Do all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, when manifesting in the world, experience neutral feeling?

Neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling is also a kind of feeling; it arises and ceases moment by moment, flowing and changing—this is called the suffering of conditioned existence (saṃskāra-duḥkha), so all feeling is suffering. However, among feelings, neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling is the most comfortable and at-ease feeling, one that does not disturb the mind. This kind of feeling arises, first, from wisdom; second, from meditative concentration (samādhi); and third, from meditative concentration and wisdom together. The neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā) of neither pain nor pleasure, jointly engendered by meditative concentration and wisdom, can lean neither toward pain nor toward pleasure, and it is relatively enduring and firm.

If meditative concentration is lost, the neutral feeling will become biased—sometimes leaning toward pain, sometimes toward pleasure—and will change according to conditions. But since wisdom is still there supporting it after all, the deviation and change are not too great, and adjustments can be made anytime and anywhere. This wisdom must be true wisdom, wisdom realized through personal verification, not the kind of wisdom that is mere intellectual understanding by the mind consciousness. The kind of wisdom that is merely intellectual understanding has no support or backing of meditative concentration to begin with, so its effect is limited.

When Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest in worlds similar to the Sahā world, because a Buddha possesses unsurpassed wisdom and His mind is forever in meditative concentration, He is forever without feeling—He does not receive any feeling, and thus does not receive any painful or pleasant feelings, nor any neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. For example, when Śākyamuni Buddha's clan was slaughtered and exterminated by King Virūḍhaka, leaving very few relatives alive, the Buddha was able to face it with equanimity, no different from usual. This is because He possessed great wisdom and could clearly see the law of cause and effect; He knew this was karma that could not be escaped, and He knew that relatives are illusory and impermanent—they are not forever relatives, nor is there any real substance to "relatives." Added to this is the Buddha's power of meditative concentration, so He could calmly face these so-called misfortunes.

But Ānanda could not do so. Facing this event, Ānanda's mind was darkened and he suffered immensely. Although Ānanda was also a returning Bodhisattva, and his suffering may have been a demonstration, setting aside the matter of demonstration, the reasons for Ānanda's suffering were: first, he still had emotional attachment, clinging to family affection; second, he still could not see through the illusory impermanence of the sentient-being world; third, he could not see through the causes and effects involved; fourth, Ānanda only had the first dhyāna, and even that was the result of Śākyamuni Buddha's blessing—it did not often manifest, and his mind could not always remain in meditative concentration. These several reasons caused Ānanda's state of mind to be utterly different from the Buddha's; he could not let go of painful feeling and remain in equanimity.

Bodhisattvas at the fourth bhūmi and above have perfectly and completely accomplished the four dhyānas and eight samādhis; their minds are forever in meditative absorption (samādhi), and their minds forever abide in the neutral feeling of neither pain nor pleasure. However, before the seventh bhūmi, Bodhisattvas still have a tendency to enter Nirvāṇa without remainder. Why is there this tendency to enter Nirvāṇa without remainder? It is still because their minds do not delight in the world; their neutral feeling is not ultimate and thorough, and there remains clinging. Bodhisattvas at the eighth bhūmi and above have minds that are more empty; their clinging to dharmas is very slight, their emotional attachment has been completely severed, and their karmic obstructions from past lives have been mostly eliminated; their wisdom and compassion are deeper and sharper, and their minds forever correspond to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, relatively thoroughly and ultimately.

Bodhisattvas before the first bhūmi have not eradicated afflictions; where there are afflictions, there are painful and pleasant feelings, and sometimes also neither-painful-nor-pleasant feelings. Bodhisattvas from the first to the fourth bhūmi, although they have eradicated afflictions, still have afflictive habits, which are relatively heavy. When the habits manifest, there will be painful and pleasant feelings; times of neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling are more numerous, and times when the mind is calm are more numerous. During this period, the Bodhisattva's karmic obstructions, great and small, will still manifest. If meditative concentration weakens, there will be painful and pleasant feelings;     if meditative concentration remains deep, the mind will be very calm, even though the surrounding environment is unsatisfactory.

In short, whether a Bodhisattva abides in some kind of feeling or abides in no feeling depends on the power of samādhi of meditative concentration and wisdom, on the depth of karmic obstructions, on the depth and presence or absence of clinging, as well as on some other factors.