Now we're going to pay attention to adukkham-asukha-vedanā resulting from smelling.
Notice anything that you smell that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, something that the smell of gives you no significant feeling.
Sniff around. You might smell your own skin, the smell of your own breath in the nostrils, the air in your room, paper or fabrics, etc.
Find anything that, from the smell of it, gives you no pleasant or unpleasant feeling.
The neutral tone of smelling is very simple, it's something that we experience thousands of times a day. It is by far the most common types of response to experience. But it is very subtle—even more subtle than pleasant or unpleasant vedanā—and because it is so subtle, the tendency is to ignore it completely.
Normally we are focused on the objects of smelling. Now we're specifically zooming in and focusing on the neutral tone that comes from smelling — not the smell itself.
As you recognize the neutral tone, note to yourself, adukkham-asukha-vedanā, or neva, or neither, or neutral, whatever language is natural for you.
Once you have identified the adukkham-asukha-vedanā from this smell, move on. Find another odour which gives the same neutral tone when smelled.
Learn to identify this neutral tone that arises from smelling a scent.
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Tongue
Now we're going to pay attention to adukkham-asukha-vedanā resulting from taste.
Notice anything that you taste that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, something that gives you no significant feeling.
Find something to taste — anything that gives no strong flavour, no sense of enjoyment or disgust. The taste of your mouth right now, plain rice, plain water, any food that you find neither tasty nor unpleasant.
Find anything that, from the taste of it, gives you no pleasant or unpleasant feeling.
The neutral tone of tasting is very simple, it's something that we experience thousands of times a day. It is by far the most common types of response to experience. But it is very subtle—even more subtle than pleasant or unpleasant vedanā—and because it is so subtle, the tendency is to ignore it completely.
Normally we are focused on the objects of tasting. Now we're specifically zooming in and focusing on the neutral tone which occurs when tasting — not the taste itself.
As you recognize the neutral tone, note to yourself, adukkham-asukha-vedanā, or neva, or neither, or neutral, whatever language is natural for you.
Once you have identified the adukkham-asukha-vedanā from this taste, move on. Find another flavour which gives the same neutral tone when tasted.
Learn to identify this neutral tone that arises from tasting a flavour.
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Body
Now we're going to pay attention to adukkham-asukha-vedanā resulting from physical experience.
The body is always full of neutral sensations.
Notice any physical sensation that you feel that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, something that the sensation of gives you no significant feeling.
It might be the feeling of your clothes resting on your skin, the contact of your foot with the ground, the air touching your arms, room temperature, the feeling of walking, standing, sitting, lying, the weight of your limbs, the position of your tongue, the breath at your nostrils, etc.
Find anything that, from the physical sensation of it, gives you no pleasant or unpleasant feeling.
The neutral tone of physical sensation is very simple, it's something that we experience thousands of times a day. It is by far the most common types of response to experience. But it is very subtle—even more subtle than pleasant or unpleasant vedanā—and because it is so subtle, the tendency is to ignore it completely.
Normally we are focused on the objects of physical sensation. Now we're specifically zooming in and focusing on the neutral tone which occurs when feeling a sensation — not the sensation itself.
As you recognize the neutral tone, note to yourself, adukkham-asukha-vedanā, or neva, or neither, or neutral, whatever language is natural for you.
Once you have identified the adukkham-asukha-vedanā from this physical sensation, move on. Find another sensation which gives the same neutral tone when felt.
Learn to identify this neutral tone that arises from feeling a physical sensation.
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Mind
Now we're going to pay attention to adukkham-asukha-vedanā resulting from mental experience.
Notice anything in the mind that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, something that the thought of gives you no significant feeling.
If there is no obvious neutral sensation in the mind, then gently bring one up. Think of a fact, whats the capital of your country, a task you’ve already completed, a neutral conversation, the number twenty seven, a generic object, a memory with no emotive content, etc.
There are so many mental experiences that result in adukkham-asukha-vedanā.
Find anything that, from the thought of it, gives you no pleasant or unpleasant feeling.
The neutral tone of mental experience is very simple, it's something that we experience thousands of times a day. It is by far the most common types of response to experience. But it is very subtle—even more subtle than pleasant or unpleasant vedanā—and because it is so subtle, the tendency is to ignore it completely.
Normally we are focused on the mood, thought or story in our mind. Now we're specifically zooming in and focusing on the neutral tone which occurs when knowing — not the mood or thought itself.
As you recognize the neutral tone, note to yourself, adukkham-asukha-vedanā, or neva, or neither, or neutral, whatever language is natural for you.
Once you have identified the adukkham-asukha-vedanā from this mental experience, move on. Find another thought which gives the same neutral tone.
Learn to identify this neutral tone that arises from knowing a mental experience.
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Open Awareness
Now we're going to come back to open awareness, and pay attention to adukkham-asukha-vedanā resulting from any experience.
Know whatever is happening in the six sense fields right here, right now.
Find anything that, from the experience of it, gives you no pleasant or unpleasant feeling.
The neutral tone of experience is very simple, it's something that we experience thousands of times a day. It is by far the most common types of response to experience. But it is very subtle—even more subtle than pleasant or unpleasant vedanā—and because it is so subtle, the tendency is to ignore it completely.
Normally we are focused on the objects of experience. Now we're specifically zooming in and focusing on the neutral tone which occurs when experiencing — not the experience itself.
As you recognize the neutral tone, note to yourself, adukkham-asukha-vedanā, or neva, or neither, or neutral, whatever language is natural for you.
Once you have identified the adukkham-asukha-vedanā from this experience, move on. Find another experience which gives the same neutral tone when experienced.
Learn to identify this neutral tone that arises from experience.
Spend some time noticing the neutral tone that comes from any six sense experience — the absence of attraction or aversion, the flatness, the ordinariness of something happening.
The Pāḷi for this is adukkham-asukha-vedanā, neutral vedanā.
Learn to identify this as it is happening.
Q&A
Q: Do you have any questions or doubts at this point?