Vedanā: The True Meaning of Self and Non-Self

Original text from the Saṃyuktāgama, Volume Five: "How is feeling regarded as the self? It refers to the sixfold base of feeling—feeling born of eye-contact, feeling born of ear-contact, feeling born of nose-contact, feeling born of tongue-contact, feeling born of body-contact, and feeling born of mind-contact. Regarding each of these six bases of feeling as the self, thinking 'I am feeling,' this is called 'feeling is the self.' How is feeling regarded as different from the self? It is regarding form as the self, while feeling is what belongs to me; regarding perception, formations, and consciousness as the self, while feeling is what belongs to me. This is called 'feeling is different from the self.'

"What is seeing feeling within the self? It is regarding form as the self, with feeling existing within it; regarding perception, formations, and consciousness as the self, with feeling existing within them. What is seeing the self within feeling? It is regarding form as the self, dwelling within feeling, pervading its four limbs; regarding perception, formations, and consciousness as the self, dwelling within feeling, pervading its four limbs. This is called 'the self within feeling.'

Explanation: How is the feeling aggregate regarded as the self? The feeling aggregate is the sixfold base of feeling: The eye faculty contacts a visual object, giving rise to eye-consciousness, which has feeling; the ear faculty contacts a sound, giving rise to ear-consciousness, which has feeling; the nose faculty contacts an odor, giving rise to nose-consciousness, which has feeling; the tongue faculty contacts a taste, giving rise to tongue-consciousness, which has feeling; the mental faculty contacts a mental object, giving rise to mind-consciousness, which has feeling. The mental faculty regards all six of these feelings as the self, thinking that the self (the mental faculty) is feeling. This is called 'feeling is the self' (the mental faculty).

How is feeling seen as different from the self? It means the mental faculty regards the form aggregate as the self, then the feeling aggregate is what belongs to it (is possessed by it). If the mental faculty takes the perception aggregate, formation aggregate, and consciousness aggregate as the self, it will regard the feeling aggregate as what belongs to it (is possessed by it). This is called 'feeling is different from the self.'

What is seeing feeling within the self (the mental faculty)? It means the mental faculty regards the form aggregate as the self, so feeling exists within the form aggregate; the mental faculty regards the perception, formation, and consciousness aggregates as the self, so feeling exists within the perception, formation, and consciousness aggregates. Feeling is what belongs to it (is possessed by it).

What is the self within feeling? It means the mental faculty regards the form aggregate as the self, and since the form aggregate dwells within feeling, the self dwells within feeling, pervading the four limbs throughout the body. The mental faculty regards the perception, formation, and consciousness aggregates as the self, and since the perception, formation, and consciousness aggregates dwell within feeling, the self dwells within feeling, pervading the entire body. This is called 'the self within feeling.'